Electric Water Heater Thermostat Troubleshooting

Symptoms can range from no hot water to inadequate hot water to water that s too hot.

Electric water heater thermostat troubleshooting.

How electric water heaters work. Extreme caution is required. If the hot water heater is not working one of the thermostats may be bad. Troubleshooting an overheating electric hot water heater.

Most water heaters have two heating elements one near the top of the tank another located further down. When there s no hot water the problem can stem from lack of power a faulty electric thermostat or a faulty upper electric heating element. Troubleshooting thermostats in a hot water heater requires that the power be turned back on. If you touch any bare wires or terminals you will receive a severe shock that can be deadly.

When the upper element works and the lower one does not you have a low supply of hot water. See troubleshooting electric hot water heaters or water heater element testing for other related topics. You can easily repair and replace if necessary the controls and heating elements of most common residential 120 208 and 240 volt electric water heaters with traditional line voltage controls. Electric water heaters are high voltage 240 volt appliances that are dangerous to work with when the power is on.

Several types of electric water heater issues can cause problems with water temperature. The water could be hot enough to cause burns or it could lead to. The lower thermostat just controls the lower element. Further it does not discuss gas or propane fuel types nor plumbing related issues.

An electric water heater that s leaking from the bottom is typically because of normal condensation a leaking electric heating element gasket or a small amount of water being expelled through the overflow pipe because the t p valve is opening to release excess pressure in the tank. Scalding hot water from a tap presents a serious problem for homeowners. Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat. Not the microprocessor types that are starting to appear in stores.

You can test them with the power off using an ohmmeter to measure resistance or with the power on using a voltmeter to measure voltage. Electric water heaters use either 120 or 240 volt power 240 volts is more common to energize metal heating elements that protrude into the water heater tank through the side wall. Ran out of hot water.