O/T water heater problems again

old · May 25, 2010

Well I told you guy I had unhooked the lower element and it stopped popping the breaker. Well of course I had very little hot water that way. I have since hooked it back up and it has not popped that breaker in 2 days. Seems odd to me but maybe in doing so and using hot water it has flushed some of the lime etc away from it so it is working at least for a few days. Sort of odd but hey I'll not complain much.

rustred · May 25, 2010

there probably is no continuity in the lower element so it wont trip the breaker now. with only the top one working its only heating the upper water in tank. if you had only the lower one working it would heat the whole tank but slow.

huntingreen59 · May 25, 2010

I don't know how with the lower one working it would (heat the water but slow). The top control has to be satisfied before the bottom element will even come on. Quit screwing around with it and replace the lower element, the upper control and clen out the tank. It the lower element you take out is good then you have a spare for the next time.

mkirsch · May 25, 2010

Gotta drain the tank, pull the bottom element, and replace it. I'll bet you're going to have a tough time getting it out because they tend to bend over as they get weak.

If the sediment is bad enough in the tank, you gotta suck some of it out with a shop vac.

rustred · May 25, 2010

used the btm.one as an example: IF only the btm one was working. because old said he had very little hot water.

DH in Carolina · May 25, 2010

You have a bad bottom thermostat. When you unhooked the wires and moved them around you either caused the sticking contacts to open or caused the thermostat to make better contact with the tank. Bet it will happen again. DH

Bob · May 25, 2010

It ain't gonna "heal itself"!

Replace the bottom element AND the bottom thermostat and be DONE with it. $35 to $40 at Homer Despot for the two.

The thermostat MAY be sticking and/or the bottom element MAY be shorted/leaky at midpoint so the single-line-break thermostat can't turn it off 100%, making the heater overheat over a period of time if no hot water is used.

Oh, yeah, and the thingy with the reset button near the upper element is a LIMIT THERMOSTAT, NOT a circuit breaker.

buickanddeere · May 25, 2010

It's going to cost more when a heating element short hard to ground. Then welds together or burns the contacts off a thermostat/over temp protection.
Best solution for a water heater past it's leak protection warrenty (5-9yrs). Make a feed trough or a lawn roller out of the old heater. And purchase a new heater.
Ever see basement after a water heater corroded through?

Dean Olson · May 26, 2010

Hi Old, If you don't want to replace the heater, drain it, pull the bottom element, tape a piece of 3/4" copper to a shop vac and poke around & vacuum out as much lime as you can. The elements have to have circulation around them or they will overheat and fail. Put in a new element and replace the themostat.

O/T water heater problems again

old

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rustred

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huntingreen59

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mkirsch

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rustred

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DH in Carolina

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Bob

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buickanddeere

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Dean Olson

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