My condo's rules call for owners to drain their water lines if they plan to not occupy their unit for 48 hours or more. What am I supposed to do about the gas water heater? Should I turn the gas water heater to "low" or "vacation", or should I turn off the gas to the unit and re-light the pilot when I get back? Does the water in the water heater stay in the tank when I drain the water line?

48 hours? That is ridiculous (but don't say anything). How long will you be gone, and when, and what climate are you in?

And how will they exactly know if you don't?

You need to get involved on the board and get such a silly rule changed.

You would turn the gas off and relight it, when you return, if the water is turned off.

assuming what type of heater it is.

If you have to drain your system, I suggest you turn gas to water heater OFF.
Agree with comments above: the 48 hour policy is unreasonable

Hope that helps

Milo

I agree with the above comments about 48 hours being unreasonable. I would agree with a policy that the water should be turn off if unit is vacant for more than 48 hours. But not that the system should be drained.
Having been associated with condominiums and condominiums boards in the past I can say with confidence that the greater percent of the time the members on the board who making these rules have no idea about what they are doing. This is especially true about the physical aspects of the buildings. Sometimes you can have a reasonable conversation with them, sometimes they are on a power trip and no amount of logic will prevail.

What has happen is that some board member has heard of water heaters bursting and extensive water damage occurring. Not only to the unoccupied unit but also to the units below. Most of the time the association has access to all units so the water can be turned of but not always.

So, in my opinion it is reasonable to require you to turn off the water but not drain the system. It is also in your best interest to do so because you can be held responsible should something occur.

It is not reasonable to require that you drain the water heater. A water heater is not going to burst once the water pressure is removed. It make leak but it is not going to burst

Most home owners have some limited knowledge of their water system. But that is knowledge is limited. Most condominium dwellers have NO knowledge of the water system or any other aspects of the physical facilities. To have owners attempt to drain and restore water heaters will create enormous problems. Problems relighting and water heaters that are burned out because the tanks were not refilled before relighting.

The risk of having condominium dwellers messing around gas appliances far out weight the risk of a busted water heater.

In the local news a couple days ago that an apartment complex in Maryland blew up due to gas explosion. A couple people killed

Suggest that you try talking to board members. Your strongest argument is the risk of people messing around with gas appliances. In my opinion the association should have a policy that if you have a problem with a gas appliance, even if it just relighting a pilot light, call us and let us take care of it. Their present policy about draining water heaters, which also requires turning off the gas and then relighting the pilot, exposes them to extreme liability should something catastrophic happen.

When you are in a position of authority and you require someone to do something, you assume the responsibility of their actions. Suggest that the association consult their attorney about the liability they have exposed themselves to.


If you are not successful, just turn off your water while you are away. Turn to vacation mode. No one will ever know whether you drained the water heater or not. Hope that your neighbor doesn't blow the place up.

I think the 48 hour requirement is reasonable. What isn't reasonable is draining the pipes and water heater and shutting off the gas to the water heater... it serves no useful safety purpose. Here, simply shutting the water supply off and opening a faucet at the highest point in the house to depressurize the pipes protects you and any other units below or beside you from potential damage while you are away. Turning the thermostat on the water heater to vacation or pilot setting saves you money and requires no real knowledge or plumbing experience to do, so I would strongly suggest doing this.

I would write a letter to the HOA board and explain that draining the pipes does nothing to prevent damage... shutting water off and depressurizing the pipes does. Let them know that fellow owners should NOT be messing with the gas pipes or shutoff valves... only setting the thermostat to vacation or pilot setting should be done by these people.

Mark