Electric Hot Water Heater Diagnosis & Repair FAQs

Questions & Answers on How to diagnose & fix an electric water cylinder or water heater

Electric Water Heater Heating Element Replacement FAQs

What do I do if after replacing the water heater heating elements I still get no hot water?

I put in both heating elements and the upper thermostat and still cant get hot water what's should i do next - Earl Baker 2/19/2013

i have replaced both elements @ thermostats @ the reset switch but the reset switch
keeps tripping, this is on a electric water heater what else could it be? - Pat 2/20/2013

@Pat---I got same problem. Changed out everything and still trips red reset. Did you figure it out? - Bill 3/16/2013

I just had a new electric hot water heater installed and turned the thermostat up to about halfway and my water is still not getting real hot? (Sept 14, 2015) jmbonino@comcast.net

Hi, I have a large electric boiler, on Monday a plumber changed both elements for me.

Since then I have cold water trickling out of the hot water tap when I turn it on. No hot. The pipes are hot to the touch but no hot water coming out of the tap and the pressure is dire. Is there anything I can do myself to fix the problem or should I call the plumber back out? Thank you for any advice :) (Oct 22, 2015) Claire

I replaced my heating elements last year. Woke up yesterday to no hot water. I replaced the thermostat and still no hot water. Can anyone give me a suggestion for me to try. I only replaced top thermostat should I replace bottom as well? (Apr 23, 2016) jeannin thermostat

Reply: if hot water is not hot enough here's what to check

Jeannin: Has anyone tested the upper and lower heating elements to determine if they are working or not?

Pat and Bill,

The good news, if there is any, is that with electric water heaters the total number of parts to check out and diagnose is small enough that there's no reason not to expect success.

If you have replaced what sounds like ALL of the parts involved: heating elements and thermostatic controllers, then I have to guess that when the heater still is not working the problem will most likely be traced to one of the following, listed in my guess at order of probability:

Watch out: : Danger of death by electrocution. If you are not trained for safe electrical work hire an expert who is.

1. bad power to the heater - test for voltage at the wires coming in to the heater first; if nothing there go to the panel. If you have power at the panel but not at the heater, there's an open wire in the circuit

2. improper wiring connection during the repairs

3. installed defective or wrong parts. Check the heating elements for continuity and resistance as we discuss in these articles. Check the controller or thermostat - it should be allowing current to flow on a temperature drop and call for heat. Sometimes the thermostat high limit needs to be reset or replaced.

JM

Electric water heaters - at least the larger units - typically have two heating elements - an upper and a lower element. Each has its own thermostat that can be set to a hotter temperature.

WATCH OUT for scalding hazards.

Electric Water Heater Water Output Too Hot FAQs

Overheating on electric water heater - water heater too hot, water too hot

I changed the element on my fathers boiler it only has a single top element
The old one was set to max so that's how I set the replacement

However I notice the metal cap was very hot and a day later it popped the reset with the brown wire not burnt but glazed like its been very hot
I have put it down to about 75% and reset it is this ok or still too hot? - Warbeast 10/22/12

I recently moved into a new house and the electric water heater is too hot too touch and water from the tap is scalding. (Nov 22, 2015) Anonymous & Taoini

I can't find the thermostat and it is chewing through our electricity. I contacted the landlord, he said he sent someone to look at it and they said it was fine. But it definitely is not normal. Do you know how i can repair this.

Reply:

War, I'm not sure where the problem lies on your heater, but I'd start by being sure that the replacement element has the same wattage element as the original one. If you installed a mis-matched electric water heater element it may indeed be overheating.

Anonymous & Taoinie:

the heating element thermostat or thermostats (two of them if there are two heating elements) are usually behind a removable cover and above or close to the heating element mounting point.

Watch out: turn off power before looking into the water heater or its wiring as there is a risk of death from electrocution.

Taoinie,

Point out to your landlord that a scalding burn hazard is a serious hazard for occupants and a liability for the property owner. That condition should be fixed now.

The location of electric water heater thermostats is illustrated in ELECTRIC WATER HEATER REPAIR GUIDE.

Watch out, there is live electrical voltage behind those panels, you could be shocked or killed.

Water heater output water is just too hot

2 days ago we began getting extremely hot water from our water heater. Our thermostat is still set very low so we are surprised and confused. There is also a slight metallic smell in the water and slight odd taste. Can you help us determine what's going on. - Becky NOrthrop 10/2/12

Reply:

Becky,

Most likely the thermostatic control on your water heater has failed and needs replacement.

