On Mar 6, 11:48 pm, " wrote:
On Mar 6, 7:58?pm, "Roger Shoaf" wrote:





I would drain the tank, and shut off the pilot light. ?Having water sit will
only allow for the tank to corrode.

--
Roger Shoaf
If you are not part of the solution, you are not dissolved in the solvent.

wrote in message

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I heat my water for washing ?with natural gas. I have both a tank type
water heater and a tankless water heater. They both sit in the
basement under my living room. I can easily switch to either using one
of them or both of them to heat my water. During the summer the
tankless is sufficient for my needs but not in the winter when the
incoming water is very cold. Does it pay to completely drain the tank
heater during the warmer months of the year when I will not use it or
will it corrode more than with water in it?
Richard- Hide quoted text -

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Rust requires moisture and air. A empty tank is the perfect
environment for fast rusting

Much better to leave water fl;owing with pilot off- Hide quoted text -

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I think I would keep the conventional water heater inserted BEFORE the
tankless. In the coldest months, have the conventional turned on and
set to the lowest temp. In summer, just turn if off. That will
yield the lowest heat loss from the conventional tank while solving
the incoming cold water problem. I would share the concerns echoed by
those saying draining the tank may be worse as far as promoting rust.

Out of curiousity, how did you wind up with a tankless that is not
adequate to serve your full needs? Using both would seem to be the
worst combo. A tankless costs so much more, it will take a long time
to recover the upfront cost to begin with. And with your setup, you
still have the cost of replacing a regular unit, some heat loss from
it, etc.