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Water heater blows circuits |
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1" wide Circuit breaker for residential homes1" wide 120Volt, 2" wide 240VoltPush down type breaker Buy: Siemens circuit breakers at Amazon Square D breaker Schneider breaker Resource: How to replace circuit breaker |
| Common causes for water heater
tripping breaker: -Bad Breaker: Breaker might not reset, or will not stay set. Move wires to different, same-size circuit breaker, for example breaker for dryer is usually 30 amp. How to replace circuit breaker -Undersized breaker: Breaker usually resets, but trips after period of time. Use 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire for residential water heater. Figure volts amps watts for residential water heater -Loose breaker: Breaker comes loose on busbar because of damaged busbar. Usually electrical smell inside fuse box, or fizzing sound when breaker is jiggled. Move breaker to another slot. Move wires to different, same-size circuit breaker. -Loose wire at breaker or somewhere on circuit. Breaker resets but trips after period of time. Loose wires, loose wire connectors, etc can cause overheating. Breaker trips because of heat on wire. -Bad connection at top of water heater or inside water heater. Loose wires or incorrect wiring. Breaker usually trips immediately. Basic house wiring -Bad part inside water heater is shorting to ground: Breaker trips and will not reset because free flow of electricity going to ground will causewire to overheat. Why you need ground wire -Incorrect wiring: Hot wire is touching ground wire somewhere in circuit. Breaker trips and will not reset. |
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Basic tools needed: Non-contract voltage tester. Multimeter -Non contact voltage tester tests if there is Power at water heater. It will blink continuously when power is present. It will blink once if power is not present. -Multimeter is used to 1) test element ohms. 2) test wires and 3) test electric voltage Buy: Buy non-contact voltage tester at Amazon Electric testers at Amazon |
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Tape tester leads to wood sticks when working with LIVE power | ||
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Safety
rules 1) Do not touch wet water heater or heater that was wet 2) Always stand on dry surface, such as dry boards. 3) NEVER stand on bare ground or wet surface and touch electrical equipment. Wear dry clothes. 4) Do not touch or lean into anything metal. 5) Do not touch any wires inside electric box or water heater until power if OFF. 6) Make sure main breaker panel has cover, make sure each electrical connection has cover firmly installed over wires until you are ready to replace breaker or change wires. 7) Tape tester leads to wood sticks to keep hands away from LIVE power 8) Use non-contact voltage tester to make sure power is OFF before touching heater 9) Knock the person loose with a 2x4. Do not touch person who is getting shocked. Resource: What causes electrocution |
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DO
NOT touch water heater that
was flooded or got wet
/ Electrocution danger !!!/ replace water heater Flooded water heater must be taken out of service and replaced. The wet insulation located between outer shell and inner tank must be dry... or it will conduct electricity. The insulation must cover the thermostat or the thermostat will be exposed to room air temperatures causing thermostat to misread tank temperature. |
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 DO NOT INSTALL LARGER CIRCUIT BREAKER TO SOLVE PROBLEM: absolute fire risk |
Quick
answer for blowing breaker: 1) Reset breaker fully off and then back ON. Listen if water heater begins to heat, this will say if unit is getting power. 2) If breaker will not reset, then turn breaker fully off. Use non-contact voltage tester to check there is no power at heater 3) Inspect outside water heater for signs of leaking/ do not touch wet water heater Look for leaking element, water dripping on electric wires, water at bottom or top of tank Causes leaking water heater 4) Open panels and connection on top of heater to inspect for shorted, burned wires and parts. Replace damaged parts. 3) At main breaker box: Use hand and touch circuit breaker. Does breaker feel warm? Touch main breaker and see if it is warm to touch. Observe safety rules above. Make sure breaker panel has cover installed over wires until you are ready to replace breaker or change wires. Does circuit breaker feel warm? Do stress test if main breaker feels warm 4) Use nose and smell for burned electric smell Does anything smell burned to indicate overheating? 5) Use ears, and jiggle breaker to listen for crackling sound Do you hear crackling sound when jiggling breaker? Then breaker is loose on busbar 6) Move wires to another same-size breaker, for example the clothes dryer breaker Actions to take: Action 1: Check if wires are tightly screwed to circuit breaker Action 2: Replace circuit breaker Action 3: Move wires to another same-size breaker and see if problem continues: How to replace circuit breaker |
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1"
wide Circuit
