Ask Me Help Desk - Help with Hot Water Heater

Hey I need some help with a hot water heater problem. Our house is 2 years old. We have a 60 gallon 220V hot water heater. 8/2 Wire is run to the tank of course with a bare copper ground. It had a 20 amp double pole breaker on it and after the first year my wife somehow noticed the breaker was a little hot to the touch. Don't ask me what made her feel of a breaker, but she did. Well I went to Lowe's and got another breaker, this time 30 amp. Well since changing the breaker we don't seem to have near as much hot water and it takes an awfully long time to recover. This is also supposed to be a fast recovery heater as well. MY power bill also seems to be higher too. I have been online trying to research it. I was hoping to perhaps find out how to test the elements. I am sure one would simply do an ohm test. But now I discover that there are two different kinds of double throw breakers. I am wondering now if I have the wrong type of breaker and I am trying to run a 220 heater on 110. How can I tell which one I have? Also, how do I test the elements in the heater? Thanks in advance

To test the elements, I say elements because I don't know if you have one or two but I am assuming that you do have two. If you do have two elements understand that at any time only one will be heating, first the upper elements comes on and when the top thermostat is satisfied the bottom thermostat will come on, from that point on your upper element will not come on again unless you use almost of all of the hot watter and the upper thermostat calls for heat again.
Now having said that it is possible that you have an element that is burned into, if it is the lower element that mean that your heater is only heating the top half of the water in the tank.
To check an element you need an ohm meter. First thing you do is turn off the breakers to the water heater. Check with the meter to make sure that the power is off. Now disconnect the wires from the posts of the element, touch the two screws on the element with the ohm meter. You should show very high resistance. After you do this touch one lead to one of the screws and with the other lead touch the tank itself, you should get no resistance, now do the same with the other side of the element.
There is a possibility that the upper element is burned into and if you do not find the problem at the lower element then you need to check the upper element the same way. If you get a reading on the ohm meter when you touch one screw with one probe and the other to the tank that will mean that the heater is shorted out to the tank and that is is heating on just part of the upper element on 120 volts. You can check the elements for amperage with the power on also. Each element when calling for heat sill call for a certain amps, A 4500 watt element using 240 volts will read 18.75 amps, a little more or a little less depending on the voltage variance, this would mean the element is good.
There is another way to check the elements with the power on but me not knowing what all you know about electricity I am afraid to tell you.

Quote:

Originally Posted by john30563

But now I discover that there are two different kinds of double throw breakers. I am wondering now if I have the wrong type of breaker and I am trying to run a 220 heater on 110. How can I tell which one I have? Also, how do I test the elements in the heater? Thanks in advance

First let me say I suspect the original breaker heated up when an element was shorting out. I think you will find one is shorted to ground or open (OL). And that is the reading you should get between the terminals and the shell of the hot water tank.

What you need is a double pole breaker. In the off position, nothing is connected. In the on position, each terminal is connected to a different hot leg of the breaker box. They sell breakers that have 2 contacts connected to one leg of the box.

I don't think they make double throw breakers. If they did, it would be one solution to connecting your generator. I mentioned a double throw disconnect in your other thread, but maybe needed to explain what that is. They do make them, I have even found the Square D part number DT222N for a 60 amp one. If what you paid through the nose for is a double throw disconnect, you have it made. If it has 3 contacts for each pole or hot leg, the common to your panel, the NCC to the utility feed, then all you need is a cord to run from your generator to the third set of contacts plus ground and neutral. A safe, legal way to have your panel fed by either the utility, or your generator, but never both connected to each other. I don't see how a single throw disconnect would protect the utility workers except they could padlock it open and leave it that way until you corrected your illegal hookup and paid the fine.

OK perfect, how do I know if the breaker I have is either a two leg or a single leg? I guess I pull it out and see if it connects to both legs on it's side of the box?

On the generator, I talked to a guy at my local electric supply shop today and he told me that what the EMC made me buy to go beside my entrance is essentially a 200 amp breaker. He told me that 'legally' I needed a double throw disconnect at a cost of $330. I asked why the breaker would not protect the workers. He said the breaker does prevent back feeding. He said there was no way to back feed through a open breaker, but that the double pole disconnect was how the utilities forced people to spend more money. I can't understand how the utilities would benefit from me giving an electrical supply house money, but he says the 200 amp breaker would work, even though it isn't exactly legal. He made another comment about "What if the power goes off and your wife forgets to go throw the breaker and back feeds?" Well if that is their thinking, what would keep her from forgetting to go throw the switch they want me to buy?? I just can't understand what the difference is between this Main 200 amp breaker and a double pole disconnect? Maybe I am too stupid to understand it.