Silly Water Heater/Plumbing Question

[myoldhouse]

Hi, I was going to replace the shower fixture/handle in my bathroom until I noticed my water heater does not have the shut-off valve for the hotwater. It looked as if the guy who installed the water heater had removed the hot water shut off valve. My questions are 1) Is there a reason for not having the shut-off valve for the hotwater? 2) Do I need to drain the hot water completely in order to replace the shower fixture? 3) Is there a trick so that I don't have to go through the big hassle (shut off the water heater & drain the hot water). Thanks in advance for your help. BTW, the model is GE model GG40T6A.

[sloooo]

There is never a good reason to remove a shut off valve. ADD A VALVE. Water heater tanks don't really ever burst, but there are those that do. Do you really want to have your water heater burst and not have a way to turn it off at the source?

As far as draining your system, there is really no need to drain the water heater to replace the fixture. Turn off the water and open a sink to drain the pressure and you should be good to go.

No matter what, your going to have to shut off the water to your house to replace the INLET valve to the water heater. So, while it's off, fix any issues you have and you won't have to worry about them anymore ;-)

[househelper]

There should not be a hot water shutoff valve, but instead a cold water shutoff valve that feeds the water heater. Having a hot water shutoff may lead to over pressurization of the tank.

As Slooo said, to replace the shower valve, all you need to do is turn off the main water valve, open a cold and hot water valve somewhere in the house to relieve pressure, and start your work.

[myoldhouse]

Thanks all for the suggestions..this will save me lots of time.