breaker for residential homes 1" wide 120Volt, 2" wide 240Volt Push down type breaker Buy: Siemens circuit breakers at Amazon Schneider breaker Resource: How to replace circuit breaker |
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| Question:
Are both sides of the breaker 30 amp or one each one of them 15 amp ? Answer: I had that discussion with a guy and did some research on electrician forums... which was a battle over sine waves and ultimately inconclusive. Then I remembered reading an industry .pdf that said you can make a 240 breaker by combining 2 single-pole breakers, but that code requires you to install a 'common bar' between the breaker so if one trips, then the other breaker also trips... Then I remembered the oscillating (sine wave) nature of electricity, where AC power reverses the direction of electrons 60 times per second... over and over and over... and how the voltage rises and falls as electrons come to a stop, reverse direction and accelerate the opposite direction... yet the average voltage is always above zero, and the oscillations happen so fast that it is not a noticeable factor for electricity as we humans use it. Then I remembered that each leg of a 240 volt circuit is out-of-phase with the other leg.... which means the sine wave for one leg is mirror of the other leg... and the load receives more sustained power ...which is why we use 240 volt instead of 120 volts... because it is more efficient. This means each leg is delivering power to the load, and thus is independent of the other leg. Of course that is true because the electrons travel back and forth on the wire... and so one leg is pushing electrons when the other leg is pulling electrons ... this increasing total power, and this can be represented by the formula E = IR, or power (watts) = volts x amp. The formula shows if you have 30 amp, and change the voltage from 120 to 240, then the power (watts) goes up, or the amps (heat loss on wire) decreases. ... the final conclusion... the answer is that both breakers are 30 amp... because both are pushing and pulling electrons down the wire, like pedaling a bicycle with two legs instead of one. ... so yes... the answer is that both breakers are 30 amp. Resources: Figure volts amps watts Formulas for ohm's law What is electricity How a generator works |
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  DO NOT INSTALL LARGER CIRCUIT BREAKER TO SOLVE PROBLEM: absolute fire risk |
Circuit
breaker trips
because of Heat Undersized wire, loose wires, undersized breaker, bad breaker, loose breaker, or electrical short to ground: Breakers do not trip immediately when heat is detected. This allows heavy-amp motors to start with surge of amp-draw without tripping breaker. However breaker trips immediately if there is a short. Tripping breaker protects full length of wire from damage, but does not prevent damage at location of shorted wires. A short is caused when electricity from breaker comes into contact with grounded surface. Causes for short vary. Loose connections, re-used wire connectors, water leak, failed part inside tank, under-sized wire, under-sized breaker, bad circuit breaker, burned bus busbar inside breaker box, rats chewed through wire etc. |
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 DO NOT INSTALL LARGER CIRCUIT BREAKER TO SOLVE PROBLEM: absolute fire risk |
How
to reset circuit breaker Circuit breaker can look ok, but still be tripped. Push circuit breaker all the way OFF, and then all the way back ON. Resource: How to wire tankless electric water heater How to replace circuit breaker Choose correct wire and breaker size See inside main breaker box |
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Melted
parts or wires
Usually breaker will NOT reset Melted or burned parts inside water heater can also cause breaker to trip Inspection: 1) Turn power OFF 2) Open side covers on tank 3) Inspect for leak or presence of any water. Tank must be completely DRY Diagnose leaking water heater 3) Use nose and eyes to inspect for burned wires, parts and evidence of high heat 4) Check each screw connection for loose wire. Tighten all screws very tight against copper wire Action 1: Replace any burned part How to replace thermostats How to replace element How to test elements Action 2: Cut back any melted wire, and re-strip and reattach Action 3: Test melted wires if present How-to-test-water-heater-wires.html Action 4: Tighten all screws Action 5: put back insulation and factory covers |
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  12 Ga |
Undersized
wire
10 gauge or 12 gauge? 10 gauge is larger/ for 30 amp breaker. 12 gauge is smaller/ for 20 amp breaker 10 gauge wire can have black-white or black-red 12 gauge will have black and white wires Buy short pieces 10 and 12 gauge wire at local box store Compare with your wire. Resource: Match color code and amp rating for wire |
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ALWAYS MATCH CIRCUIT BREAKER TO WIRE SIZE: avoid fire
risk |
Undersized
