SteveW Posted September 10, 2009 Share #1 Posted September 10, 2009 Ok and plumber's out there? I have a hot water heater that is 4 years old. Its a 2 element unit. that is not heating. I have checked and the breaker is Ok and I have 120 volts on both sides of each element. I have replaced the upper element ( I was told this is the heating element and the bottom element was for keeping the water warm.) I turned up both thermostats to max and still no heat. any suggestions ?????? Cold showers were great when you were 16 but not so good when your 60 LOL Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scarylarry Posted September 10, 2009 Share #2 Posted September 10, 2009 Maybe my 2 days on the job can help.. Your bottom element does the heating, getting 120 on the element doesn't mean that much since the breaker isn't trip.. Check the conduity of the element with breaker off and wires remove then ohmn it out and see if you got a burnt element... Replacing it is easy just very time consuming drain the heater.. When you refill it be sure all the hot water valves are OPEN this will aloow air to be push thru and the pop off valve till you see water the shut it off... It sounds like the element is bad and the bottom does most of the work too Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SilvrT Posted September 10, 2009 Share #3 Posted September 10, 2009 Ok and plumber's out there? I have a hot water heater that is 4 years old. Its a 2 element unit. that is not heating. I have checked and the breaker is Ok and I have 120 volts on both sides of each element. I have replaced the upper element ( I was told this is the heating element and the bottom element was for keeping the water warm.) I turned up both thermostats to max and still no heat. any suggestions ?????? Cold showers were great when you were 16 but not so good when your 60 LOL Been a long time since I messed with a water heater but... seems to me they have a thermostat don't they? Maybe it's faulty? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GS51 Posted September 10, 2009 Share #4 Posted September 10, 2009 replace the bottom element the water heater has 2 thermostats the bottom is used to recover after water is trawned off ( Cold water enters at the bottom through a full tube on the inlet when the the bottom thermostst calls for heat it supplies power to the bottom elemen first if the bottom can't heat then it will just keep calling. only after the bottom is up to temp will the thermostst suitch to power the top both elements are never on at th esame time i have seen this many times to check the element measure across the element terminals it should read 220 volts if the thermostat is calling for heat measuring to ground will just confuse you if you don't know what you are looking at. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Freebird Posted September 10, 2009 Share #5 Posted September 10, 2009 Even that can be misleading. Even if the element is burned open, you should still read 220 volts. Only by lifting at least one of the wires can you tell if the element is burned open. If you lift both wires, POWER OFF, you should read continuity across the element. The only way to check it with power on would be to remove only ONE wire and see if the 110 volts to the wire still connected is traveling through the element to the terminal that now has no wire on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted September 10, 2009 Share #6 Posted September 10, 2009 You need to verify 240 +/- volts incoming (I assume it's a 2 pole breaker, 240 volt water heater). The breaker may appear to not be tripped, but may have not moved, especially if it hasn't been "exercised" (on + off) in a long time. Go ahead and turn the breaker off and then back on a couple of times. If the breaker trips while doing this, then you most likely have a bad element. If you are only reading 120 volts at the heating element, then you do not have full power coming thru the thermostats. Check voltage at the top thermostat where the wires come down from the top. If 240 volt is not present here, then you have a supply problem. Follow the schematic on the back of one of the closure panels you took off. Most heaters operate with the bottom element being the primary element, with the top element being used only when the heater has run out of hot water. There is also a reset (red) button on most thermostats that may have tripped. After satisfying these tests, then turn off power to the heater, disconnect the wires from the elements and ohm them out. If you need to replace an element, make sure you have a socket or adjustable pliers big enuff to latch onto it. It will be pretty tight in there. Also, don't forget to use some rector seal on the threads (not plumbers tape, gets too hot for that) when reinstalling the element. Try these tests and see what happens. Dan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share #7 Posted September 10, 2009 Thanks Guys The water heater is over at my buddies hanger and we will check it out this weekend. Thanks for all the info. Steve Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest scarylarry Posted September 10, 2009 Share #8 Posted September 10, 2009 I bet a cup of coffee the element is bad... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted September 10, 2009 Author Share #9 Posted September 10, 2009 Coffee I always have for anyone that wants to stop by and say hi. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kregerdoodle Posted September 10, 2009 Share #10 Posted September 10, 2009 well all I know about plumbing is that S%#* runs down hill and Pay day is Friday!! Good luck! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yammer Dan Posted September 11, 2009 Share #11 Posted September 11, 2009 well all I know about plumbing is that S%#* runs down hill and Pay day is Friday!! Good luck! And hot is on the right and cold is on the left!! Ain't seen my work have you? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dano Posted September 11, 2009 Share #12 Posted September 11, 2009 well all I know about plumbing is that S%#* runs down hill and Pay day is Friday!! And hot is on the right and cold is on the left!! Ain't seen my work have you? Congratulations! You both have passed your plumbers license test! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tazmocycle Posted September 11, 2009 Share #13 Posted September 11, 2009 water heater 101! there are several differant types of water heater- 11o volt or 220 volt, single element or dual element. single elements are easy to work on! only one element and thermostat to deal with!! dual element: when you first start up the heater, the top t-stat puts power to the top element and brings the water up to temperture set on t-stat, then the top t-stat sends the power down to the bottom t-stat, which puts power to lower element and brings water up to temperture set on bottom t-stat. then it shuts off till you start using water and the bottom element comes on till it heats water back up or if you use a lot of water up and the top t-stat clicks on and shuts off lower and brings on top element. most times the top element is the one that burns up and you run completely out of hot water. first thing to do is to check the top two wires on element to see if there's 220 volts on the top element, if it is there, then the top element is "probly" bad. from there it's a hunt and try to find the right cause to fix it. look to see if there's a booklet on the heater, which should have a trouble shooting guide in it to help you out. you can probly go to your power provider's web site and find ome imfo on it too. hope this help you out, don. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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