How to Troubleshoot Electric Hot Water Heater Problems

Your hot water is an essential part of your everyday life and something that you probably don’t think about very often. Simply switch on the tap, wait a few moments, and then you can enjoy hot water. 

But, what about when the hot water doesn’t come out when the water heater isn’t working properly? The first step will be to call your local hot water and plumbing experts. They’ll be able t assess, repair, and even improve the system for you.

However, if you can’t get an instant response, or you simply want to understand the issue better, it’s worth understanding some basic troubleshooting methods.

Check The Power

This is the easiest thing to check, simply make sure the breaker for your hot water heater is on and so is the switch. If they are you can also listen to your heater as you should hear a slight buzzing noise.

If you have a little electrical knowledge you can now carefully test for current at the thermostat. If there is power here you’ll need to follow the cable and test the next point, which will probably be the heating element. If power is going to one and not the other then you’ll have found your culprit. You may need to rewire the circuit to ensure power is available or you’ll be looking at either replacing the heating element or the thermostat. If in doubt start with the thermostat, its generally the cheaper option.

Power Off

Once you’ve checked the power and potentially identified the issue you should shut down the power to your water heater. This will stop anyone from getting an electric shock by accident. 

The simplest way to do this is to shut the circuit breaker. 

 

Look For Leaks

The next check you’ll need to do is to look for leaks. They are most likely to be around the base of the water heater although it is possible that they are in the pipework and joins. Visually inspect it all and look for damp patches on the walls and floor within the area of a pipe joint. These tell you there either was or still is an issue. 

You’ll need t fix these leaks quickly as they’ll prevent the tank from heating up properly.

Lack of Steady Heat

Assuming your electrical tests have confirmed power to the heating element, you’ll need to check that the water pipes have not been crossed, allowing the water to circulate the wrong way around. This will prevent you from accessing really hot water. 

The alternative is that the water heater is simply too small to deal with your current demands, it may be time to replace it. 

Rusty Water

If you’ve noticed rusty colored water coming out of your taps then you have corrosion inside your water heater and potentially in your pipes. You’ll need to flush the water heater out and inspect the water again, it’s possible that it’s time to replace it.