Hello - thanks for reading. We are getting a new water heater on Monday. We have an old AO Smith FSG 40 242 gas 40-gallon model that has a small leak (a puddle appears if we're not drawing hot water, and dries up when we do draw hot water). A technician who came out today said there's no way to know if the tank might go, and that it might be smart to shut off the water and gas as a precaution.
My question is, if the tank is empty, it is OK to have the pilot setting on the gas dial? Here's my thinking: we were going to turn off the water to the tank tonight to prevent a flood in case it burst. But I wanted to leave the gas on pilot so that -- if everything is OK tomorrow -- we can turn the water and the whole tank back on (just to have hot water for a few hours). So, is there any risk if we shut off the water -- and the tank bursts and empties overnight -- if we have left the gas setting on pilot? Thanks again.
My question is, if the tank is empty, it is OK to have the pilot setting on the gas dial? Here's my thinking: we were going to turn off the water to the tank tonight to prevent a flood in case it burst. But I wanted to leave the gas on pilot so that -- if everything is OK tomorrow -- we can turn the water and the whole tank back on (just to have hot water for a few hours). So, is there any risk if we shut off the water -- and the tank bursts and empties overnight -- if we have left the gas setting on pilot? Thanks again.
