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.

An electric thermostat is set at the factory and not. If the hot water heater is not working one of the thermostats may be bad. Further it does not discuss gas or propane fuel types nor plumbing related issues. If you touch any bare wires or terminals you will receive a severe shock that can be deadly.

Symptoms can range from no hot water to inadequate hot water to water that s too hot. The lower thermostat just controls the lower element. Not the microprocessor types that are starting to appear in stores. Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat.

Extreme caution is required. 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. 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. 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. Most water heaters have two heating elements one near the top of the tank another located further down. 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.

Troubleshooting an overheating electric hot water heater. 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. Several types of electric water heater issues can cause problems with water temperature. Scalding hot water from a tap presents a serious problem for homeowners.

How electric water heaters work. 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. The water could be hot enough to cause burns or it could lead to.