I have hot water for a few days and then its all cold. I unplug the unit, turn the unit off and set the dial at the lowest temp. I wait 5 minutes, set the dial to the desired hottness, turn the unit on and plug it back to the wall. I repeat these steps every 2-3 days. Can I fix this permentatly? Please help - Thanks...

How old is this water heater and where do you live?

I live in northern Massachusetts. The electric water heater is about 5 years old. It has a solid red light, which I have been told should be blinking to show it's running correctly. When I reset it, it's all good and runs well however in a few days I'm back resetting it.

I asked that because in some parts of the world, the water is so hard an electric water heater only has a service life of about 5 years before its so calcified it has to be replaced.

Sounds like the thermostat or circuit breaker might be failing on it. I've never seen one with a plug on it (not in the USA anyway, in Europe its common)... they are usually hard-wired into the house wiring.

Thank you for your prompt reply. I'm going to take a second look and upload a picture of the heater + provide the brand name. I can't recall exactly all the details but hopefully, by providing you this added detail, it may help you help me a bit further.

Hi Sebordecali...

Is this a GE SMART or a WHIRLPOOL SMART water heater with the large control box on top of the heater? If so, there should be a number on the box that you can call for troubleshooting help... if the instructions aren't there.

Most likely, you'll need a whole new motherboard (smart control system) as I have run into tons of problems with these "SMART" heaters and we almost always end up getting a new control from the manufacturer (under warranty sometimes).

If this is not a "SMART" water heater please tell us what brand name water heater you have and we'll see what we can come up with, OK?

Thanks...

Mark

So I checked and it's definitely a GE SmartWater Heater PowerVent. I took pictures of it but when trying to upload here, it was asking me for a direct url. The pictures are on my desk top. Nevertheless, it has a black box on top that has an on and off switch and to the side of it has the cord that connects to the outlet. At the bottom, is the box with the on and off knob along with the red dial. When I called customer service, they sent be a new valve? Is this something I can switch out on my own or will I need a specialist to do it?