Water Heater Vacation Mode

If you’re leaving your home for a longer vacation (more than a couple of days), consider leaving your water heater in vacation mode. Vacation mode sets your water heater to operate at a lower temperature, ultimately saving energy. The standard vacation mode temperature is around 50 degrees Fahrenheit, which is considerably lower than the typical temperature water heaters are set to about 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

How to use water heater vacation mode

The first step to putting your water heater into vacation mode is checking the user manual to see if your model offers a preset vacation mode on the temperature dial. If this is the case, then your job is easy; just locate your thermostat, adjust it to vacation mode, and you’re good to go on vacation with no worries.

If your water heater does not have a preset vacation mode, do not fret, your job is still just as easy. Just turn your thermostat down to “pilot” mode, around 50 degrees Fahrenheit. When you get home, just turn your water heater back to its original setting, and you’re good to go!

Why you should use water heater vacation mode

The biggest reason to utilize vacation mode is that it saves you money. So having your water heater set to its normal temperature while no one is using it is essentially useless.

Vacation mode is also super good for when you’re traveling during colder weather. If you completely turn your water heater off during winter vacations, your pipes run the risk of freezing. Vacation mode keeps all your lines running at a warm enough temperature to prevent any freezing and unnecessary floods when you get back.