Water Heater Lower Thermostat Problems

Check the heat setting on both.

Water heater lower thermostat problems.

The lower thermostat just controls the lower element. On most residential models there will be both an upper and lower thermostat and they should be adjusted to the same temperature. Test the wires to confirm the power is off using a non contact voltage tester. Turn off the power to the water heater in the service panel.

Sometimes the element overheats and the water absorbs this heat. However they do go bad and testing water heater thermostats is still required. When this happens heat builds up in the upper portion of the storage tank which will eventually trip the reset button. Remove the access panel insulation and plastic safety guard from each heating element on the water heater.

Your water heater usually has two elements and two thermostats. Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat. To test which of the thermostats might be defective allow the water heater to sit for about half an hour after running a generous amount of hot water. Sometimes the dial is accidentally tweaked too high so this troubleshooting solution to fix your water heater is the first step in diagnosing a water heater overheating problem.

When the upper element works and the lower one does not you have a low supply of hot water. 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. Electric water heater. One common thermostat problem with electric water heaters occurs when the lower thermostat becomes stuck in the on position and doesn t cycle the lower element off properly.