Installation Guide

Residen al Electric Water Heater Use and Care Guide • 17
TROUBLESHOOTING
TROUBLESHOOTING
WARNING! Working near an
energized circuit can result in severe
injury or death from electrical shock.
WARNING! When you are fi nished,
be sure all covers are secured to re-
duce the risk of fi re and electric shock.
No Hot Water
The most likely reasons for an electric wa-
ter heater to produce NO hot water are:
• No electric power—a common prob-
lem with new installations
• Burned out upper element (Dry
Fired) — a common problem with
new installations
• Tripped Energy Cut Off (red button
on upper thermostat)
• The water heater’s inlet and outlet
connections are reversed (usually
only in new installations)
• Broken upper thermostat (or wiring)
• A leak in the hot water side of the
plumbing system that exceeds the
water heater’s heating capacity and
makes it appear that the water heater
is producing little to no hot water
Follow these steps to diagnose and
correct common electrical problems:
1
Check the electric power to
the water heater. No hot
water is o en caused by a
problem with the home’s electrical
wiring or circuit breakers. You’ll need a
non-contact circuit tester. Follow these
guidelines:
• Locate the water heater’s circuit
breaker and turn it off (or remove
the circuit’s fuses).
• Locate the electrical junction box on
top of the water heater and remove
the cover.
• Identify the two power wires. The
power wires are usually black/black
or black/red—the green or copper
wire is the ground wire.
Figure 21 - Use a non-contact circuit
tester to check for electrical power.
• Turn the circuit breaker back on
(or install the fuses) and check the
power on both incoming power
wires using a non-contact circuit
tester.
• Turn the power off and replace the
cover on the electrical junction box.
If the water heater is not ge ng power,
contact a qualifi ed person to have
your home’s wiring or circuit breakers
checked.
2
Check the upper hea ng
element. If the water heater is
ge ng electrical power, check
to see if the upper hea ng element has
burned out. If the upper element is
burned out, you’ll have no hot water. To
check the upper element, you’ll need a
mul meter capable of reading resis-
tance.
• Turn the power OFF at the circuit
breaker or remove fuses.
• Remove the upper access panel.
• Remove the insulation to access the
upper thermostat and heating ele-
ment.
3
Check the top two screws of
the upper thermostat using a
non-contact circuit tester and
confi rm that power is off (screw
terminals 1 and 3 in photo on next
page).
• With the electrical power off , remove
the two power wires from the upper
hea ng element.
Figure 22 - Use a multimeter to check
the resistance of the upper heating
element.
4
Check the resistance of the
upper hea ng element using a
mul meter. Measure the
resistance between the two screw
terminals on the upper hea ng
element. A good element will have a
resistance ranging between 5 and 25
Ohms. If the resistance is:
Outside this range. Replace the ele-
ment (see the Rou ne Maintenance
sec on on page 20). On a new water
heater, a burned out upper hea ng ele-
ment is almost always caused by turn-
ing the power on before the tank was
completely full of water (Dry Fire). (See
Step 8 in the Installa on sec on.)
Within this range. Rea ach the power
wires, making sure the wires are in
good condi on and the connec ons
are clean and  ght. Next, check the
following: