Are you talking about the circuit breaker just for the electric hot water heater or the whole house? It is not a problem to shut off the hot water heater. Shutting off the whole house is not an issue either but it cuts off power to all your appliances. Electric heat is very expensive especially in NY.

If you are paying the electric bill, then you have a right to ask your landlord to lower the temperature on the hot water heater. Tell him the code is the water temperature may not exceed 120 degrees. It is a safety issue and needs to be enforced to prevent scalding.

Hi Mike, I was talking about the breaker just for the hw heater. I will get a thermometer and see just how hot the water is, does the 120 degree also apply for winter months? Thanks so much :>)
Christine

While scalding is a valid issue, you might want to be careful about turning off the water heater as this might promote the growth of mould or Legionella in the tank.

SR

Why do you want to continue living there and subjecting yourself to such foolishness? Common sense says the landlord has some other weird quirks in his quiver.
A heater running at extreme tempature is prone to leak at the drain when allowed to cool down. Better make certain you aren't responsible for the resultant water damage before tripping the breaker.

The 120 degree temperature limit applies all the time.

You can also tell your landlord that running the hot water heater at high temperatures will reduce its life. The constant cycling to maintain the temperature takes its toll on the heater.

Do be careful in turning the water heater on and off. It is the perfect situation for bacterial growth, Legionella, in the water. I'd suggest telling the landlord to either reduce the temp to a min of 120* or to install a tempering valve to prevent someone being scaled by the "to hot" water. When he realizes that he might have to spend some money, he will likely turn it down.

Thank you all for your advice & suggestions, I will speak to him and see what he says. The heater is down in the basement & I have no access to it and I am not responsible for it. I just thought I could turn it off during the day and save some electricity.

What does space heat have to do with the hot water heater?