Quote:
Originally Posted by gm1216
....leave the water in the water heater and leave it on ...
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In theory, yes this should work.
But, with the water drained from the lines, your heater in by-pass, and the heater running on electric, what happens if there is a power outage!
Face it, when temps get that low, the risk of power outages increases. Ice on electric lines, power overload on the grid, winter storms, any number of things could cause the power to go out.
Where I live (in the country), it seems about 4 times a year someone runs their car into a power / utility pole that knocks out power for several hours. It happens in hot weather and even sub zero weather. So, do you want to run the risk of a power outage?
Also, with no new water (under pressure) coming into the water heater, what happens if your water heater over-heats. It will spew out the relief valve yes. You could loose a substantial amount of water, and the electric element is still cooking away boiling the water in your tank to oblivion.
I know, I'm looking at the dark side here. The chances of this actually happening are very slim. But Murphey's law has always been my way of life. So, I've learned to do all I can so Murphey doesn't win any more. For me, draining the water heater is the simplest part of winterizing. It's no big deal and once you've done it, there are no more risks at all that Murphey can take advantage of.
Functionally, yes you can leave the water heater on electric with water in it and no water anywhere else. But why?