My approximately 10-year-old Sears Kenmore Power Miser 10+ 50 gal. electric water heater is smoking from the top panel where the Indicator Light is. What alerted me to the problem was a strange clanking sound. When I went to investigate, there was a strong electrical burning smell coming from the closet where the water heater is located. Shining a flashlight on the top of the water heater lighted a waft of smoke rising from the top panel. That's when I threw the two breakers to the water heater. The tank is not leaking, and the only water I can see is a small rusty sheen surrounding the place where the copper cold water intake pipe enters the tank. Over time, since the breakers were turned off, the smoking has stopped. Hot water is still coming from the taps in the kitchen/bathrooms. What's wrong?

You have electrical short somewhere in that panel. You can open in up and visually inspect the wiring. You should be able to see what's burning.

The Power Miser 10 has 10 year warranty. See if you can call Sears and have them service it.

Somerset...

Shut the electricity off to the water heater... then remove the top plate where wire enters the water heater and if have tester CONFIRM power is down to the water heater by testing one wire at a time by touching 1 probe to 1 wire and the other probe to the metal screw on the water heater (see picture below). Repeat for other wire.

Once power off is confirmed then you want to expose the top access panel and remove insulation and plastic cover to element.

Once all is open take a flashlight and look around inside.. you should see that something got burned.

Whatever got burned will need to be replaced or repaired (taped over well)... Should be a wire or could even be the thermostat. I will post a pic. Of what is under the access panel in next post below... ;)

Check things out carefully and then pop back and let us know what you found...


I have also attached a pic. Of what is under the access panels...

You will probably have an upper and lower themostat and element so picture on left applies to your case.

Good luck...

MARK


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When I removed the top side panel, the insulation had only minor burn damage. However, two-thirds of the inside of the panel was covered with condensation and lots of rust, with some charred bits of insulation stuck to it. There was also about an inch of discolored water pooled below the opening, trapped by the plastic surrounding the thermostat. The yellow-insulated copper wire on the left side, connected from what appears to be the top element to the bottom of the thermostat, is burned and melted where it enters the thermostat. A black-insulated wire, also connected by the same screw to the thermostat, and the bottom left side of the thermostat are singed and misshapen. From what little I can see of the tank (behind the thermostat), there are some streaks of rust.

When I opened the bottom side panel, the insulation was quite damp; and the panel was covered with condensation (no rust). All the wiring and the thermostat appear fine; but the round mount of the bottom element is rusty, and the streaks of rust from above have coalesced and thickened. Everything is wet.

Is this repairable? Does the top thermostat need to be replaced? What about the elements? I'm concerned about all the condensation.

SS22...

Something very wrong here.. you should not be getting moisture from any place.

This much water is not condensation...it is a leak!

I would see if you can get things dried up a bit... if you can then may be that I am wrong, but I doubt it!

Sounds like you will need to replace that water heater or at minimum an element?? Look around very carefully using a flashlight. Any idea how old the water heater is?

Let me know what you are thinking here...

MARK

The access panels have been off all day, and the upper thermostat area has mostly dried. But, the insulation visible in the bottom area is still pretty wet. (Haven’t drained the tank, yet.) There’s quite a bit of rust on the tank behind the thermostat.

This water heater is somewhere between 10 to 12 years old, and it has never given a moment of trouble. Considering what happened last night, though, we’re thinking about just replacing it.

I'd replace it, too old to bother trying to fix and if its leaking from the tank there is no fix.

Yeah... doesn't sound good! Like I said, when insulation gets that wet something's up! If you can't find the leak then it must be under the foam insulation where you'll never find it.

Replacement sounds like best option here.. especially if heater is that old. Most seem to go between 10-15 years MAX... ;)

Good luck!

MARK

My electrical water heater has burned in the area where the temperature set button is what could it be