This information is for residential or commercial tank-type electric water heater.
Troubleshoot gas water heater
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Test circuit breaker and
electricity to water heater This information is for residential or commercial tank-type electric water heater. Troubleshoot gas water heater |
 Electrically insulated tools When removing insulation from wire, do NOT score or put cuts on surface of copper wire. Doing so increases resistance and heat on wire and creates possible weak point. Buy tools: KLEIN TOOLS Wire strippers at Amazon Electric Wire Stripping Machine Linesman pliers |
 Multimeters Voltage is tested across two separate wires. Ohms or resistance is tested across both ends of same wire. Amperage is tested along one or two points on same wire. Buy: Analog multimeter Multimeters at Amazon Klein multimeter Electric testers at Amazon Clampmeter for testing amp flow on line |
 Inspect anode each 2-5 years Anode rod prevents tank from rusting Buy: Anode rods at Amazon Resources: Replace anode rod How to maintain water heater |
 Electrical tools must be insulated. Always best to disconnect power, but insulation failure, lack of proper grounding, grounded neutral, lack of GFCI, out-of-code wiring, generator operating without transfer switch, and other problems still pose a risk to anyone working on electric power ... even when breaker is off. Buy: Electrician tools kits KLEIN TOOLS Tools kits IRWIN tools KNIPEX Telephone cable knife Low Voltage Mounting Bracket for Telephone |
 SAFETY
FIRSTTape tester leads to wood sticks to keep hands away from power, wear dry clothes, do not sweat. Steps on this page assume you have electric wiring knowledge and can safeguard from electric shock. When working with electricity, then do not stand on bare ground (soil, earth), do not stand on damp or wet surface, put down dry boards, do not lean into metal or touch metal, do not touch water heater that is wet or was wet unless power is confirmed OFF. |
 OMG, I have to read ?? |
| Review basic 240 Volt water heater | |
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Review basic 240 Volt 4500 watt: water heater circuit
30 amp breaker, 10 gauge wire Match wire and breaker size Figure volts amps watts |
 Larger image | Check
label on side of tank for volts and watts Every appliance, switch, outlet and bulb has a label Residential water heaters with 2 elements are 240Volts non-simultaneous If tank has 4500 watt elements, then tank wattage is 4500W Recommend 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire for all 240Volt water heaters Figure volts amps watts for water heater How to wire thermostats and elements How to wire off-peak water heater |
| Troubleshoot steps start here | ||||||
 1) Check
that water heater is completely full of water,
and tub faucet runs full stream with no air gaps.Air coming out of faucet can be caused by variety of plumbing issues, including tank that is not full of water. Note: If tank is not full of water, or elements are not fully immersed in water, the upper element will instantly burn out. Typically, only the upper element burns out if no water is inside tank. If upper element is burned out, then tank will have NO hot water. If lower element is burned out, but upper element is good, then tank will have some hot water. How-to-test-water-heater-elements How to replace element How-electric-water-heater-works How-to-troubleshoot-electric-water-heater How to wire thermostats 3) Open tank drain valve and see if bottom of tank has Hot water, then open TP valve momentarily and see if top of tank has hot water. If drain valve will not shut off completely, than use garden hose cap to seal drip. If TP will not shut off, then open fully and slowly close. Troubleshoot drain valve Troubleshoot TP valve 4) If tank has hot water, but hot never arrives at faucet, that indicates a plumbing problem: Check for crossover. Cross connection 5) If tank is full of water but not hot water , that leaves ELECTRICITY as next suspect, which is covered on this page. Other main suspects include bad thermostat, and burned out element How to replace thermostat How to test and replace element |
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How to test circuit breaker and electricity to water heater: 1) Open cover(s) located on side of tank: Remove insulation and plastic insulators. Look for loose and burned wires that indicate location of problem. What to do if wires are burned/ melted Push in ECO red reset button on upper thermostat. Push very firmly. If ECO is tripped out, then that cuts power to water heater and heater will not work. If ECO will not reset and stay pushed-in, then replace upper thermostat. After pushing in reset, put ear against tank to hear if tank is heating. If no sound, move to next step. If ECO is not tripped, move to next step. How water heater thermostats work How-to-replace-thermostats 2) -Buy cheap multimeter from Home Center and set dial to 240-250 VAC -Tape tester leads to woods sticks to keep hands away from power. -Stand on dry boards, touch no metal, wear dry clothes. -Power is ON Test across top two screws on upper thermostat: Should read 240Volts. If test does not show 240Volt, then check wiring connections at top of tank. Test each screw to bare metal part of tank. Test should show 0 volts. If this test shows 240Volts, then circuit to