Water heater tripping circuit breaker


  #1  
Old 02-20-02, 03:17 PM
gehouston
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Question Water heater tripping circuit breaker

Any hints or insight on what could cause this. Where should I start?
 
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Old 02-20-02, 03:27 PM
Mike Swearingen's Avatar
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Cool

Could be the breaker or a thermostat going bad, or a loose connection.
Turn off the breaker at the panel, and test the wiring connections with a volt meter before touching (make sure breaker is actually off). If they're tight and not burnt appearing, check the wiring connections on the tstats.
If they look o.k., replace both tstats.
Get an upper and lower tstat with the exact layout and number of screws as the ones on the heater (doesn't have to be the same brand).
Exhange the wires one at a time from the old tstats to the new ones (saves a lot of time over marking wires, etc. and is much easier and faster).
Test the elements with an ohm meter for continuity while you have everything off. If it reads below 9, replace the elements, too.
I'm not an electrician, just a D-I-Yer, so double-check my recommendations over in the Electrical forum with the pros over there first.
Good Luck!
Mike
 
  #3  
Old 02-20-02, 03:30 PM
mcgub
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I betcha your one of your elements is going bad...shorting out...if happens all the time it's the bottom...if it happens only occasionally it's the top

If it's a gas HWT that's damn strange
 
 

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