Electric Hot Water Heater Troubleshooting from Schmeg.com

  

Electric hot water heaters are about as trouble free as any appliance can get. Rarely does anything go wrong with them, and when a problem does occur the problem usually is very easy to solve-even to the point of replacing an old water he, a new one. In this How-To Guide you will find two levels of involvement:
Electric hot water heater maintenance and making minor repair.
How to replace an electric hot water heater.

DRAINING THE HEATER
Most electric water heater manufacturers advise draining a few gallons of water from t the heater every 6 weeks to remove sediment when the heater is new and every 6months after the heater has been in operation for a year. To do this:

1) Turn off the water to the heater.
2) Turn off the power to the heater at the main service entrance (circuit breaker or fuse box):
3) Place a water bucket or attach a garden hose (if a floor drain is available) to the drain valve of the heater which is
positioned at the bottom of the heater. Run the other end of the hose into the floor drain.
4) Open the drain valve and drain a few gallons of water from the heater tank. If you use a bucket to catch the water, turn off the water at the drain valver while emptying the bucket.
5) Close the drain valve and turn on the water and the power supply.

WATER TOO HOT-
This most likely is a thermostat problem. Check the thermostat on the heater and turn back the setting if it is too high. A normal setting is between 110 and 140 degrees. If a thermostat adjustment doesn't work, it could be that the thermostat is malfunctioning. This is a job for a professional electrician.

WATER WON'T HEAT-
The problem may be lack of power or no power.

-Check the circuit breaker at the main electrical service entrance. If you find a tripped toggle on the heater circuit, press the toggle to the complete "off" position, and then snap it to the full "on" position. Some toggles are pushed straight down to reactivate instead of being flipped like a light switch.

If the circuit is protected by a fuse system, check the fuse to see that it is still working. If not, replace the fuse with the same amp rating as the old one. The amp rating will be stamped on the bottom tip of the fuse. The fuse probably wil be 30 amps, but check. If a fuse or tripped circuit breaker is not the problem, and the fuse/circuit continues to blow/snap, call in a professional electrician for repairs. If the circuit seems okay, the trouble could be a malfunctioning element. You can replace this yourself. See the details below.

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