Troubleshooting a Water Heater Failure: How to Do When It Ceases Working
Troubleshooting a Water Heater Failure: How to Do When It Ceases Working
Blog Article
What are your thoughts and feelings on How to Troubleshoot and Repair an Electric Water Heater?
Lots of modern houses make use of an electric water heater for their heating system, due to its benefit and convenience of use. Nonetheless, similar to any other electrical devices, troubles might develop with its use, all of a sudden. It can be actually irritating to awaken to a cool shower instead of a warm one or having your bath with water that isn't hot enough or perhaps also warm. Whatever the case may be, hot water heater troubles can be fairly stressful. The good news is, we've made a listing of feasible remedies to your water heater problems. There are a number of elements that might cause many of these troubles, maybe a problem with the power supply, the electric burner, or the thermostat. Before doing anything, guarantee you turn off the primary power supply for security. Whatever the issue is, getting it fixed should not pose too much of a concern if you follow these steps:
Check Your Power Supply:
As basic as this may seem, it is extremely needed. Without sufficient power, your water heater will certainly not function. So the first thing to do when your water all of a sudden retires is to confirm that it isn't a power trouble. Check if the fuse is burnt out or the breaker tripped. If the circuit breaker is the concern, merely turn it off and on once more. Change any type of broken or worn-out fuse. Test the appliance with power after these changes to see if it's now working.
Examine the Heating Element in the Water Heater:
If it's not a power trouble, then attempt looking into your burner if it is still working. Test each of your burner to be sure the issue isn't with any of them. If any of them is malfunctioning, replace that part and afterwards check whether the warm water is back on.
Inspect Your Thermostat:
If your water heater still isn't working or the water coming out isn't hot sufficient, you may need to examine the temperature settings on your upper thermostat. Ensure the circuit breaker is turned off before doing anything. Open up the access panel and press the red switch for temperature level reset over the thermostat. This ought to assist warm the water. Transform the circuit breaker back on as well as inspect if the problem has been settled.
Call A Professional:
If after replacing all damaged parts as well as resetting your temperature level, the hot water heater still isn't working, you might require to contact a specialist plumber for a specialist viewpoint. The trouble with your heating unit could be that the hot and cold faucets have been changed or it may be undersized for the quantity of hot water needed in your house. Whatever the situation may be, an expert plumber would certainly aid resolve the trouble.
Final thought
Hot water heater troubles are not always major. Most of them result from small concerns like a blown fuse or damaged heating element. Changing the faulty components should work. Nonetheless, if you are still unable to resolve the problem, give a call to your closest plumber to find to get it taken care of.
Common Reasons Why Your Hot Water Heater Isn’t Working
Water Gets Too Hot
Ouch! You wanted a hot shower, not boiling! If you have a newer model electric water heater, your water heater works with a thermostat (actually, two thermostats). If this thermostat has been jostled — or purposely reset — by someone in your home, the water flow will be much hotter than you expected.
FIX: Adjust the thermostat to a more moderate setting for producing hot water. Forty-nine degrees Celsius is recommended to prevent scalding.
Water Doesn’t Get Hot
This is the opposite of the previous problem, but it’s almost as bad. Your flow of hot water is merely lukewarm or even incoming cold water. Once again, an incorrect thermostat setting, or a faulty thermocouple in a gas water heater, could be to blame. Another explanation might be that there’s no power to the water heater (in the case of an electric heater) or the pilot light has gone out (if you have a gas unit).
FIX: Adjust your thermostat as necessary. If that doesn’t do the trick, check the power supply. Another possibility is the replacement of a damaged thermocouple in gas water heaters.
Leaking Water Heater
A leaking water heater (a sign may be low hot water pressure, or not enough hot water to shower) might be a reason to push the panic button… but first, take a few minutes to check where the leakage is coming from. Leaks near the top of the heater tend to indicate a problem with a valve, which won’t need a major repair. However, a leak from the water heater base is more serious.
FIX: You may need a qualified plumber to replace your drain valve or TPR (temperature pressure relief) valve. When your water heater is leaking from below, your plumber might be able to fix it if you call them soon enough. Otherwise, you will need to have a new water heater installed.
Noisy Water Heater
Sometimes your water heater might make some peculiar noises, loud enough to compete with your singing in the shower. Are these a cause for alarm? It depends on exactly what kind of sounds you are hearing. Sizzles and rumbles are both red flags, indicating a heavy sediment buildup in your hot water tank that might cause a breakdown in the near future. In addition, banging is a sign of a water hammer, which can lead to serious damage to your pipes.
FIX: To stop sizzling or rumbling, turn off the tank and have it flushed by a reliable plumbing company ASAP. Ask your plumber to install a water hammer arrestor to quiet down the banging and save the pipes.
Pilot Light Keeps Going Out
Many pilot lights go out once in a while, but when your water heater pilot light keeps going out continually, it’s a problem. And the chances are good that that problem stems from either a shortage of combustible air or a malfunctioning thermocouple.
FIX: Increase the air supply around your water heater by cleaning dust and lint off the appliance and clearing any clutter from the area around it. A bad thermocouple will require expert plumbing repair and is more than basic gas water heater troubleshooting.
Water Smells Bad
The water from your residential plumbing pipes should smell neutral. If it has a strong unpleasant odour, something’s wrong. To check whether your water heater is at fault, turn on a hot water faucet and let it run for a few minutes. And, yes, use your nose to determine exactly what you are smelling.
FIX: For a garlicky odour, relight the pilot light on your water tank. When you detect the scent of garbage, you’ll need a professional plumber to flush the hot water tank and possibly replace the anode rod. A strong smell of rotten eggs could signal a hazardous gas leak; turn off the gas supply if possible, get everyone out of your house, and make an emergency call to the gas company.
Water Looks Brown Or Rusted
The first thing to do is ask yourself, “Is the brown, rusty-looking water coming only from my hot water taps?” If the answer is yes, then most likely, either the anode rod or the water heater interior is starting to rust, especially if your hot water heater is nearing the end of its life expectancy. (A “no” answer means the issue does not originate from the hot water heater but rather from the water supply.)
FIX: Contact a plumber to inspect the water heater. If you catch the problem quickly enough, it might be fixable. Otherwise, you’ll need a water heater replacement. Consider installation of an efficient new tankless water heater.
https://www.huskyair.com/blog/hot-water-heater-isnt-working/
Hopefully you liked our article on What Would Cause My Electric Water Heater to Stop Working?. Thank you so much for taking time to browse our article. Don't hesitate to take a moment to promote this write-up if you enjoyed reading it. Thank you so much for going through it.
24/7 plumbing excellence. Report this page