See ELECTRIC WATER HEATER HIGH TEMP CUTOFF TEST for details.

Watch out: failure to replace a bad thermostat and overheating hot water is dangerous and risks scalding burns or worse, a BLEVE - explosion.

My water heater thermostat is set to 150°F but heats to a much higher temperature!

Hi my hot water tank is malfunctioning was wondering if anyone ever heard of this.

My thermostat is set at 150 degrees.

So when my hot water tank heats up my water it get to a temperature that is extremely hot way above 150 degrees and then is sets off my reset. I thought to change my thermostat and did but it still is doing the same thing any ideas ? Thanks On 2014-05-11 by MarK

by (mod) -

Mark,

Watch out: that sounds like a bad sensor or bad thermostatic control - and it's unsafe. I'd try replacing the temperature controller.

Boiling water coming out of hot water taps

My nan has boiling hot water Coming from her taps. She has warm air heating but is not working at the moment.

The water is heated by an immersion heater is this dangerous. On 2015-01-01 by Tracy

by (mod) -

Watch out: Yes that sounds dangerous to me, risking scalding burns and an unsafe water heater.

Look at the water heater and find the temperature control and set it to a much cooler setting.

You may need to install a hot water burn prevention device at the heater.

Details are at ANTI SCALD VALVES & TEMPERATURE CONTROL / MIXING VALVES 

Electric water keeps overheating

Element undamaged, thermostat renewed, water still overheats.

element operating, thermostat renewed, still overheats.

@danjoefriedman Both replaced, overheating continues.

Only one element at the bottom, element and thermostat replaced with new units. Water still overheats. Clipsal does not trip, water is emitted steaming hot. What to do now?

Problem, no hot water. Only one heating element, found to be faulty and replaced. Water became too hot and vented through overflow. Thermostat presumed faulty and replaced. Problem continued, water too hot. Where to go from here? On 2021-05-17 by Chris Ogden coggy53@outlook.com

@Chris Ogden coggy53@outlook.com,

It sounds as if you have replaced every part.

Assuming you have the right parts and the wiring is correct, I suspect there may be a scale problem that is preventing the thermostat from sensing water temperature correctly.

Portable electric water heater water output is too hot

Good morning sir just want to ask if you have any idea of my problem:

We had a portable water heater on our house(bathroom) at first it was working fine.

Then we moved house and we dismantled it (take note: we just unplugged the power source and water source.)

Next we installed it on our new place (house) and plugged it in. It seems to work fine but it is too hot; even if I turn the knob lower it is stil very hot. What is the problem or cause of it.

Please help anything we can do to fix it.? thanks and best regards and more power to you. On 2014-02-13 by Arsie

by (mod) - is the incoming water already heated by another water heater?

Arsie,

I'm not sure; is it possible that the incoming water supply to your portable heater is already heated ?

Keep in mind that many water heaters simply add heat to whatever temperature the water is when it enters the heater. If your portable unit was designed to start with cold water input and someone connected it to a hot water supply you could end up with a scalding burn hazard.

The other less likely explanation is that the unit control was damaged during moving.

If you tell me the brand and model I may be able to find more details.

Daniel

Electric Water Heater Control Reset Button FAQs

The reset button keeps popping out on our electric water heater control

When I reset the upper t-stat with red button fire jumps from wires on t-stat= water heater is a state select water heater.- Richard Cox 2/6/12

Reset switch doesn't click when pressed- (Nov 27, 2015) dee said:

Reply:

Richard, it sounds as if there is a short in the wiring, the element, or the control.

Reader follow-up:

Also, there was evidence that a short had occurred in lower element region as there were burn marks on or near cover or where there was an electrical malfunction, both elements have been replaced, and still no hot water, both elements appeared to be normal when removed.

Dee:

If the reset button does not "click in" when pressed then either

- it was not tripped and your problem is elsewhere
or

- electrical power to the equipment is OFF
or

- the switch is defective

How do I Reset my Electric Water Heater?

I have a strange problem with my electric water heater only producing minimal warm water (not hot) before turning cold. I turn my upper thermostat way down to make sure the lower element gets power. I can see with my multimeter that the lower element reads about 240v across its terminals.

I leave it like this overnight, in the morning the bottom element is still getting 240v but there is still very little warm water if any, not enough for the kids to get a bath, they scream because its too cold.

I hired a plumber the other day because I couldn't figure it out. He said my water heater needed to be "reset", and my wife told me on the phone the water was coming out super hot 10 minutes later. This doesn't make sense to me because how could the elements be getting 240v if the hot water heater needs to be reset.

