Dual Element Water Heater Troubleshooting

The upper element heats the upper portion of.

Dual element water heater troubleshooting.

Remove a flange type heating element by removing the four screws holding the element in place. Cold water enters and remains at the bottom of the water heater. So our hot water is plenty hot but we run out in just a few minutes. A dual element water heater uses two heating elements controlled by two separate thermostats.

It shows the parts of the circuit as simplified forms as well as the power and also signal connections in between the tools. As we re about to show in detail one can test a water heater heating element by a simple procedure using a continuity tester or a volt ohm meter a vom. The upper thermostat takes first priority heating the water to a preset temperature before powering up the lower thermostat to heat the water to its final temperature. 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.

Remove the gasket that seals the heating element to the water heater tank. Most residential water heaters come with a 5 year or 10 year warranty. If your water heater is around 15 years old or more and is experiencing problems such as noises issues producing hot water or issues with maintaining a consistent temperature you should consider replacing the unit. Electric water heaters are high voltage 240 volt appliances that are dangerous to work with when the power is on.

Short hot shower bad bottom water heater element. An electric water heater that s leaking from the bottom is typically because of normal condensation a leaking electric heating element gasket or a small amount of water being expelled through the overflow pipe because the t p valve is opening to release excess pressure in the tank. If the water within the tank reaches a dangerously high level a switch called a high limit switch will automatically cut the power to both elements. A new water heater should last at least that long.

With mounting screws and gasket removed extract the heating element from the water heater. Many modern homes come with dual element water heaters. As with gas water heaters dual element electric water heaters feature a number of safety devices. Collection of water heater wiring diagram dual element.