Electric Water Heater Thermostat Troubleshooting

Electric water heaters are high voltage 240 volt appliances that are dangerous to work with when the power is on.

Electric water heater thermostat troubleshooting.

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. Troubleshooting thermostats in a hot water heater requires that the power be turned back on. 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. See troubleshooting electric hot water heaters or water heater element testing for other related topics.

Before checking any electrical parts of a water heater shut off the power to the heater s circuit by turning off the appropriate breaker in your home s service panel breaker box. If the hot water heater is not working one of the thermostats may be bad. How electric water heaters work. Ran out of hot water.

Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat. Scalding hot water from a tap presents a serious problem for homeowners. If you touch any bare wires or terminals you will receive a severe shock that can be deadly. This will supply 240 volts to the heater.

Further it does not discuss gas or propane fuel types nor plumbing related issues. Most water heaters have two heating elements one near the top of the tank another located further down. Several types of electric water heater issues can cause problems with water temperature. Symptoms can range from no hot water to inadequate hot water to water that s too hot.

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. 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. The lower thermostat just controls the lower element. An electric thermostat is set at the factory and not.

Not the microprocessor types that are starting to appear in stores. Troubleshooting an overheating electric hot water heater. The water could be hot enough to cause burns or it could lead to.