I called the plumber to ask him, but unfortunately his english is poor and I couldn't understand exactly what he was saying, but sounds like he said there is a "hard to find" reset switch somewhere. The red/brown ECO switch is certainly not hard to find and it doesn't appear to be tripped, so what could he be talking about? On 2014-05-15 by Robbie

by (mod) -

Robbie, click to enlarge the photo just above and you'll see the red "reset" button on the electric water heater's thermostatic control.

Watch out: don't keep resetting the control. If it pops repeatedly something else is wrong, unsafe, and needs repair.

Electric water heater turns itself off - have to reset it

I have an electric water heater that just turns off every once in awhile. Sometime I can reset the red bottom near the top element and I can hear it turn back on and it heats the water well.

Other times it wont even reset by pushing the red button. I will come back an hour later and i can hear it heating again. I think its possessed. Your thoughts On 2013-03-20 by Ron

by (mod) -

Ron,

If the thermostatic control won't reset or won't stay set I suspect EITHER a failing heating element or a failing thermostatic control.

Electric water heater sometimes stops working

Our water heater has spontaneously stopped producing hot water three times in the last 2 - 3 months.

Each time, my husband has "fiddled" around & wound up stumbling upon a way to get it started again, eventually. He's not convinced he knows what he's doing & the fixes seem to be temporary. So, we're looking for a true solution.

Each time it has happened there is just no hot water at all, even with taps turned to full blast hot. Last night, while the water heater was still unplugged for my husband's tinkering, a surge of hot water came through the pipes, sending out a strong wave of hot water to each faucet that was on. It has been operating fine again since then (but this was just last night).

Ideas about what we should try before we call a repair person or replace the water heater? It's a Rheem Powervent 2, 40 gallon tank, 7.5 years old.

Thank you! On 2014-02-04 by Debbie

by (mod) - if you're resetting the heater repeatedly repair is needed

Debbie, that's certainly an interesting question; If the electric water heater was unplugged, perhaps nevertheless the water it contained was still hot.

You did not tell me what hubby did to get the heater back on. Is he pressing the RESET button?

If so and if the heater keeps tripping off, repair is needed.

I have seen scale and debris clog the outlet to a water heater, or a clogged or damaged dip-tube interfere with water flowing into the heater from the cold supply - thus not pushing hot water out to the house; from your description it sounds like a valve or pipe clog problem.

But what leaves me confounded is that you say you get a good flow but of cold water at the taps at other times.

Let me know what the service tech says and does.

Electrical Switches & Controls for Electric Water Heaters FAQs

Live voltage found on water pipes and shower control knobs

I had voltage on water pipes and also on shower control knob, read it to be 70 volts.trace it to shorted lower element in water tank.why didnt reset button trip on water tank,or why didnt my breaker trip? On 2014-11-09 by D.

by (mod) -

D.

Watch out: You found a potentially fatal electric shock hazard. But it's current flow (Amps) not voltage (Volts) that trips a circuit breaker. If little or no current were flowing the breaker would not trip unless perhaps it was a GFCI device.

Turn off the power to each circuit until you find the one leaking or shorted to the plumbing;

Or if you're not trained and equipped to do that safely, turn off the main circuit breaker and get help from a licensed electrician.

 

Beeping electric water heater after replacing fuses

Just replaced fuses in hot water heater breaker box- when turned breaker box on a high pitch beep beep noise sounded and after that it worked.

My dad said the box didn't have the technology to make a noise to let you know it worked. Please simply answer does it or not. He is 88 and not technology savvy. This is important for me to be respected in intelligence. Thank you (June 4, 2016) Teresa brown

Reply:

Teresa, I'm sorry but we can't know what technology is in your water heater or circuit circuit breaker with so little information. In general I agree with your dad, but then, we don't know what heater is installed, in what country, of what brand, model, age.

First take a look at the installation and operation manual for your water heater as surely that will tell you how the controls work and what signals might be provided.

If you don't have the manual for your water heater, check the heater's brand, model, and serial number and you can almost always find a free, downloadable instruction manual from the manufacturer's website. If you have trouble doing that, use the page bottom CONTACT link to send us a photo of your heater and its labeling and we'll see if we can help.

Watch out: If the breaker trips again I'd leave the heater off and ask for repair help from an experienced plumber or electrician as continually turning it back on could risk a fire or shock.

Electric water heater stopped working after main circuit breaker tripped

My electric water heater worked fine until the main breaker to the house went out. After replacing it, all electric appliances, etc. work fine, except the water heater.

