How To Troubleshoot Common Electric Water Heater Problems

Electric water heaters are considered to be one of the useful household items. This provides hot water for your appliances and taps. As this particular appliance works very hard and so, this is prone to several issues.
This is considered to be the main reason why there is a rising demand for professional services related to heating repair Riverside.

You would be able to identify any water heater-related issues from a range of symptoms such as leaks, the temperature of the water, noise, odor, as well as discoloration. Below are given step-by-step procedures by following which you would be able to troubleshoot your water heater issues.

One of the most important things is to always turn off the power at the circuit breaker before performing any troubleshooting work on your water heater. This will ensure safety. Also, you can turn off the circuit breaker or fuse which is closely connected to the heater unit.

1. Water Temperature Issues

Different types of issues related to the water heater can result in water temperature problems. In this regard, the symptoms include too hot water, water that is not hot enough, or no hot water.

If you see that the water is not getting hot, then this could be due to short of power, a defective upper electric heating element, or a damaged electric thermostat. So, to troubleshoot this sort of issue, you should focus on ruling out the power problems.

First of all, you need to replace any blown fuse and reset any tripped circuit breaker. After that, you should focus on checking whether the power properly reaches the heating element or not.

The next step is to test the element and it is found faulty, then you should change it. Finally, in case, the thermostat receives an adequate amount of power but is still not working, then you will have to change the heating element.

In case, you are finding any sorts of difficulties to resolve this issue, then, you can opt for the wall heater repair services.

On the other hand, if you see that the water is not getting hot enough, then the problem can be due to a faulty heating element, thermostat, crossed hot as well as cold connections, or an undersized water heater.
In this case, you need to maintain the water heating capacity of the heater to about 75%. This will help to resolve any problem related to an undersized heater.

Again, to deal with a crossed connection, you should turn off the supply of water and turn on a hot water valve specifically, in case, the water is still flowing.

Just after that, you should check the upper and lower heating elements for the continuous flow of electricity and power. If necessary, you should consider replacing the element.

If you find, all the elements are in proper working condition, then, test the upper thermostat and after that, the lower one and finally, change it if any of these are not working.

If the problem is due to too hot water, then it means that the thermostat is set too high. In such cases, you should focus on setting the upper as well as lower thermostats specifically from 110 – 140 o F.

2. Leaks

A lot of the people come across this problem for which they consider opting for services related to heating repair Riverside. But, by implementing the right knowledge, you would also be able to troubleshoot this problem on your own.
Mostly, the water leaks are caused due to excessive pressure, faulty T&P relief valve, overheating, loose bolts of the heating element, a stuck valve, leakage in the water tank, or a bad gasket.

To test out the T&P valve, you need to position a bucket underneath the overhead pipe and after that, consider opening the valve and finally, flush it for clearing any debris.

But, the leakage still prevails, then it becomes very important to opt for replacement or repair services. If it is due to excessive heat or pressure, then you will have to reduce it by lowering the thermostat setting.

Another important thing is to check for any loose pipe connections, then just tighten it with the help of a wrench. You should be very careful while performing this job as over-tightening should not be done.

If needed, you should also focus on tightening the heating element bolts. But, if the leakage is still there in the heating element, you need to eliminate this and finally change the gasket. Also, the final step is to check whether the storage tank is leaking or not.

This sort of problem can arise because of corrosion or any other problems like bad o-rings which need replacement.

3. Odor Or Discoloration

Corrosion specifically inside a failing sacrificial anode rod or a glass-lined tank can result in rust-colored water. In case, you observe that there is a problem with the anode rod, then it is best to substitute it with an Mg anode rod.

A putrefying rod can emit odor as it releases hydrogen gas. To effectively address this issue, it is important to flush the water heater.

After that, you should focus on treating the pipes and tank for 2 hours with the help of hydrogen peroxide and water. If the smell remains, you should replace the heater or opt for wall heater repair services.

4. Noise

If you hear low noise coming from the water heater, then it can be caused by overheating which can be due to the build-up of sediment. All that you need is to treat this by flushing the electric water heater.

Again, scales build-up on the heating elements can result in high-pitched noise. To treat this, you need to flush the water heater.

After that, you should focus on cleaning the scales specifically from the heater elements as well as the tank. Finally, for greater heat transfer efficiency, you need to install low-watt density heating elements .

Final Words

So, the above-discussed ones are some of the most important ways in which you can easily troubleshoot the most common electric water heater problems.