breaker/ use 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire 20 amp breaker, and 12 gauge wire: maximum 3800 watt element 30 amp breaker, and 10 gauge wire: maximum 5760 watt element Buy short lengths of 12 ga and 10 ga wire at local home store to compare with your wire to determine wire gauge Resource: Figure volts amps watts for water heater Wire and breaker sizes Element wattage is printed on side of each element Action: Replace element with lower wattage Resource: How to replace element DO NOT INSTALL LARGER CIRCUIT BREAKER TO SOLVE PROBLEM: absolute fire risk |
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Burned
busbar will cause breaker to trip Over heated breaker can get loose and overheat on busbar . Use nose and ears to find burned breaker Often this condition exists when breaker box is old, or breaker is undersized. Action 1: Move breaker to different slot. Resource: How to replace circuit breaker Action 2: Call electrician to upgrade service box |
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Main
breaker wires are
HOT at all times Do not remove metal cover over breakers, or the wires and connections will be HOT Main breaker wires are HOT even when main breaker is OFF. Be careful when checking if main breaker feels warm to touch Resource: Do stress test if main breaker feels warm |
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Advanced DIY |
Advanced
information on wire size and amp loads: Resource: Wire and breaker sizes Figure volts amps watts for water heater |
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Advanced
breaker box diagnosis: Feel if breaker is hot or loose or smells burned. Conduct stress test on electric panel Resource: Stress test service panel |
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 Use 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire on 240Volt water heaters |
More
causes Cause 1: Water heater element is shorted to ground. Action: Turn off power and test elements. Water heater is leaking down electrical parts: Do not touch wet or leaking water heater. Turn power OFF, open covers and inspect for wet parts and use nose to smell for melt and burning, and inspect for leak Element is cracked and/or touching anode rod. Action: Turn off power and test elements Shorted wire or burned part. Action: Open covers, and use nose and eyes to inspect for burned parts and test wires Prevent electrocution: Do not touch wet water heater or leaking water heater. At water heater, electrically ground both pipes together and connect ground wire to ground screw on tank. See image Cause 2: If water heater is tripping breaker, the breaker and wire may be too small See wire and breaker size chart Action: Feel if circuit breaker is warm. Jiggle breaker and listen for crackling sound. Smell if there is burning. Check breaker size: should be 30 amp, with 10 gauge wire, for wattage over 3800W. Wattage printed on end of each element. See wire and breaker size chart 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire is suitable for 4500 watt and 5500 watt residential water heaters 30 amp circuit runs cooler = less heat loss = more efficient use of electricity = service panel lasts longer Undersized breaker and wire will cause heat damage to circuit breaker and breaker box, leading to tripped breakers and loose breakers and damage to busbar. Wire size and amp chart Figure volts amps for water heater Cause 3: Breaker is bad. Move wires to another same-size breaker and see if problem continues. How to replace circuit breaker 9-ways to save with water heater |
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Basic
electric testers: multimeter and non-contact voltage tester Buy: Multimeters at Amazon Buy non-contact voltage tester at Amazon Electric testers at Amazon  Basic
safety:Use non-contact voltage tester to test if voltage is present Use multimeter to test for voltage and continuity NEVER touch wet water heater or water heater that was wet NEVER assume power is OFF... always test Do not stand on wet surface or bare ground. Always stand on dry boards Never lean into metal or carry metal objects in pocket when working around electricity |
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Match
wire and breaker size
Gallon of water heater does not matter/ only element wattage 12 gauge wire and 20 amp breaker... Up to 3800 watt element 10 gauge wire and 30 amp breaker... Up to 5760 watt element Ordinary residential 240Volt non-simultaneous water heater with 4500 watt element should have 30 amp breaker and 10 gauge wire Install smaller watt elements so circuit breaker runs cooler How to replace elements, Conduct main service panel stress test stress test service panel Convert water heater to 120Volts How to convert water heater to 120Volts mm Resource: See inside main breaker box Add a pilot light to show when water heater is ON Add eclectic meter to water heater 3-phase water heaters Convert 3-phase water heater to single-phase |
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Support
the economy: Buy water heaters from my associate links: 50 gallon Gas water heaters at Amazon 40 gallon gas water heaters at Amazon 50 gallon Electric water heaters at Amazon 40 gallon electric water heaters at Amazon Hybrid / heat pump/ water heaters at Amazon Resources: How to install gas water heater How to install electric water heater Troubleshoot gas water heater Troubleshoot electric water heater Point of use water heaters |
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