is a self-help
website
| See new water heating ideas 2010 |  |
| Waterheatertimer.org is a self-help
website
|
Figure volts amps watts for water heater | 9 Ways to save with a water heater | Do-it-yourself |
|
|
How
to test water heater
element Power is OFF during
this test
|
How
electric water heater works How to replace water heater thermostat How to replace element and clean tank How to remove rusted element How to troubleshoot electric water heater parts How to wire water heater thermostats |
||||
 Buy
multimeter for $10 at local box
Install battery. Rotate dial to 240-250Vac to test for electricity. Rotate dial to Ohms to test element as shown on this page. (upside down horseshoe symbol is ohms) Multimeters at Amazon  |
Buy inexpensive multimeter
|
 See ohm chart Volts squared divided by watts = ohms. Watts are printed on end of each element. All 2-element tanks are 240volts. |
|||
 |
Turn off circuit breakerTurn off 30 amp double breaker to 240Volt heaterTurn off 20 Amp single breaker to 110 Volt heater Voltage and wattage of water heater is printed on label located on side of tank. Take photo of label for your records. |
 See basic water heater circuit |
|||
 Recommended: Use non-contact voltage tester. Touch end of tester to each black, white, and red wire. Press button. If tester flashes repeatedly like alarm, then voltage is present. if tester flashes once, then that says it is testing and no voltage is present. |
Test for electricityUse 120V/240V tester or use multimeter for this testOpen cover on top of water heater 
Use
non-contact voltage tester on electric wires at top of tank, and at
each element and thermostatAdvantage of this tester is safety since wire nuts are not removed 120V and 240V.
Test Black
to Ground, test Black to White, test White to Ground. If tester light
comes on, electricity is present
 |
||||
 |
Open panels on side of water heaterOlder water heaters have fiberglass insulation covering element and thermostat. This insulation is removeable, and must be put back when finished.Newer water heaters have tight-fitting foam insulation. Foam insulation is not easy to work around. You may need to cut back the foam to work on parts. Remove as much foam as needed to access parts.When finished, parts must be covered by insulation again or thermostats are exposed to cool air and will misread tank temperature |
||||
 Larger image |
Which element do you test?If water heater makes some hot water, then lower element is suspect.If upper element is burned out, water heater will have no hot water. If water heater is tripping circuit breaker, then test both elements and look for burned and melted wire. What to do if melted/burned wire is found Troubleshoot electric water heater How water heater works How to wire thermostats Test electricity to water heater |
 Tank must be full of water or elements burn out Newer tanks have foam insulation Older tanks have fiberglass insulation |
|||
 |
Take wires off elementUse nose and eyes to inspectfor burned/ melted parts and wires.If wires are burned/ melted then replace part and test wire for continuity. |
 Bolt-in and screw-type elements |
|||
|
Test
element
Set multimeter to read ohms |
Good element passes 3 tests:Test 1: Element shows correct ohm readingTest 2: No reading on multimeter Test 3: No reading on multimeter Rotate dial to Ohms to test element |
 Larger image |
|||
 |
Test 1:Test across both element screws and resistance should read about 12.8 Ohms for 240-Volt 4500-Watt element. For 30 gallon tank with 3500-Watt elements, reading is about 16 Ohms. See ohm chartOpen reading means element is bad. No reading means element is bad. |
Element
wattage printed on each element Element wattage volts ohms 3500 watt 240 16 4500 watt 240 12-13 5500 watt 240 10-11 'Volts squared' divided by watts = ohms Volts x volts is 'volts squared' 240 volts x 240 volts = 57,600 57,600 divided by 4500 watt = 12.8 ohms See ohm chart |
|||
 |
Test 2:Test each screw to bare metal part of water heater.Test both screws. If multimeter reads any Ohms at all, or if needle moves even tiny bit, then element is shorted and needs replacement see how |
||||
 |
Test 3:Test each screw to metal base of element.If multimeter reads any Ohms at all, or if needle moves even tiny bit, then element is shorted and needs replacement |
