Electric Hot Water Heater Thermostat Troubleshooting

Electric water heater thermostats are a fairly simple devices that can fail from time to time.

Electric hot water heater thermostat troubleshooting.

Typical settings are 140 to 160 degf. Too much hot water can be almost as frustrating as not enough hot water. To check the thermostat settings. Begin by turning the breaker inside the breaker panel of water heater off.

An electric hot water heater is actually not a complicated device. You will see the electric wiring that handles the water heater. If that doesn t work perform a hard reset by shutting off power to the water heater at the circuit breaker box. 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.

Testing is the only option if you want to determine whether or not one or both of them has failed. See testing electric water heater elements for more information. That helps when troubleshooting the cause of the problem. If you re experiencing this problem it s possible that one or both of your water heater s thermostats is set too high.

Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat. For electric hot water heaters start troubleshooting with a quick reset. Locate the screws that hold the electric access panel to the water heater. Also check the reset button on the thermostat the red button located at the top of the thermostat.

If the hot water heater is not working one of the thermostats may be bad. The cure for a hot water problem may be as simple as turning the temperature setting up. 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. Reset circuit breaker to on or replace any blown fuse s and wait 30 60 minutes for the water to warm.

Next remove the screws and open the panel. If the thermostats are okay you need to test the water heater elements. Beware that any temperature above 120 degf. If water has remained cool continue troubleshooting steps below.

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. Our two photos above are of the lower heating element on this electric water heater.