There are times when a hot water heater stops working all on a sudden and during those times it is quite obvious to think that only a professional electrician can fix the problem. It could sound amazing but it is also true that a lot of issues that are common with electric heaters can be easily fixed with the DIY approach without the intervention of a professional electrician. Some of these issues include leakage, water coming out in the colour of rust, water that is insufficiently hot and others. Some of these problems require only adjustment of the settings while some need only pressing the reset button although there could be few other factors as well behind a malfunctioning hot water heater in addition to the ones mentioned above. These include a faulty thermostat, a faulty heating element, sediment build-ups inside the gadget and much more.
Whenever there is an issue with your hot water heater it is obvious that you do not allow it to linger and rather you want to fix it as quickly as possible. A malfunctioning or faulty hot water heater means normal chores like dishes and laundry are affected to some extent or the other. In severe cases of malfunctioning you may not be able to bath as well. In the following sections of the post let us explore few issues that are common with these heaters. Moreover we will also cover how to fix those issues and repair your hot water heater. But before we start, here is a word of caution.
Electric heaters function on high voltages, the minimum voltage for the range of home improvement gadgets is 240 volts. Therefore before anything else you must shut down the power supply to the gadget and only then proceed to check the electrical components of the device. After turning off the necessary circuit breaker to cut off power supply to your hot water heater test each and every wire using a non contact voltage tester to make sure the power supply is indeed snapped before going on your repairing tasks.
Common problems of hot water heaters
There is no Hot water from the heater
When a hot water heater does not provide any hot water probably the device is not getting the necessary power supply. There could a failed heating element or two or there is a trip somewhere in the circuit which snaps off the power supply. Here is an easy and reliable way to diagnose the problem. Check the service breaker of the gadget in the service whether it is tripped. In case you find it tripped then all you have to do is to first flip it to off position and then on.
However if there is no tripping in the breaker then you simply reset the high temperature limit on the gadget. In order to reset this safely you must shut down power supply to the gadget from the service panel suggests a professional who deals with electric heater repair near me in London over the years. In the next step remove access panel and then press the reset button for high temperature which is usually marked in red for easy identification.
Water not sufficiently hot
This is another typical issue that crop up from to time – a water heater produces hot water but it is not sufficient to meet the requirement. In other words the heater is of much smaller capacity to meet the needs of the household. What do you do to overcome this issue?
- Spread out laundry and dishwashing chores to different times of the day
- Shorten the length of showers
- Consider installing those low flow shower heads
Here is an important tip worth remembering – ideally a water heater must be capable to supply 75% of its total content capacity as hot water; in other words that is to say if a household has a requirement of 30 gallon hot water then the water heater should have a containing capacity of 40 gallon.
But if a unit is not undersized and it suddenly starts producing lesser quantity of hot water than before then chances are high one of its heating elements is not functioning properly. When there is a constant flow of lukewarm water from your shower, then chances are high the upper heating element has failed. On the other hand the lower heating element could be malfunctioning when hot water runs out fast from your water heater explains a licensed electrician who provides the service of water heater repair near me over the years. In either case you need to hire a qualified electrician to replace the faulty component to get the water heater smoothly running again.
The water is excessively hot or the temperature of the water is too high
When the water is excessively hot that means either one or both the thermostats placed inside the water heating device is set too high. This problem is easily fixable.
- Cut off the power supply to the water heater first.
- Remove the access panel of the gadget to check the heat setting on both the thermostats; ideally this setting should not exceed 120 degrees F.
- Use a flathead screwdriver to turn the set screw and adjust the thermostats to desired setting and your problem is solved.
A leaking water heater
A leaking water heater is quite a common problem and this problem mainly occurs when there is a leaking valve or any leakage in the plumbing connection. If the water is hot or warm to touch then probably the problem is of a leaking outlet pipe explains a water heater repairing professional Electric works London based in London. Fixing a leakage in the plumbing connections or the valves is easy; inspect the device carefully for any loose inlet or outlet pipe. If you come across any loose connection all you have to do is tighten that using a wrench.
Dirty brownish, rust coloured water or water with bad odour coming from the water heater
At times dirty brownish, yellowish or reddish water may flow out of your faucet which says perhaps the tank of the water heater could be corroded from inside. When bad odour comes from the water it indicates the tank of the gadget has developed heavy bacterial build up.
For tinted water you need a qualified plumber to replace the anode rod inside the tank of the water heater. This component is actually a metal rod placed in the centre of a water heater. According to an electric water heater repair professional, the anode rod corrodes faster than the tank itself as oxygen which is naturally corrosive is attracted to the anode rod more easily than the water heater itself.
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