Electric Water Heater Thermostat Troubleshooting

If the thermostats are okay you need to test the water heater elements.

Electric water heater thermostat troubleshooting.

However the dial indicator. Sometimes merely resetting this bottom will cause the heater to begin working again. Water in an electric water heater is heated by two heating elements in most cases. To test the lower thermostat turn the top one to its lowest setting and the lower one to its highest setting.

If you re experiencing this problem it s possible that one or both of your water heater s thermostats is set too high. Easily identify the c. Too much hot water can be almost as frustrating as not enough hot water. Turn off the power at the breaker panel.

To check the thermostat settings. You cannot inspect a thermostat with the power turned off. Turn off the power to the water heater in the service panel. Electric water heater thermostats are a fairly simple devices that can fail from time to time.

A thermostat problem is fairly unusual though it s much more likely that a burned out heating element is causing problems. See testing electric water heater elements for more information. Also check the reset button on the thermostat the red button located at the top of the thermostat. Hence make sure you don t touch any exposed element or powered component of the electric water heater.

As you will need to get your fingers into the area occupied by hot electricity. Typically 120 degrees is sufficient for most hot water needs. The water heater thermostat has a dial indicator that allows you to control the temperature of the water. The meter should read somewhere between 220 and 240 volts.

You would get a shock. If that s not the cause then the heating elements may have failed and need replacement. Testing is the only option if you want to determine whether or not one or both of them has failed. The most common reason for absolutely no hot water is that the circuit breaker has tripped and you should first check the breaker box.

Touch one meter lead to the top screw and the other lead to the metal body of the water heater. When you check different components of an electric water heater you do so after turning off the power.