Electric Hot Water Heater Element Check

Turn off the breaker that powers the hot water heater.

Electric hot water heater element check.

The upper heating element is made up of a series of metal loops that have been electrically charges causing them to heat up. If the breaker has tripped switch it off then switch it back on again. A water heater that produces no hot water may not be getting power or it may have a tripped limit switch or one or more failed heating elements. Turn off the breaker switch to the hot water heater at the breaker box.

Usually when the upper thermostat goes bad you will have no hot water at all while a bad lower thermostat makes itself known when there is only a small amount of hot water before the tap water goes cold. When a hot water heater quits producing hot water the problem may be a faulty thermal cutout thermostat or heater element. The bottom element is heating the entire tank but it is not capable of heating the water to the same high temperature as if both elements were working. Look for it in your home s basement laundry room or large storage closet.

An electric hot water heater has two thermostats controlling two separate heating elements one in the upper half of the tank one in the lower half. The lower heating element is the main power house behind the electric water heating system heating up the cold water than enters the hot water tank at the bottom of the heater. If the hot water heater is not working one of the thermostats may be bad. When a water heater no longer produces hot water the upper element on a double element water heater.

An electric water heater uses one or two heating elements to heat the water inside the tank. More often than not the problem is a burned out water heater element. First check the water heater s circuit breaker in the service panel to make sure it hasn t tripped. The electric breaker is a roughly 1 ft 2 ft 30 cm 61 cm metal box that s attached to a wall.

Remove the upper and lower access panels to the heating elements on the side of your water heater by using a screwdriver to undo the cover plate. The upper heating element simply raises. 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. If the heater is an electric unit unplug it from the outlet.