Electric water heater diagnosis & repair questions & answers - set#3:

FAQs on how to test and repair an electric hot water heater that is not heating at all or is not producing enough hot water.

Q&A on How to Repair an Electric Water Heater / Calorifier / Geyser

These questions & answers were posted originally at ELECTRIC WATER HEATER REPAIR GUIDE - home - be sure to review that article.

On 2018-05-22 by (mod) - hot water smells like sulphur

Don

That sulphur smell in hot water only is often due to bacterial growth in the water heater OR to a deteriorated sacrificial anode.

Sulphur odors from water heaters: A frequent source of a sulphur-like odor in home water systems, regardless of whether your water is from a private well or from a municipal supply source, is a deteriorated sacrificial anode on the water heater tank.

This anode, usually inserted into the water tank from its top, is intended to reduce water tank corrosion. Sacrificial anodes on water tanks can be replaced. If the odor is present only in your hot water, ask your plumber to try replacing the anode.

We discuss the hot water tank sacrificial anode and dip tube in more detail at

ANODES & DIP TUBES on WATER HEATERS

Watch out: as we explain

at HYDROGEN SULFIDE GAS https://inspectapedia.com/odor_diagnosis/Hydrogen_Sulfide_Gas.php , hydrogen sulfide gas is dangerous and can explode or catch fire.

Sewer gases also probably contain hydrogen sulfide gas (H2S) In addition some writers opine that there are possible health hazards from sewer gas exposure, such as a bacterial infection of the sinuses (which can occur due to any sinus irritation). Hydrogen is extremely flammable (easily set fire or explodes).

See WATER ODOR DIAGNOSIS - SULPHUR https://inspectapedia.com/water/Water-Odor-Diagnosis-Cure.php

At WATER HEATER FLUSH PROCEDURE https://inspectapedia.com/plumbing/Water_Heater_Flushout.php we describe cleaning out the water heater. You may need to sanitize the heater with a bleach solution and then flush that from the heater.

Take care: if your heater is an electric unit NEVER turn it on, not even for a second, if it's not completely filled with water - or you'll blow the heating elements.

On 2018-05-19 by Don

my hot water smells like sulpher

On 2018-04-29 by (mod) - scalding burn risk

I agree that that is certainly unsafe, risking scalding Burns, I suspect you need to replace the thermostat.

On 2018-04-29 14:24:26.307998 by rider 2014

My electric hot water heater heats the water too hot. The temperature setting has not changed for years. It was getting so hot that it was coming out the relief valve. I had to switch it off at the breaker to stop the problem. Do I need to replace the thermostat or controller?

On 2018-04-27 by (mod) -

The burned plastic odor should dissipate with time; increasing fresh air ventilation can speed that process.

I've tried spraying clear shellac on burned surfaces to reduce offgassing, but I'm not sure your water heater manufacturer would approve such a step.

On 2018-04-27 by danny

ok I had a lower thermostate to burn out and it burned my insulation that covers it and leaves a bad smell anyway to change that

On 2018-04-04 by (mod) -

What you describe sounds very dangerous since I think you are describing a situation in which electrical wires are becoming wet. The risk is shock, and serious injury or even death. I hope that you turned off that water heater and called your plumber

On 2018-04-01 by Deb

Water Heater is leaking on the top. Were the wires water comes thru were the wires are located anyone know to fix it

On 2018-02-25 by (mod) -

Please try the diagnostic steps at the start of this article as let me know what happens. We will take it from there.

On 2018-02-25 by Anonymous

Is not working

On 2018-02-22 by (mod) -

Joe

Not fuses, but a thermal overload or overheat switch (safety device) that can trip and require re-setting.

Watch out: don't keep re-setting a safety switch or blown fuses or circuit breakers. If these devices keep tripping off the system is unsafe and needs repair.

On 2018-02-22 by Joe

Does electric hot water tank have internal fuses

On 2018-01-09 by (mod) -

Karen

I don't have a good guess as I can't see the dust nor the situation. But if you have a nearby oil fired heating appliance like a heating boiler or furnace, I'd look more-closely at that equipment as a soot source if the burner needs cleaning, adjustment, or repair.

On 2018-01-09 by karen

Why am I getting black dust around the bottom of my electric water heater and on the top of the inspection panel? Thanks

On 2018-01-06 by (mod) -

Sylvia

Please take a look at the causes and cures for no hot water starting in the article above on this page - the paragraph titled Water Heater Tests When there is No Hot Water at All

Let me know where that leaves you and we'll be glad to answer further questions.

