Any water heater guru's out there?

[pstall]

Got an electric one and the other day, ironically, the hot water just stopped. hit the reset button at the top of the heater and drained it some and still nothing.

hoping it's not the thermostat etc.

anybody had anything similar? trying to troubleshoot(see fix for free) this bad boy.

[Anybodyhome]

Depending on the age, it could be one of the heating elements. If it's a dual element water heater, the bottom element does most of the work as cold water is filled from the supply at the top of the tank, but a dip tube runs it all the way to the bottom of the tank on the inside. Usually, a bad bottom element is easily spotted by a brief moment of hot water- then none. A bad top element usually results in lukewarm water.

Elements are either a bolt in or threaded screw in. Lowe's and Home Depot both carry elements. Drain your tank and take one out and take it to the store with you. There are several sizes and they'll all run you about $12-15.

Have you checked the breaker box and ensure it hasn't tripped a breaker? Even without any working elements, hot water will stay warm enough to shower for upwards of 6-8 hours after being heated.

The thermostat could also be bad, but those rarely go out. Either way- thermostats or elements- won't cost you too much...

[pstall]

could you be more detailed please? ;)

excellent. i will double check the breaker and go from there. thanks

[pstall]

and it was just the breaker. i saw that online but one of my kids got me off track and i forgot to follow up.

nice work anybodyhome.

[g5jamz]

Wonder why your breaker tripped.

[pstall]

I'm guessing excessive heat. Not sure why else.

[Anybodyhome]

Yeah, there is not usually anything else on a water heater breaker, unless it's located inside the house (in a closet or laundry space). If that's the case, it could be on the same circuit as another major appliance, perhaps something like a window AC unit. But don't simply dismiss a breaker trip- there's a reason for it. Find out what else is on that circuit.

However, if that's not the case and the water heater is on its own circuit, it tripped for a reason. This is cause for concern and one of the scenarios I originally painted is likely- a bad heating element. If you know how to use an electrician's meter, you can easily check for a bad element without dismantling the heater:

To test an electric water heater heating element proceed as follows:

• Use an electronic multimeter or multi-tester to test the heating elements in an electric water heater.
  
• Turn off power to the electric water heater at the main power panel. Do this by turning off the circuit breaker or fuse powering the heater.
  
• Wait for the water heater to cool, this is very important because the heating elements operate off a thermostat and hot water in the tank will affect electrical flow to the heating elements.
  
• Test for lukewarm to cool “hot” water by opening a hot water faucet and running the water until it is cool.
  
• Remove the access cover panel and insulation covering the heating element terminal block. Fold the insulation outward and away from the heater element.
  
• Loosen the screws holding the wires to each of the two terminal screws and remove the wires.
  
• Test for proper functioning of the heating element by checking for an open or closed circuit (continuity) using the electronic multi-tester. Set the multi-tester to “Ohms” and connect the red lead to one terminal and the black lead to the other terminal on the heating element.
  
• If the ohm reading is 0 on a digital multi-tester or if the needle reads infinity (does not move) using an analog dial, there is no flow of electricity through the element and it needs replacement.
  
• If you get an ohm resistance value using the multi-tester, then the heating element itself is not bad. The problem may be the other heating element or the upper or lower heating unit thermostat.
  

[pstall]

Ahh. So my joy may be short lived with needing to replace the heating element. Lovely.

[Anybodyhome]

Not necessarily, you just need to know what else- if anything- is on that breaker, that will likely answer your questions.

In the meantime, if you start running out of hot water or start taking luke warm showers, you've got a bad element. Look, it's about 15 minutes and $15 to replace one. If you're not comfortable with electricity, find someone you know who can do the job, give him a 6-pack for his time, it's no big deal.

[g5jamz]

Run with it for a while and see what happens. What's it going to hurt....a cold shower a day or two?