Having hot water in your home is a great convenience. It is useful for cleaning dishes, clothes, and who doesn’t like to take a hot shower on a cold day? Sometimes we take hot water for granted, until the day that we don’t have it. I have received many calls on cold days from people who have run out of hot water and didn’t know what to do about it. There are a few different types of water heaters: natural gas, propane gas, and electric water heaters. I will be focusing on electric water heaters, but many of what I will be writing about can be applied to other types of water heaters as well.
Before you decide that you need an electric hot water heater replacement, you should make sure that the individual parts are working properly. This will save you a lot of money in the long run. Before you try to find out what the problem is, make sure that the power has been shut off to your water heater-this will help avoid getting electrocuted! On the actual water heater should be some access panels. Under these panels you will find thermostats and the elements for the water heaters.
Most panels will have a screw holding them on the unit, so find the right screwdriver or other tool to remove them (most water heaters have two access panels, one close to the top and one close to the bottom). Once the panels are removed, you will probably see the insulation for the water heater, if this is the case, push it aside until you find the thermostats. Many times, one of the thermostats may have just worn out from years of use. They can be replaced easily, however, there are two different types of thermostats (the upper and the lower), so it is important to purchase the right one to fix the problem.
You can tell if a thermostat needs to be replace if there are physical signs (such as a burn mark where the wires connect to the thermostat) or by using a voltage testing device to see if they are performing correctly. Once you have found the problem, you should be able to get parts easily to fix the problem.
If you notice that you have hot water for some of the day or a small period of time and then it seems to just go away, you may have a problem with your element (or elements). The elements should be found somewhere around the thermostats. Depending on what type of water heater you have, it shouldn’t be too hard to remove the element. Before removing, make sure that the water has been drained to avoid water leaking onto the water heater and causing damage. Sometimes elements just become calcified and this causes them to be less efficient. You can try cleaning the element and put it back into the unit or just buy a new one (if you do, take your old element with you to the supply house, this helps them find what you need easily). Elements are fairly inexpensive and can fix your problem in no time.
If you these things don’t fix your problem, it is time to buy a new water heater. If you have had it for fifteen years or more, then it shouldn’t be too big of a surprise. If you have only had your water heater for a couple of years, check the warranty.