water heater is good: Troubleshoot tank electricity If test does not show 240Volts, then move to next step 3) Test wiring connections at top of tank: Test across both insulated wires: should read 240Volts. Test Black to bare ground: should read 120Volts Test Red (or white) to bare ground: should read 120Volts See basic water heater circuit Re-install wire connectors very tight, and close cover. Make sure bare ground wire is connected to green ground screw. Wire connector basics If test does not show power, then circuit breaker is bad or wire between water heater and circuit breaker are bad. 4) Test circuit breaker If breaker is tripped off on one leg, then water heater can receive 120 Volts and appear to have electricity, but water heater will not work. Ground wire is not needed for 240Volt circuit to work, but is required for electrical safety. How 120 Volt and 240 Volt circuits work To test circuit breaker, push circuit breaker lever all the way one direction and then back other direction to make sure breaker is latched. Listen for crackling sounds and smell of burning that indicate location of problem. Jiggle breaker around and listen for crackling or fizzing sound that indicates breaker is shorting. Check if breaker feels warm. Check for smell of burning that indicates breaker has overheated or shorted. If breaker next to water heater breaker has overheated, that can cause water heater breaker to fail. Touch other breakers and check for hot or warm breaker. Hot breakers indicate that circuit is overdrawn or that breaker is failing, or both. 5) Mark breaker for identification, and remove panel cover. Stand on dry boards. Never stand on bare soil. Do not lean into or touch metal. Do not hold metal object in mouth. Wear dry clothes and dry shoes. Never touch wires that enter main breaker. Stay away from main breaker no matter if main is ON or OFF <> live power at main breaker Turn off main breaker or, if main breaker cannot be shut off, turn off breakers on both sides on water heater breaker for safety. Turn Off water heater breaker and tighten each wire on water heater breaker using insulated screwdriver. Turn breaker ON and test across both wires on breaker for 240Volts. If breaker tests for 240Volts, but top of tank is still not receiving 240Volts, then inspect wire between breaker and water heater for damage. This can indicate fire hazard caused by rat gnaws on wire, or nail/staple that was accidently put into wire during construction, or loose connection inside a junction box located between breaker box and water heater. If breaker does not test for 240Volts across both wires, then replace breaker. How to replace circuit breaker For temporary fix, move wires to another same-size breaker until water heater breaker can be replaced. For example, the clothes dryer usually has 240 volt 30 amp breaker. If breaker checks out, and suddenly water heater heater has 240Volts and is working, then breaker is still suspect. Move wires to another same-size 240Volt breaker and see if problems continue. If breaker will not reset: disconnect wires from top of tank and see if see if breaker resets. This will confim if there is a short condition. Disconnect wires from breaker and see if breaker resets. If breaker does not reset, then replace breaker. If breaker resets after disconnecting water heater, then tank has a short: Remove all wires from thermostats and elements. 1) Test elements 2) Test wires 3) Re-inspect for burned parts and wet tank. 4) Replace thermostats, replace any burned part 6) If you are getting 240 to water heater, but heater is not working, then wire inside tank could be loose. How to test water heater wires -Do 30 minute troubleshoot: How-to-troubleshoot-electric-water-heater |
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 Use 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire on 240Volt water heaters |
Undersized
breaker and wire can cause water heater problems.
Overheating can damage main panel busbar, requiring new subpanel or replacement of main panel. See breaker/ wire size chart How to install subpanel Figure volts amps watts for water heater What is total amp draw of your house. Add up total amp usage of everything in house. Volts x amps = watts. or Watts divided by volts = amps. If appliances are gas, then they do not count. Add up peak usage for 120Volt. Each electric appliance has rating label. For example microwave 1500 watts + big screen TV 500 watts + computer 300 watts + refrigerator 700 watts + lights 240 watts + dishwasher 800 watts + 1 Hp hot tub pump 750 watts + washing machine 350 watts etc = 5320 watts divided by 120 volts = 44 amps. Add up peak usage of 240Volt. For example water heater 4500 watts + heat/ac 5000 watts + clothes dryer 1800 watts + 1 Hp water well pump 750 watts + ? = 12,050 watts divided by 240 volt = 50 amps. If you are overamping, then turn off swimming pool pump and other main electric consumers to draw back until main panel can be upgraded. Failing main breaker can also cause water heater failure. With cover over breaker so hands cannot possibly touch wires, and never on bare main breaker, put hand on main breaker and see if it feels warm or hot. |
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 Do it yourself water heater |
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 Anode rods |
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