On 2018-01-06 by Sylvia

Electric water heater won't send hot water. What would be the problem

On 2018-01-06 by (mod) -

Peggy

On an electric water heater the reset vig ton pops to turn off the heater if temperature is unsafe

A bad thermostatic control could all be the problem

On 2018-01-06 by Peggy

Relay button has to be reset why does it keep kicking off

On 2017-12-27 by (mod) -

Kerrie,

Perhaps a shorted or failed electric heater element, wiring or a control right in the heater.

Look at the heater controls - typically behind an access panel on the heater front. There may be a re-settable thermostatic control - a red button that popped out. You can try re-setting it ONCE. If it pops again leave the heater OFF as it is unsafe.

On 2017-12-26 by Kerrie

My fuse blew put new ones in still no hot water what could be wrong ty

On 2017-12-07 by Kaven

Got power in the top thermostat no power in bottom

On 2017-11-27 by (mod) -

Sarvesh,

Near the top of ELECTRIC WATER HEATER REPAIR GUIDE see the advice in the section titled "Water Heater Tests When there is No Hot Water at All"

There you will see that the diagnostic sequence for NO HOT WATER for an ELECTRIC GEYSER is

1. Check that electrical power is on to the heater - at the electric panel and then have your electrician check at the geyser itself that electric power is arriving there (if not then a wire is broken or aa connection has come loose)

2. With electrical power known to be provided at the geyser we move on to test the geyser controls themselves - the temperature control thermostat and its safety swiitch or button.

Check for a red "reset" button that has popped out - a safety control. With power off for at least 15 minutes (so the heater can cool off) push the button in to re-set it. If it pops again there is a problem with the heater controls and they probably need replacement.

3. When we know that we have electrical power at the electric water heater or geyser, and we know that the heater temperature control is OK we turn power off, disconnect, and test the electric heating elements - we give a link to an article explaining how that is done.

The article above on this page shows you with text and photographs how to do those steps.

On 2017-11-11 by sarvesh

water 25ltr gyser is not turning on. recoonected the power suppy itd dead again

On 2017-11-11 by sarvesh

whater gyser not turning on

On 2017-11-09 by Anonymous

I'm getting the right voltage and nothing burned up. Still no hot water.

On 2017-11-09 by (mod) -

Joy

If you're trained to safely use a VOM or DMM to measure voltage and resistance there are some easy checks at HEATING ELEMENT TESTS (live link in the CONTINUE READING links ) to confirm voltage at the heating elements and that the elements are actually working.

Similarly there are some simple tests that the high temp cutoff isn't shutting the system down and that a manual reset button has been pushed in to re-set a tripped thermostat

. If you're not safe with electrical wiring and tests and considering that there is live voltage during testing, you ought to have an electrician do that for you since making a mistake can kill you.

Also if the heater was turned on, even briefly, before all of the air was purged from the system after changing heater elements, it takes only a moment to burn them up.

On 2017-11-09 by Joy

I've replaced the thermostat, breaker, and heating elements and get power to all of it but i still dont have hot water.

On 2017-10-25 by michael menezes

how can you adjust temp on a electric water heater.

On 2017-10-15 by Daniel Fowles

hi my hot water heater died already twice. each time i take out the plug and replug it in and poof its working like never before.
how would you diagnose this issue?

On 2017-09-03 by Teresa

Can't get hot water heater to kick on

On 2017-09-01 by (mod) -

If the heater Las power the next diagnostic steps are at

ELECTRIC WATER HEATER ELEMENT TESTS

Done by an electrician

On 2017-08-30 by Jennifer

Brand new tank just stopped heating water.

On 2017-05-25 by (mod) -

Irhan

No, not if I understand your question correctly. The light to a bathroom light that is over a toilet would be typically a 15-Amp 120V or if you are in a country where power is distributed in 240V circuits, perhaps just a 7 or 8 amp circuit.

An electric water heater wants to see an 30, 40, or even 50 amp 240VAC circuit depending on the heater size.

Also you cannot safely tap in the other direction: running a light fixture off of one leg of a 240VAC 40A circuit risks an electrical fire should the light wiring or fixture develop a short circuit, because it would be "over-fused" or not properly protected.

On 2017-05-25 by Irhan Perry

Can I tap the electric power from the toilet light to the water heater

On 2017-05-25 by (mod) re: ok to run a water heater off of a lighting circuit or a light off of a heater circuit?

Irhan

No, not if I understand your question correctly. The light to a bathroom light that is over a toilet would be typically a 15-Amp 120V or if you are in a country where power is distributed in 240V circuits, perhaps just a 7 or 8 amp circuit. An electric water heater wants to see an 30, 40, or even 50 amp 240VAC circuit depending on the heater size.