I have emptied and cleaned the tank, replaced both heating elements and both thermostats. All wires to and within it are hot, conveying electricity. Why won't the elements heat up? Thank you.(May 17, 2015) David

Reply:

If you have replaced all of the parts to the heater and it won't heat water and if you have confirmed that power is provided to the heater, then I suspect mis-wiring or a defective part among those replaced.

Start by checking that the thermostat overheat relay is not tripped.

Does an electrical fire affect accuracy of water or hot water use meter?

(June 9, 2015) pickle said:
my hot water heater when last time guy clean filter reset red button work

(July 12, 2015) Anonymous said:
An electrical fire tripped the circuit breaker in my apartment does that affect the transmitter/meter in the unit to give and inaccurater reading of the meter

Reply:

Possibly, yes, Anon, if a water meter transmitter was exposed to fire it may have been damaged. But most likely I'd think it would either work or not - a binary choice.

Burned wires at the control on an electric water heater or geyser or calorifier or hot water cylinder

(Oct 7, 2015) cliff said:
I found a wire burnt . From element to thermostat . Hot water heater not working . Does any one know what may b wrong . Thank you

(Feb 7, 2016) bmosier54 said:
I have a whirlpool electric smart hot water heater. When the elements were bad they were replaced. There was a unknown leak, when power was restored still had no hot water. Looked at top element black plastic was melted some, and 3 flashes said sensor failure. Can the element be the problem for that or sensor is really bad?

Reply:

Check for

• over-fusing - a circuit breaker whose current rating is higher than the water heater should have
• a failed thermostat on the water heater
• a burned-up or shorted heating element in the water heater
• loose electrical connections
• nicked, damged electrical wire
• aluminum electrical wiring

I can't find electric water heater power switch

I don't have a breaker in my box for my water water.

I tripped all the breakers (there's about twenty 20A and four 15A breakers) , I'm still getting power to my electric water heater. House was built in 2005. What else can I try? I probably need to change my heating elements (no hot water). (Feb 17, 2016) MrB said:

Reply:

Turn off your main circuit breaker or fuse.

If you turn off the main switch in your panel and the heater still has power then it has been powered through a separate box or panel or sub-panel, usually taking power off of the main switch.

Follow the wires back from the heater; it should be switched by a local panel close to the water heater or calorifier.

Watch out: your electric water heater is unsafe if you cannot find the electrical power switch to turn it off.

In an emergency you can turn off the main electrical power to the house then check using a neon tester, DMM or VOM to be sure power is off to the heater but the system is still unsafe if you cannot find the local shutoff for the appliance.

Reader follow-up:

I've been in this house for 3 years now and there's the main panel (no main switch), then there's a small box outside that has a breaker for the septic pump and a 240 to control the pool equipment.

Even with everything off (tripped) on both boxes, I'm still getting power to the water heater. When I took the frame off of the main panel I saw where the power was coming into the house, and everything lined into the 20A and few 15A breakers.

I was hoping to see an indication of where the water heater was getting power, but I didn't. I even tried tripping the breakers for the two AC units wondering if it's jumped off of those. Nothing. I'm thoroughly confused.

Ok, my main ended up being located outside. I changed out the upper and lower thermostats the first day (still didn't have hot water) and the heating elements today (they tested good though) and I still have no hot water

I have a 65 gallon electric water heater. I filled it up with faucets running to purge the air out of the tank, 6 hours later still no hot water. What else should I check ?

Limit switches were replaced too with the thermostats.

Another question, my reset button is flush with the body of the limit switch (on both the old and new), is this correct. I try pushing it in, but it remains flush. I guess if pops out so it isn't flush when it trips. Is this so? (Feb 17, 2016) MrB

Moderator reply:

If the reset button is flush it's probably in its "on" state, that is, the system has not turned off on safety - when that happens the button pops up.

Your electrician will check for

- working circuit breaker to the appliance

- power to the heating elements

- proper resistance across the elements to indicate they're working, not shorted

- the function of the heating thermostatic controls

- that the reset button (that's flush or "on") and control is indeed passing current to the elements

Reader follow-up: bad circuit breaker

(Feb 20, 2016) MrB said:
Had a friend come and take a look at it, come to find out I have a bad 30A breaker (wires melted). I'll get that replaced in the morning.

Moderator reply:

B

I would much like to know the brand of the circuit breaker, to see photos of it (use our page bottom CONTACT link), and also to know if your heater is wired with copper or aluminum.

Watch out: IMO it is really dangerous for someone to wire up any electrical circuit or appliance without providing an easily-found and properly labelled main switch.

