Your hot water heater is one of the most useful appliances in your home. It provides you with hot water for cooking, laundry, cleaning, and bathing. Without it, you would be stuck trying to find another way to have hot water, such as heating it on the stove.

Your hot water heater saves you precious time and energy by giving you a constant source of heated water. Yet it’s the problems that make you appreciate it the most. When the heater quits heating, you simply call in the plumber to have it repaired or replaced. But what if something really goes wrong? When it malfunctions, it is imperative that you are able to turn it off until you can find the source of the problem. In case your water heater ever begins to malfunction, the following steps will show you how to turn off your hot water heater.

1. If your water heater is gas, turn the dial on top of the thermostat to the OFF position. If it is electric, locate the breaker for the hot water heater and flip it to the OFF position.

2. Turn off the water to the hot water heater by turning the water valve clockwise until it stops. If, for some reason, the water does not turn off, use the main water valve for your house and shut off the water to your entire home.

3. To drain the water heater, attach a hose to the drain valve that you will find on the bottom of the water heater. Make sure the other end of the hose is in a lower position and you will see the water begin to flow out. You can open up a hot water valve on one of your sinks or tubs to force air into the tank.

4. Finally, open the relief valve by flipping the handle so it is pointing either straight up or straight out.

5. Your hot water heater is now shut down and ready to be serviced.