Also you cannot safely tap in the other direction: running a light fixture off of one leg of a 240VAC 40A circuit risks an electrical fire should the light wiring or fixture develop a short circuit, because it would be "over-fused" or not properly protected.

On 2017-05-25 by Irhan Perry

Can I tap the electric power from the toilet light to the water heater

On 2017-05-05 by (mod) re: water takes too long to get hot

Ira,

If your water heater is starting with a full tank of cold water, it's normal fir it to take some time for the whole water tank to heat up;

If you're referring to taking a long time for hot water to get from the heater to your fixture, try insulating the water piping.

On 2017-05-05 by Ira

Got AO Smith water heater electric takes 5 plus minutes for water to get hot what should I do or check

On 2017-05-01 by Jennifer Anderson

My last post was incorrect I have to flip the circuit off and then back on. Sorry

On 2017-05-01 by Jennifer Anderson

In order to get my water heater to work I have to turn the circuit off and then back on. It's not flipping the circuit off I just have to manually turn it on and then off. What could be wrong

On 2017-04-24 by (mod) re: no hot water after installing a new heater element

Tim

If the electric water heater was turned ON, even BRIEFLY, before all air was removed from the system it's possible that the new heating element was toasted.

On 2017-04-24 by Tim

Getting electric to heating element but no hot water I put new element in it

On 2017-04-22 by (mod)

William

I'm not sure what those red and white pipes are for, where they originate, what they carry.

However IF there is a water discharge from the relief valve on your water heater that system could be unsafe and needs to be inspected and repaired by your plumber. Does the water heater's relief valve connect to a drain line that runs outside?

Search InspectApedia for RELIEF VALVE DISCHARGE TUBE to see details

On 2017-04-22 by William

I have a Rheem electric water heater in my attic. Out side of the house I have 4 pipes that come out. 2 red and 2 white pipes.

I'm getting a good constant flow of water coming out of one of the red lines and some dippage out of 1 of the white lines. .I can find no leaks s on the water heater and the pan under it is bone dry. Has anyone an idea what may be going on with my Hester?

On 2017-04-19 by (mod)

Brett

Since a dishwasher has its own heating element, I'm not sure that your water heater was fixed. The problem could be the upper element, or the heater thermostat.

On 2017-04-19 by (mod) re: water leak and now no hot water

I'm puzzled too. Ask your electrician to confirm that the heater has power and that neither wiring nor controls were water damaged. Wet wiring is unsafe.

On 2017-04-19 by Becky

I had a water leak outside my house and now my hot water heater is not working. Any suggestions for troubleshooting this problem?

On 2017-04-18 by Brett

Replaced the lower element ran a load in the dishwasher and it was hot. After it finished I went to the sink to rinse some dishes and no hot water in any faucets. Went to bathtub and ran some water.

No hot and water was slightly brown. Ugh

On 2017-04-09 by (mod) re: leaks at the relief valve on a water heater

Dana

The relief valve spewing tells me that the heater is dangerously hot - TURN IT OFF IMMEDIATELY until this problem is fixed, to avoid risking a dangerous explosion (Search InspectApedia for BLEVE to read details)

Now: it may be possible to set the thermostat temperature down to stop the trouble - if not I suspect it's the wrong thermostat or it's defective.

On 2017-04-09 by Dana

My mom's house burned down and she is reduced to living in a camper on her land that we purchased cheap. Some good Samaritans have gave her money and we have to work within the small budget to get her set up.

The camper came with a small water heater that wasn't working, but is only 4 yrs old (stickers say 2013). But b/c of funds and the difficulty of completely removing it b/c of location.

We got it working by replaced the thermostat and heating element on a small (like 6 gal) water heater but the water is getting dangerously hot. Then we noticed the overflow pipe has spewd water everywhere under the trailer. We even replaced the pressure relief valve. We think that we can hear the thing constantly heating and never shutting off.

We need to fix this before someone gets hurt. Could anyone tell me what you think the problem might be? There are only so many parts to replace on a water heater to begin with. After all this, I am optimistic that this is an easy fix.

On 2017-03-13 by (mod)

Check that the lower element is actually working.
Check the water flow rate - use a flow restrictor at your shower.

Search Inspectapedia using the search box just above, and find GET MORE HOT WATER to see more detailed suggestions

On 2017-03-13 by Phil Hiatt

Changed the elements but still run out of hot water in about 15 minutes. What else can I do to get more hot water??

