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Figure volts amps watts for water heater | 9 Ways to save with a water heater | Do-it-yourself |
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How
to test water heater
element |
How
electric water heater works How to replace water heater thermostat How to replace element and clean tank How to remove rusted element How to troubleshoot electric water heater parts How to wire water heater thermostats |
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 Buy multimeter for $10 at local box store in electric department. Install battery. Rotate dial to 240-250Vac to test for presence of electricity. Rotate dial to Ohms to test element. (upside down horseshoe symbol is ohms) |
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 See ohm chart Volts squared divided by watts = ohms. Watts are printed on end of each element. All 2-element tanks are 240volts. |
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Turn
off 30 Amp circuit breaker to 240 Volt heater Turn off 20 Amp circuit breaker to 110 Volt heater Voltage and wattage of water heater is printed on label located on side of tank. Take photo of label for your records. |
 See basic water heater circuit |
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Test
for electricity before removing wires:
Use 120V/240V tester or use multimeter for this test Open cover on top of water heater
 120V and 240V.
Test Black
to Ground, test Black to White, test White to Ground. If tester light
comes on, electricity is present240V heaters have voltage on element at all times. 
240V only. Use regular tester. Test across both screws & then test each screw to bare metal part of water heater. If light comes on or multimeter needle moves, electricity is present. |
 Test blue or red wire to bare metal part of tank. Test should show 0 volts when power is off |
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 | Use screwdriver and open panels on side of water heater. Older water heaters have fiberglass insulation covering element and thermostat. This insulation is removeable, and must be put back when finished. Newer water heaters have tight-fitting foam insulation. Foam insulation is not easy to work around or cut. You may need to cut back the foam to work on parts. Remove as much foam as needed to access parts.When finished, parts must be covered by insulation or thermostats are exposed to cool air and will misread tank temperature | ||||
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Which
element do you test? If water heater is able to make some hot water, then lower element is main suspect. If upper element is burned out, water heater will not heat any water. If water heater is tripping circuit breaker, then test both elements and look for burned and melted wire. What to do if melted/burned wire is found Troubleshoot electric water heater How water heater works How to wire thermostats Test electricity to water heater |
 Tank must be full of water or elements burn out Newer tanks have foam insulation Older tanks have fiberglass insulation |
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Take wires off element Move wires out of way Use nose and eyes to inspect for burned/ melted parts and wires. If wires are burned/ melted then replace part and test wire for continuity. |
 Bolt-in and screw-type elements |
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Test
element
Set multimeter to read ohms  |
Good
element passes 3 tests: Test 1: Element shows correct ohm reading Test 2: No reading on multimeter Test 3: No reading on multimeter |  Larger image |
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Test
1:
Test
across both element screws and resistance should
read
about 12.8
Ohms for 240-Volt 4500-Watt element. For 30 gallon tank with
3500-Watt elements, reading is about 16 Ohms. See
ohm chart Open reading means element is bad. No reading means element is bad. | Element
wattage printed on each element Element wattage volts ohms 3500 watt 240 16 4500 watt 240 12-13 5500 watt 240 10-11 'Volts squared' divided by watts = ohms Volts x volts is 'volts squared' 240 volts x 240 volts = 57,600 57,600 divided by 4500 watt = 12.8 ohms See ohm chart |
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Test 2:
Test each
screw to bare metal part of water heater. Test both screws. If multimeter reads any Ohms at all, or if needle moves even tiny bit, then element is shorted and needs replacement see how |
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Test 3:
Test each screw to metal base of element. If multimeter reads any Ohms at all, or if needle moves even tiny bit, then element is shorted and needs replacement |
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Results | |||||
 |  Elements are good. Double-check results before putting wires back on elements. Water heater still not workingHow to troubleshoot electric water heater | ||||
 | Element has burned wire Replace element Test wire for continuity | ||||
 | Element is bad How to replace element Full efficiency can be restored to electric heater Water heater must be empty before element is removed |  Element wrench Leave water heater full of water to loosen element Then drain water heater and remove element | |||
 | Element will not come out How to remove rusted element Drill, tap and use bolts and wrench to remove. Drain water heater before drilling into element | Prevent rusted water heater. Anode rod is necessary so tank will not rust. Anode rod depletes and should be inspected 1-3 years with water softener, and 2-5 years otherwise. Loosen anode rod before draining tank so weight of water helps hold tank steady How to replace anode rod | |||
 | Water heater will not drain Water heater will not drain Use household water pressure and washing-machine hose to flush open water heater for 5-10 seconds | ||||
 Larger image |  Caution: Insulation and
cover must be re-installed or thermostat is exposed to cooler air and
will misread tank temperature.How to replace water heater thermostat | ||||
 Larger image | ECO keeps tripping or circuit breaker keeps tripping: element shorted to ground across steel tank What happens: - Explains why element test includes testing between element screws and steel tank - 240Volt water heaters have 2 Hot wires. Each hot wire is called a leg. Each leg is 120Volts with 240Volt potential when both legs are connected together. 120Volts and 240V - Thermostats turn off one leg in the 240Volt circuit. The other leg puts live power at element at all times. - Each element will test for live120Volts between the element and steel tank at all times. - When thermostat turns ON, that event connects the second leg to the first leg, and element turns ON. - In some cases, the element can crack or short. In most cases, the short will trip circuit breaker. - If the crack or short is far enough along in the element, the resistance will not cause breaker to trip. The short travels across steel tank hull to the ground wire at top of tank. - The ground wire will complete 120Volt circuit. Element continues heating, and will not turn off. This causes runaway heating, and TP valve will release water or ECO reset will trip. | ||||
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 Don't buy tankless: pro-n con Troubleshoot tankless water heater |
 Flooded water heater Should be replaced |
 How to replace anode rod Anode rod prevents tank from rusting. |
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 How to test and replace TP valve Lift lever and gently lower once each year. |
 How to repair/ replace water heater drain valve Put garden hose cap over dripping drain valve. |
 Do not cap TP valve. |
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