Electric Hot Water Heater Thermostat Troubleshooting

Reset circuit breaker to on or replace any blown fuse s and wait 30 60 minutes for the water to warm.

Electric hot water heater thermostat troubleshooting.

Check electrical panel to be sure that circuit breaker is in the on position not in tripped or off or fuses if used are installed securely and not blown. To check the thermostat settings. Also check the reset button on the thermostat the red button located at the top of the thermostat. If water has remained cool continue troubleshooting steps below.

If that doesn t work perform a hard reset by shutting off power to the water heater at the circuit breaker box. Beware that any temperature above 120 degf. Next remove the screws and open the panel. Turn off the power to the water heater in the service panel.

If the hot water heater is not working one of the thermostats may be bad. Our two photos above are of the lower heating element on this electric water heater. Begin by turning the breaker inside the breaker panel of water heater off. The cure for a hot water problem may be as simple as turning the temperature setting up.

If the thermostats are okay you need to test the water heater elements. You will see the electric wiring that handles the water heater. Locate the screws that hold the electric access panel to the water heater. On electric water heaters it is usually located under the access panel on the side of the heater or it may be located on the front.

If you re experiencing this problem it s possible that one or both of your water heater s thermostats is set too high. Is scalding and a mixing valve may be needed for safety. For electric hot water heaters start troubleshooting with a quick reset. Electric water heater thermostats are a fairly simple devices that can fail from time to time.

Testing is the only option if you want to determine whether or not one or both of them has failed. Turn off the water heater for a few minutes and then turn it back on. Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat. See testing electric water heater elements for more information.

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 electric water heater output water is too hot you can adjust the thermostat to a lower setting. Wait about hour and see if your water heats up. That helps when troubleshooting the cause of the problem.