Your electric water heater plays a vital role in your home. It helps clean your dishes, your clothes and you. With water heaters hidden behind closet doors or banished to a dark corner of the garage, you may take your water heater for granted, assuming it will work without interruption. When your tank stops producing hot water, check the water heater wiring, thermostats and elements with an electric tester to find the failure point and restore the water heater to working order.
Instructions
1. Turn off the water heater double-pole breaker at the main breaker panel in your home. Look for a 2-inch-wide breaker labeled as 30 or 30-amps.
2. Remove the cover from the electrical access panel at the top of the water heater. Pull the sets of red and black wires from the water heater. Leave the wire connectors attached to the two sets of wires.
3. Turn on the water heater breaker. Turn the dial on a two-wire electric tester to 250 AC. Insert one of the tester probes into one of the wire connectors that connects the set of wires together, and touch the remaining tester probe to the metal body of the water heater. The needle on the face of the tester should point to 120 volts. Repeat the test with the other set of wires. The breaker needs replacing if either set of wires fail to get a reading on the tester.
4. Turn the breaker back off. Push the wiring back into the water heater access panel and replace the cover.
5. Remove the two panel doors from the side of the water heater. Pull any insulation out of the water heater to uncover the thermostats and electric heating elements. Pull the plastic covers from your thermostats and elements.
6. Turn the temperature dial on the upper thermostat to its highest temperature with a small, slotted screwdriver. Use the screwdriver to turn the temperature dial to the lowest temperature on the lower thermostat.
7. Turn on the water heater once again. Place the two electric tester probes on the top two screws, one probe per screw, on the upper thermostat. The needle on the face of the electric tester should read 240 volts. No voltage reading means the wires are damaged between the electrical connections at the water heater access panel and the top thermostat.
8. Touch the two electric tester probes to the two screws on the front of the element below the thermostat. The tester should read 240 volts. Replace the upper thermostat if your electric tester does not produce a reading.
9. Turn off the water heater breaker once again. Turn the upper thermostat to the lowest temperature and the lower thermostat to the highest temperature with the small screwdriver. Turn the water heater breaker back on.
10. Touch the two tester probes to the screws on the front of the water heater element below the lower thermostat. The needle on the face of the electric tester should point to 240 volts. Test the lower thermostat if you fail to obtain voltage at the element.
11. Place one probe from the electric tester on the top screw location on the lower element. Touch the remaining probe to any metal on the water heater. Replace your upper thermostat if your electric tester fails to read 120 volts. Continue to test the lower thermostat if you do get a reading by moving the probe from the top screw to the screw directly beneath it. No voltage reading indicates the lower thermostat needs replacing.
12. Turn off the water heater breaker once again. Loosen one screw on the front of both heating elements and remove the wires from beneath the screws.
13. Rotate the dial on the electric tester to RX1K. Touch both screws on the front of each water heater element. The needle on the face of the tester should sweep all the way to the right of the display if the element has not failed. Test both elements and replace only the failing element. Replace the wires onto the face of the thermostats.
14. Reset both thermostats to your desired water temperature. Snap the plastic covers over both thermostats. Turn on the breaker to the water heater once more. Press the red reset buttons on both thermostats. Cover the thermostats with the insulation you removed and replace the panel doors on the side of the water heater.
Tags: water heater, electric tester, water heater, lower thermostat, Turn water, Turn water heater, tester should