When a main panel has no main switch the "rule of 6" suggests that we need a nearby separate main switch for it. Your wiring system may bring power into the house at a point where there are several "mains" that can be switched off, one for the panel you describe.

Take a look at where power comes to the building outside.

Find the electric meter.

Notice where a cable from the meter enters the building.

Look inside at that same area for main switches.

If you remain stuck I'm sorry to say it's time to call an electrician.

MrB said:
I'm going to upload some pictures to a 3rd party service. Maybe this is a sub-panel coming in from the main power company panel?

I don't know. I'll probably have to call them to get permission to cut the seal and see if I can cut power, I'm guessing that's how that works.

Moderator reply to photos by email:

Looks like a large GE panel with no main. There must be a main nearby. Perhaps if you follow that wire back towards where you see the electric meter outside you'll find the missing main switches for other features like the water heater.

MrB said:
I'm guessing the main is in the panel underneath the digital readout from the power company, could that be the case? If so, their seal is preventing me from opening that bottom panel on the outside.

Moderator reply:

There must be a main or a small group of mains to enable a homeowner or occupant to cut all power

Electric Geyser Water Heater Calorifer Pressure & Leak FAQs

Diagnose Fluctuating hot water pressure from an electric water heater

I’ve noticed that my hot water pressure has begun to fluctuate. I have an electric hot water heater that is 22 yrs old. I’m am in the process of remodeling my bathroom so we have only been using the kitchen sink for a week now. On 2020-07-08 by Jenn

Reply by (mod)

Are we sure it's only hot water pressure that varies? Is your water supplied by pump and well?

by Jenn

I’m on city water and the cold water has consistent higher pressure

Reply by (mod) - troubleshooting varyiations in hot water flow rate or "pressure" when cold water is unaffected

Ok that's helpful;

So is there a hot water device that controls temperature - such as an anti-scald valve (or less-likely a flow control valve that limits flow) ? because that's a possible culprit.

by Jenn

There is a thermostat. I’ve never touched it. [Photo above] [Click to enlarge any image]

There is a dial on the front of the ware heater to control temperature but I’ve never touched it.

by (mod) - look for an anti-scald device or pressure or flow regulator for your water heater

Jenn

The water heater's thermostat is not likely to be the problem here. On an electric water heater - which I surmise you've got - the thermostat simply changes the water temperature, not flow rate.

But some buildings use a separate mixing valve or anti-scald device outside the water heater. That device mixes cold water in with outgoing hot so as to avoid scalding. If such a device is installed and is malfunctioning both water temperature and flow rate might be affected. Examples are at ANTI SCALD VALVES & TEMPERATURE CONTROL / MIXING VALVES

You'd help me out by also posting a photo of the whole water heater, including showing plumbing connections to it and near to it.

I'd also like to be able to see the water heater brand or logo markings: looks like a Sears heater.

Where is (country and city) and how old is the building where this water heater is installed?

How to fix leaks at water heater heating element

I changed my heating elements on my water heater now it leaks around the element what can I do? (Dec 16, 2015) James Johnston

Reply:

James

If a modest attempt at further-tightening the heating element does not stop the leak completely then

You'll need to

turn off the heater and let it cool
drain it
remove the leaky element
inspect the threads on the tank and element for damage; if they are not damaged, re-install the element using a non-hardening pipe sealant.

Water leaked into the water heater insulation between the tank and outer jacket - how do I get rid of it?

I have a new electric hot water heater. When installed the cold water valve was not tight and water has dripped into the LINING BETWEEN the tank and case. The bottom is full of water. How do I drain this? - Debbie 12/11/2012

Reply: how to dry out a flooded or soaked hot water heater tank

Debbie,

It is almost impossible to drain water that leaked into the lining of a water heater, though with GREAT care one might try removing a screw or two if they are present securing the bottom pan of the heater; an expert might drill a drain hole - but I do not recommend that approach as the risk is destroying the heater.

If not too much water dripped in, and if you let the heater got HOT, it should drive out the water as steam; I'd try that approach.

It's reasonable to dry out a water heater's insulation using its own heat if the heater has been wet with clean water and we do the dryout pretty soon so as to minimize the risk of a mold invasion.

For a heater that has been flooded with unsanitary floodwaters I'd prefer to replace the unit as I don't see how we're going to be sure our heater is not contaminated with sewage, pathogens, mold.

Incidentally, when the water heater gets hot you may hear a hissing sound and see some steam coming out of seams in the water heater jacket - if so that means you are successfully drying out its insulation.