Electric Hot Water Heater Thermostat Troubleshooting

Troubleshooting the thermostat on a hot water heater.

Electric hot water heater thermostat troubleshooting.

The water could be hot enough to cause burns or it could lead to. Troubleshooting an overheating electric hot water heater. Further it does not discuss gas or propane fuel types nor plumbing related issues. 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.

Electric water heaters are high voltage 240 volt appliances that are dangerous to work with when the power is on. When the upper element works and the lower one does not you have a low supply of hot water. If the hot water heater is not working one of the thermostats may be bad. Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat.

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. See troubleshooting electric hot water heaters or water heater element testing for other related topics. Scalding hot water from a tap presents a serious problem for homeowners. 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. 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. Not the microprocessor types that are starting to appear in stores.

Electric water heaters usually have two thermostats and to heating elements.