On 2017-02-06 by jessica criado

This may seem like a dumb question...my qater heater is no longer giving me hot water. I dont even know where the breaker is to turn the electricity off or reset it? Where else can this breaker be?

On 2017-02-01 by (mod) re: is a leaky water heater repairable or not?

If leaks are at a plumbing fitting they may be repairable.

If leaks are at a temperature/pressure relief valve the heater is UNSAFE and risks a BLEVE EXPLOSION (search InspectApedia for that term to read details).

If leaks are elsewhere on the heater it's probably new-water-heater-time

On 2017-02-01 y Ozzie

Rusty hot water sipping from top of A.O. Smith Promax electric water heater

On 2017-01-28 by Lyn

I have a double wide. Lately within, 15 minutes after someone takes a shower the pipes below the house have blown apart.

We know why they come apart. Someone Jerry rigged a compression fitting. So I believe it's the weakest point in our closed system. That's why it's blowing there instead of heater. My question is what could be the problem.

I know it's a pressure build up. But why? It's a 2006 Rheem so I don't think it even has a disintegrating dip tube. But also we get lots of white and green chunks in the faucets clogging it up. Which suggests dip tube. But what would be making it over heat and have high pressure?

On 2017-01-22 by (mod)

Check for fuel supply Anon.

On 2017-01-22 by Anonymous

Bajaj shakti geyser not lighting indicators nor heating water

On 2017-01-22 by Mindy

Had used electric hot water heater installed to replace prior that exploded at the seams. It worked for 2 days, then no hot water from kitchen or bathroom sinks, or shower, and very cold water in kitchen and bath sinks but no water at all from shower (water lines for shower are just past/connect to same delivery lines as sink in the bathroom wall).

Breaker didn't flip off, temp is set around 120-125, reset button pops/clicks when pushed, sounds like heater comes on. Hour later, the lower brass part of the water out line on top is fairly warm to the touch,

but above & past that first few inches of pipe, nothing. I don't see any valves closed on the hot water line that shouldn't be; there is a small heater on in the uninsulated utility room to keep the pipes warm and they are wrapped on the other side of the wall under the house.

I can't buy another water heater.

Besides not being able to afford cost+installation, I'm going to have to leave the house within a couple months and the bank will take it over, so I don't want to waste that money, but I haven't had hot water in a couple months except for the 2 days the replacement worked, and it's winter!

The shower plumbing might have been knocked loose by possums or raccoons that managed to get in the access hole near there, but still cold water would or should be heard running out behind the wall if the faucet lever was turned on, wouldn't it?

Why would the water get heated but not leave the water heater and move out to the faucets? I leave one hot water faucet open a bit all the time, even though nothing comes out.

On 2016-12-14 by Dave Wilson

Electric water heater: changed element, got some hot water then no more

On 2016-11-29 by (mod) re: new heater element but no hot water

Check for power to the element. Then recheck the elemnt.

Did you turn on the heater when it contained air? That immediately destroys the element.

On 2016-11-29 by Brady

The element and the thermostat are both new and good with electrical flow. Why is my water not heating?

...

Continue reading  at ELECTRIC WATER HEATER REPAIR GUIDE - topic home, or select a topic from the closely-related articles below, or see the complete ARTICLE INDEX.

Or see ELECTRIC WATER HEATER REPAIR FAQs-4 more recent questions & answers about diagnosing and fixing an electric water heater

Or see these

Electric Water Heater Repair Articles

• ELECTRIC WATER HEATER CHECKLIST
• ELECTRIC WATER HEATER CONTROLS
• ELECTRIC WATER HEATER REPAIR GUIDE
  • ELECTRIC HOT WATER TEMPERATURE CONTROL
  • ELECTRIC WATER HEATER ELEMENT TESTS
  • ELECTRIC WATER HEATER ELEMENT REPLACEMENT
  • ELECTRIC WATER HEATER HIGH TEMP CUTOFF TEST
  • ELECTRIC WATER HEATER RESET SWITCH
  • ELECTRIC WATER HEATER THERMOSTATS
  • ELECTRIC WATER HEATER - NO HOT WATER
  • RELIEF VALVE LEAKS
• HOT WATER T&P RELIEF VALVE
• WATER HEATER ANODE & DIP TUBE CHECK
• ELECTRIC WATER HEATER REPLACEMENT

Suggested citation for this web page

ELECTRIC WATER HEATER REPAIR FAQs-3 at InspectApedia.com - online encyclopedia of building & environmental inspection, testing, diagnosis, repair, & problem prevention advice.

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INDEX to RELATED ARTICLES: ARTICLE INDEX to WATER HEATERS

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