electric water heater won't heat


  #1  
Old 05-09-04, 08:18 AM
gentle01
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Unhappy electric water heater won't heat

Last nite I noticed the hot water, wasn't hot....it wasn't even lukewarm!
Since it's electric, I took the panels off to check what temp it was set on, and it was all the way over to the right....it *used* to be set on 120....

There was a reset button, also, but it was pushed in...the temp was changed back to 120, and the breaker box showed nothing....I'm lost as to what to do-I don't want to take cold showers,if I can help it....

Thanks for any advice given, I really appreciate it.
 
  #2  
Old 05-09-04, 08:38 AM
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gentle01:

It's possible that the temp being set at maximum could have tripped the limit in the tank.
Make sure you press it firmly to reset. Sometimes it might look ok and not be.

Also rather than just look at the breaker you should turn it off and then firmly turn it back on.
Again, sometimes it too could be off and not look it.

Any more than this and you will need a meter to check for power or a burned out element.
 
  #3  
Old 05-15-04, 07:52 PM
gentle1
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Unhappy What to do??

Hello,
So far I've replaced 2 heating elements, a pop-off valve, and 1 thermastat on my electric hot water heater, and all to no avail...tonite, as I went into the laundry room, I thought I heard water...I did...the pop-off valve had popped,and I had water everywhere!

I'm so tired of this,and I think a new water heater is in my future...but I would love to know WHY the valve opened...I have noticed that sometimes the reset button needs to be pushed in, and now I know why...

I would love some explanation for this, if anyone has any...
It's no fun to spend your birthday mopping up a garage floor .
Thanks,
Diane
 
  #4  
Old 05-15-04, 08:03 PM
gentle1
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Thank you for the reply

Greg,
Thanks for the reply, but I seem to have really messed things up, now...I have a post on here, about what I've replaced on the heater, and tonite, the pop off valve did just that-popped off!

I had water all over the floor, and I'm ready to buy a new heater-this is NOT how I wanted to spend my birthday,lol...I just can't figure out what caused it to pop, although I have noticed lately, that the reset button has to be pushed in sometimes...

So far, I've been out more time and money than I'd care to be...but I also want to know WHY this happened-I'd hate to know I have a serious problem with something...

Thanks for any help, and esp for your reply.
Diane
 
  #5  
Old 05-15-04, 09:08 PM
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gentle01,

I'm not sure what you mean by "I seem to have really messed things up now...I have a post on here, about what I've replaced on the heater".
Which post and what did you replace?

If the relief is venting you do have a problem that must be fixed right away.
The relief is a safety valve that prevents the tank from rupturing in the event the water is being overheated.
If you can't figure out what's wrong you should shut off the power to the tank and call someone that can properly troubleshoot this for you.
 
  #6  
Old 05-16-04, 07:40 AM
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Diane,
I don't know who set your heater temp to max, but that can be dangerous for scalding, if you have small children. The heater temp shouldn't be set above 120 with little ones.
If you've lowered the temp to 120, flipped the breaker from "off" back to "on" and re-set the pop-out button, and the T&P relief valve is still popping, this probably means that one or both of the thermostats are going bad, causing the overheating.
I replace both tstats whenever I have to replace one.
If you're still having the overheating problem, you can install new tstats, if you're comfortable with it (or call someone to do it, if not).
To replace tstats:
A. Turn OFF the breaker in the electrical panel (probably a 30 amp double breaker). You don't have to turn off the water or anything else.
B. Remove the panels over the tstats and check the wiring with a voltage meter to make certain that the power is OFF (safety check).
C. Note the layout and number of screws on each tstat. Make a drawing, if necessary, but don't remove any wires yet.
D. Go to the store and get upper and lower tstats that have the same exact layout and number of screws (does not have to be same brand).
E. Remove the wires ONE AT A TIME from the old tstats and put them in the same place on the new tstats. Can't go wrong with this method.
Once you have everything back in place, flip the breaker all of the way off and then back on.
Should be good to go.
Good Luck!
Mike
 
  #7  
Old 05-16-04, 07:49 AM
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Buy a pressure gauge with a lazy arm and check your line pressure. These are sold at big box stores on the cheap.

The T&P valve only works for 1 of 2 reasons. Temperature or pressure.

Let's eliminate one reason before deciding on what to do or replace.

Post back with pressure readings and we can go from there.

Good luck.
 
  #8  
Old 05-16-04, 08:12 AM
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Two things.

Thermo Expansion or Too high water temperature, tell us what you pressure is at.

Is there a pressure reducer on your house? If so it could be thermo expansion taking place.
 
 

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