I can't find my electric breakers for my hot water tank

Hi Laderbonne:

You should be looking for your electrical breaker panel... most likely a 30 amp double breaker in the panel. With any luck the water heater breaker is marked out on the inside breaker panel diagram. Check to see if the breaker has tripped and if so, you'll want to shut it off and then turn it back on... see if that fixes anything.

If no issue there, it could be that the upper thermostat at the water heater itself has tripped. Here, behind the upper access panel at the water heater you would find a thermostat with a red reset button (see image below... reset button is circled in red)... push the button in. If it "CLICKS", then the thermostat has been reset for now and you should get hot water back on. Further, if it clicks, you want to plan on getting a replacement upper and lower thermostat... super cheap to buy (like $10.00 each).

Try this stuff... let us know more here... O.K?

MARK

Mass, I tried twice to register a comment... won't take it for some reason. At any rate, the graphics you posted are good. This should be a helpful post.

There is a chance that the water heater is powered and/or controlled by the utility. This is done by a separate meter at the service entrance, where you would find two electric meters. I have also seen one electric meter but with a timer control box to the side of the meter.

If even shutting off the Main Breaker to your panel still does not de-energize the water heater, check out at the electric meter.

TK, glad you posted that. I have never heard it before. Could come in handy one of these days.

Just out of curiosity, why on earth would they do that?

Utility companies offer, or use to, cheaper KWH rates for water heaters, sometimes called Off Peak Rates, but only by letting them control when the water heater could be used.

When this is done, there would not be a circuit breaker for the water heater in the Main Panel.

Of course, this could be a water heater someone wired incorrectly, and wired to the line side of the main, or something wacky.