Electric Water Heater Thermostat Troubleshooting

The water heater thermostat has a dial indicator that allows you to control the temperature of the water.

Electric water heater thermostat troubleshooting.

If the thermostats are okay you need to test the water heater elements. Water heater no hot water heater trips circuit breaker hot water runs out water only warm thermostat reset button popped no power. Turn off the power to the water heater in the service panel. As you will need to get your fingers into the area occupied by hot electricity.

If that s not the cause then the heating elements may have failed and need replacement. Typically 120 degrees is sufficient for most hot water needs. Sometimes merely resetting this bottom will cause the heater to begin working again. However the dial indicator.

Also check the reset button on the thermostat the red button located at the top of the thermostat. See testing electric water heater elements for more information. You would get a shock. Turn off the power at the breaker panel.

You cannot inspect a thermostat with the power turned off. Touch one meter lead to the top screw and the other lead to the metal body of the water heater. Electric water heater thermostats are a fairly simple devices that can fail from time to time. The most common reason for absolutely no hot water is that the circuit breaker has tripped and you should first check the breaker box.

Too much hot water can be almost as frustrating as not enough hot water. Water in an electric water heater is heated by two heating elements in most cases. Testing is the only option if you want to determine whether or not one or both of them has failed. The meter should read somewhere between 220 and 240 volts.

To check the thermostat settings. Troubleshooting the thermostats and heating elements the first step in troubleshooting a hot water heater is to gain access to the areas to be tested. If you re experiencing this problem it s possible that one or both of your water heater s thermostats is set too high. When you check different components of an electric water heater you do so after turning off the power.

A thermostat problem is fairly unusual though it s much more likely that a burned out heating element is causing problems. The reading should be between 110 and 120 volts.