hot water heater not heating, throwing breaker constantly, whats up?

Answer 1

Sounds like the heating element is shorted.... Sometimes the short & sometimes they blow.... The way to check it is to turn the breaker off, open the cover over the element (some heaters have one on top & bottom, others just have one on top...) remove one wire, and ohm the element (check for continuity).... If it is good, you will have continuity, if bad, you won't.... If 2 elements, usually it is the bottom one that goes.... But check them both anyway... Scale build - up is the most common cause.... You should flush your waterheater once a year.....

18 yrs home appliance repair....

Answer 2

Most likely one or both of the elements have been eaten in two, by lime, calcium, etc., all the wonderful things that are floating around in most everyone's water in varying degrees. When that happens, the electricity shorts directly into the water when heat is called for from the thermostat, that usually causes a tripped breaker. You may check the elements with any standard ohm meter, but the ones that read digitally work easiest. Locate and turn off the breaker feeding the beast, (shouldn't be a problem considering it's apparently tripped most of the time anyway),remove the cover(s), from the element location(s), then remove the wire from one of the terminal screws. Set your ohm meter to resistance and touch each lead to a screwhead. You should get a reading of 12.5 - 12.8 ohms across the two screws. Anything other than that makes the element no good. If it's blown apart then you will get no reading at all, the display won't change from what it was when you turned it on. Changing them isn't a terribly complicated job, but you need a GOOD socket to remove them, the cheap pressed out sheet metal things they sell in the home improvement and hardware stores that take a screwdriver thru the top of them are junk. If you get the tank drained, and the elements out, borrow or rent a good shop vac, (wet pickup type), and tape an approx. 18" length of 3/4" rigid copper tube into the hose end with electrical tape. That will help to remove some of the lime chunks that are going to be laying in the bottom of the tank. One last caution, if you do this by yourself, remember to refill the tank COMPLETELY with water before turning on the electric, including bleeding the air out of the top of the tank and the lines. That will insure that the elements are both completely submerged before you energize them. If they're not, they'll burn out immediately.

Answer 3

It is most likely either a short in the elements or the old thermostat controller inside the bottom that makes the electricity kick in.. Time to either have the elements replaced or buy a hole new water heater.

Answer 4

maybe on of your heating elements is bad or grounded, u can get them at local hardware store, u just need to have someone check and see if they are good or not, and purchase new ones if needed, make sure to get the right length.

Answer 5

have it checked by a qualified professional it could cause a fire there's a problem internally with the heater

Answer 6

if the breaker is hotter than the other ones.its bad and you'll need an electrician to fix it or someone that knows what they are doing.i had this problem with my dryer.

Answer 7

Sounds like a short in the wiring. Get it checked PRONTO before it catches the house on fire!

Answer 8

ether its shorted wires or the elements have shorted or the thermostat has shorted get it check as soon as you can