Have a natural gas Rheem heater all picked out .. Is it ok to run the return water through the heater when the heater is off??.. Or should the water be bypassed with pvc.??
Heater Question??
- Thread starter Rynz
- Start date
Many people like to put in a bypass so that not all the water runs through the heater ... although most heaters have an internal bypass as well. I do not think you would want to completely stop the flow through the heater for long periods of time.
elwood58
LifeTime Supporter
Water can run through the heater all the time, but you should also have a bypass to take the Heater out of the loop for maintenance etc. Some people like to bypass the heater when not in use to save internal wear and tear on the heat exchanger. The heater has a flow sensor, so it will not fire up without sufficient flow.
It's completely optional, but I like options. So, I had PB puit it in that way. I second blizzle on the no flow condition. Not good.
If you put in a bypass and isolation valves you should have at the very least a pressure relief valve installed into the heater. The heater can fire on on the closed valves then potentially explode if there is no where for the pressure to go.