||||
- Results - |
|||||
 |
Double-check results before putting wires back
on elements. |
||||
 |
Replace element |
||||
 |
How to replace element |
 Element wrench Leave water heater full of water to loosen element Then drain water heater and remove element |
|||
 |
Element will not come outHow to remove rusted elementDrill, tap and use bolts and wrench to remove. Drain water heater before drilling into element |
Prevent rusted water heater. Anode rod is necessary so tank will not rust. Anode rod depletes and should be inspected 1-3 years with water softener, and 2-5 years otherwise. Loosen anode rod before draining tank so weight of water helps hold tank steady How to replace anode rod |
|||
 |
Water heater will not drainDo not drain water heater to test element.Water heater is drained only when replacing element Water heater will not drain Use household water pressure and washing-machine hose to flush open water heater for 5-10 seconds |
||||
 Larger image |
Re-install insulation over thermostat and element Caution: Insulation and
cover must be re-installed or thermostat is exposed to cooler air and
will misread tank temperature.How to replace water heater thermostat |
||||
 Larger image |
ECO keeps trippingor circuit breaker keeps tripping: element shorted to ground across steel tankWhat happens: - Illustration shows why element-test requires testing between element screws and steel tank - 240Volt water heaters have 2 Hot wires. Each hot wire is called a leg. Each leg is 120Volts with 240Volt potential when both legs are connected together. Difference between 120Volts and 240V - Thermostats turn off one leg in the 240Volt circuit. - When thermostat turns ON, that event connects the second leg to the first leg, and element turns ON. - In some cases, the element can crack or short. In most cases, the short will trip circuit breaker. - If the crack or short is far enough along in the element, the resistance will not cause breaker to trip. The short travels across steel tank hull to the ground wire at top of tank. - The ground wire will complete 120Volt circuit. Elements will heat up using 240Volts or 120Volts. Element continues heating, and will not turn off. This causes runaway heating, and TP valve will release water or ECO reset will trip. How to convert water heater to 120volts |
||||
 Larger image |
Elements burn out frequently:Causes include:a) Sediment in bottom of tank How to replace element and clean out sediment. b) Very hard water. Install softener. Read about softener and anode depletion c) Watt densitiy of element too high. Change element. Install element with less than 3800 watt See image Read pdf d) Agressive high pH water. Test water. e) Loose wire on element. Open covers and inspect all wires for loose connections and signs of burning. Water heater formulas and terminology pdf |
||||
|
|
|||||
|
|||||
 Don't buy tankless: pro-n con Troubleshoot tankless water heater |
 Flooded water heater Should be replaced |
 How to replace anode rod Anode rod prevents tank from rusting. |
|||
 How to test and replace TP valve Lift lever and gently lower once each year. |
 How to repair/ replace water heater drain valve Put garden hose cap over dripping drain valve. |
 Do not cap TP valve. |
|||
 See basic water heater circuit |
 |
 |
 Figure volts amps watts for water heater |
 |
 |
 |
 How to Install subpanel |
 Troubleshoot leaking water heater |
 How to install gas water heater |
 How to wire off-peak water heater Off-peak water heater ideas |
 9+ ways to save with water heater |
 Low hot water pressure Put pressure gauge on tank drain |
 Remove water heater from attic Empty water heater weighs 75-100 lbs |
 Compare water heater timers |
 Troubleshoot gas water heater |
 Bath uses 12-15 gallons hot Shower uses 5-9 gallons hot Save 10 gallons hot water exh time by taking shower instead of bath |
 Difference between 120 and 240 Three phase timer & wiring |
 How to wire switches |
 Intermatic timers / manuals |
 Stacking |
 Two water heaters |
 Install subpanel |
 Gas control valves |
 |
E-mail: info@waterheatertimer.org My response might end up in spam folder, so check e-mail folders. Site map |
