DWeikert wrote:
Like others, I just drain the water heater. The little water left behind won't cause a problem. There's plenty of room left for it to expand while freezing. One thing I haven't seen anyone mention is to use the pressure relief valve to release the pressure in the water heater before you loosen the drain plug. You'll only do it in the wrong order once.
I usually use the faucets for that, as I open them to allow air to be drawn in as the water heater empties.
I used to pull the relief valve handle, but after having had to replace one because it started to leak (worse than the normal expansion), I don't pop the relief valve anymore than necessary.
