Electric Hot Water Heater Thermostat Replacement

Replace the safety cover s and access panel s.

Electric hot water heater thermostat replacement.

20 using the water heater socket remove the bottom element by turning counter clockwise. 19 remove the 2 wires on the bottom element. When an upper heating element or thermostat fails the entire water heater stops producing hot water. An electric hot water heater has two thermostats controlling two separate heating elements one in the upper half of the tank one in the lower half.

Usually when the upper thermostat goes bad you will have no hot water at all while a bad lower thermostat makes itself known when there is only a small amount of hot water before the tap water goes cold. Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat. If the hot water heater is not working one of the thermostats may be bad. If your unit is expending extra energy to provide the same amount of hot water it s time to look for the following symptoms.

If you suspect a heating element has also gone bad see how to replace a water heater element. Gas water heaters use a different type of thermostat system. Reconnect the wires make sure the thermostat is flush against the tank. How to replace an electric water heater thermostat.

18 replace the top thermostat and be care to pay attention to the wire locations for me i used the rheem sp11698 electric thermostat. When a lower heating element or thermostat fails the top thermostat and element will continue to heat water in the upper half of the tank but you will notice the hot water quickly runs out or is only lukewarm. Smith signature premier 50 gallon tall 10 year limited 4500 watt double element electric water heater with hybrid heat pump. If the water isn t heating up the culprit could also be the thermostat.

You may need to repair your electric hot water heater. Gas water heater thermostat replacement. Instead you get only cold water. Leaks are usually the result of pressure buildup inside the tank.

A common sign of trouble with any water heater is often a higher utility bill. You can test them with the power off using an ohmmeter to measure resistance or with the power on using a voltmeter to measure voltage.