Electric Hot Water Heater Thermostat Troubleshooting

The water could be hot enough to cause burns or it could lead to.

Electric hot water heater thermostat troubleshooting.

Not the microprocessor types that are starting to appear in stores. Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat. When the upper element works and the lower one does not you have a low supply of hot water. See troubleshooting electric hot water heaters or water heater element testing for other related topics.

The thermostats work by turning the heating. Electric water heaters usually have two thermostats and to heating elements. Troubleshooting an overheating electric hot water heater. Before checking any electrical parts of a water heater shut off the power to the heater s circuit by turning off the appropriate breaker in your home s service panel breaker box.

You can test them with the power off using an ohmmeter to measure resistance or with the power on using a voltmeter to measure voltage. Depending on the gallon size of the tank an electric water heater consists of one or two thermostats which regulate the temperature of the water. An upper thermostat located behind a cover high on the heater tank and a lower thermostat located behind a panel low on the water heater tank photo at left. You can easily repair and replace if necessary the controls and heating elements of most common residential 120 208 and 240 volt electric water heaters with traditional line voltage controls.

Scalding hot water from a tap presents a serious problem for homeowners. If the hot water heater is not working one of the thermostats may be bad. Further it does not discuss gas or propane fuel types nor plumbing related issues. The lower thermostat just controls the lower element.

If you are planning to fix the water heater yourself here are the steps to guide you through.