3 month vacation: Will turn off main water valve. What to set gas water heater to?

[JEDI]

My gas water heater:


From the pic, there's:
Vacation, pilot, and off modes

Since i'm turning off the main water valve, i'm thinking of turning the water heater to OFF?

Re-igniting the pilot light seems easy:
- Turn knob to Pilot, then push in knob and push the igniter button at same time.
(I'm assuming the igniter Button is the square black button below the knob?)

What do you suggest?

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Unless it's going to be cold enough to freeze pipes, turn it off.

 

[JEDI]

Unless it's going to be cold enough to freeze pipes, turn it off.

just thought of something.
if i turn the water heater off, then i should shut off the gas to the water heater?
(i think there's a valve to the yellow gas line attached to the water heater?)

 

[Lost_in_the_HTTP]

Again, if you don't have to worry about heat, maybe shut the gas off at the main outside the house.

Leave the power on with some lamps (maybe radios for sound) on timers on random sequences.

 

[snoopy7548]

If I was going to be gone for 3 months I'd probably shut off the main, drain all the pipes and water heater, and shut off the gas at the water heater. Turn off all the breakers except for the AC/furnace and smoke detectors. Get a few cameras and set them up so you can keep an eye on various parts of the house.

 

[JEDI]

If I was going to be gone for 3 months I'd probably shut off the main, drain all the pipes and water heater, and shut off the gas at the water heater.

Drain the water heater?
There's no drain in my basement.

It's going to suck carry water 1 gallon at a time up to the 1st floor

 

[herm0016]

shut the water valve and turn off the water heater. un plug stuff. other than that you should be fine.

 

[mindless1]

There's what you need to do (which is nothing, if everything goes right), what would save money, which is turning the water heater off, and then what is safest which is to turn off the gas valve to the heater (and stove and clothes dryer if applicable), and also the main water valve to the entire premises in case something else (like a refrigerator, dish washer, or clothes washing machine) were to suffer a hose rupture while you're away.

I'm assuming the igniter Button is the square black button below the knob?

Do get the owner's manual for your water heater.

Ask the gas company before touching the main gas valve outside your home. They probably want to do it for you, do not want you to DIY.

Since it is decidedly inconvenient to drain the water heater (and yet, you should have a drain for it in some way(!) if even just a pan with a hose or other plumbing to where it can drain. The water heater never should have been installed without this if you have no basement drain nearly adjacent to it) then I would just leave the water in it and flush it out real good when you return by running all faucets on hot to purge the old stagnant water out. Same for cold water except don't need to purge the volume in the tank, just what is in the line between the street and the faucets.