Electric Hot Water Heater Troubleshooting

If that doesn t work perform a hard reset by shutting off power to the water heater at the circuit breaker box.

Electric hot water heater troubleshooting.

Electric hot water heater problems. Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat. For electric hot water heaters start troubleshooting with a quick reset. If your electric hot water heater is slow to heat runs out of hot water faster than it used to or doesn t deliver any hot water at all there s a 90 percent chance that simply replacing one or both of the heating elements will solve the problem.

Often there is some hot water available but it runs out quickly. 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. To rule out an undersized heater check to make sure the heater has 75 percent of its capacity as hot water. Fast water heater company discusses how to troubleshoot a failing electric water heater.

How electric water heaters work. Turn off the water heater for a few minutes and then turn it back on. 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. When the water s not hot enough the problem can be an undersized water heater crossed hot and cold connections or a faulty heating element or thermostat.

There may be no hot water in the house at all. If the hot water heater is not working one of the thermostats may be bad. Electric hot water heater troubleshooting involves checking wiring that has a significant amount of current. The first things to check are the thermostat and elements of the hot.

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. Most water heaters have two heating elements one near the top of the tank another located further down. In fact the combination of volts and amps in an electric water heater can be lethal. There are several problems that can arise with a whirlpool electric hot water heater.

At times people see puddles or hear popping sounds near water heaters. In some cases the water is too hot.