Thermostat Trips Electric Water Heater

The most likely cause of the limit switch tripping is a bad thermostat.

Thermostat trips electric water heater.

One on top and one on the bottom. A red button located on the water heater itself just above the thermostat that trips when the water temperature exceeds 180 f the reset button is sometimes referred to as the eco emergency cut off or high limit switch. Usually when the upper thermostat goes bad you will have no hot water at all while a bad lower thermostat makes itself known when there is only a small amount of hot water before the tap water goes cold. An electric hot water heater has two thermostats controlling two separate heating elements one in the upper half of the tank one in the lower half.

The heating element is the part of your water heater that heats the water. The thermostats are responsible for controlling the heating elements. Electric water heaters have 2 thermostats and 2 heating elements. Diagram of electric water heater.

Water heaters have a limit switch that keeps the water from exceeding 180. A diy plumbing water. When the water has cooled off the thermostats kick on the heating elements to heat the water. Electric water heater red reset button tripping troubleshooting guide about the author based in colorado springs colo jerry walch has been writing articles for the diy market since 1974.

Okay with that out of the way let s look at the possible problems that are causing your electric water heater to trip your breaker. Then after a few. Most electric water heaters have 2 heating elements. Burnt out heating element.

Electric water heaters have a lower and upper thermostat one for each heating element. How to easily repair fix troubleshoot an electric water heater that trips the circuit breaker or blows fuses little or no hot water. There is an upper and lower thermostat element pairing as seen in the diagram below. Has this ever happened to you.

First off your electric water heater can actually trip 2 different safety features. This helps protect you from getting burned or scalded by the excessively hot water. When the water reaches 180 the limit switch a little red reset button on the water heater trips. How a bad thermostat causes your water heater reset button to trip.

There s a good chance that the water in the tank is dangerously hot and since the problem is usually caused by a failed component it won t get better until the bad part is identified and replaced. When a water heater starts tripping the eco repeatedly it s time to call a plumber for service. Your water heater trips the circuit breaker in your house.