Hello,

Can anybody please help me. I have an electrical Whilpool hot water heater. I noticed a burning smell coming from a control box, that says Energy Smart which is located on top of the water heater. When I shut the breaker and opened up the box lid I saw two meted wires and wire caps, a red one and a black one. My water heater is dated 1999 and is this how they usually go out, because it is very dangerous. I would not think that wires would burn up as a signal that your water heater needs replacement. My guess is that it is an inherent problem with how the unit was made.

Thank you

No, it's not how they usually go out. The burnt insulation concerns me. Loose connections and poor contacts will do it and so will a wire that's udersized or a breaker that's oversized.

Can you take a picture of the inside of the control box and post using Go advanced / Manage attachments?