Common Electric Water Heater Problems
Electric water heater owners may have felt a little left out in a previous blog where we talked about troubleshooting your gas water heater. In this blog, we’re showing some love to electric water heaters!
Nothing is worse than getting into what you think will be a nice, toasty, warm shower in the morning, still groggy with sleep from the night before, only to be met with an ice cold jet of water in your face! When we receive calls about homes with electric water heaters that have no water, the first question we ask- believe it or not- is, “Have you checked the breaker panel?” If it hasn’t been tripped, then the next things that needs investigating are the elements. No hot water and no tripped breaker means it’s time to replace the elements. If you do discover an issue with your breaker though, you might need to call out a professional electrician, like the team at Paul Macrina (paulmacrina.com/electrical/electrical-panel-services/), to come and take a look.
You only have warm water, you say? Check the thermostat. Turn it up to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, but please, do not go any higher than this! Scalding can occur quickly at temperatures that are not much higher than this. On the contrary, if you check your thermostat and find that the temperature happens to be cranked and you only have lukewarm water, your thermostat needs to be replaced as it has burned out. Electric water heaters should always be able to provide hot water at 120 degrees.
Have you ever noticed a burning smell coming from your tank? The first thing to do is to check for any leaks. Is the tank leaking? If so, it’s time to replace it. If you smell burning and don’t see a leak, call Water Heater Rescue and we’ll send out one of our Red Seal service plumbers to investigate the issue further.
If you notice water coming from the temperature and pressure (T&P) valve, you will need to check the water pressure. To check the pressure, you will need a PSI reader. If the PSI reading is greater than 75 PSI, you will need to replace the pressure relief valve (PRV) on your plumbing system. If the reading is less than 75 PSI, the T&P valve will need to be replaced. You can trust the experts at Water Heater Rescue to assist you with this task.
There you have it, electric water heater owners. Now you know!
