[Fletch58]

Hotwater heater keeps needing breaker on the heater reset?
About every 4 or 5 days I have to go hit the red button on the heater and reset it. Its electric. Its only 2 years old and nevr has any problems so far. What gives??


TIA

[Flying Blue Eagle]

Fletch88 - Sometimes you get a over voltage in the elect. System ,usely from a lighting storm, or surges when the power goes off & on real quick ,Like when the power co. is working on the power lines and also the push button gets wore down and will start poping every time power goes to the top thermostate. What you need to do is get the number off that thermostate and get a new one . To replace the top thermostate - Turn off power to the hot water tank, On a piece of paper draw a picture of the thermostate with wires connected draw lines as wires with color codes show on line ends where they are hooked up at on the thermostate ,so that you can hook them back up right, OK now disconnect the wires and hook up on new thmostateas you go to the proper screw, remove old one and install new thermostate. Now double check to make sure wires are hooked up right, if OK turn power back on. If you have a ohm meter , set it onac volts 500. Now put a probe to each one of the wires comeing into the to of thermostate , should be 1 black & one red or white and see if needle goes all to the right on meter if it does you have 220 to the thwermostateput probes ,one on each screw head on heating element should have 220 here If I have helped you rate my answer below ::: F.B.E. GOD BLESS

[ballengerb1]

What is the warranty on your 2 year old heater?

[EPMiller]

Actually overvoltage spikes will not trip the reset button. That is a thermostatic device that is monitoring the tank temperature. It is set to trip at a specific temperature. Most likely you have a faulty safety stat. It is easiest to replace the upper thermostat and all as a unit. I too would check the warranty. 2 years is usually within warranty on most residential units.

[ballengerb1]

That's what I thought but Fletch hasn't been back for days. Probably touched one of the those 240 lines.

[Handyman2007]

Bad heating element. Change both. Also,, they are not HOT water heaters. They are WATER HEATERS. There is no reason to heat hot water.

[tkrussell]

I am sure this problem has been resolved, original question is from March 2008.

Please note the date on all questions, and refrain from answering any older than a few months.

And calling them hot water heaters is, while incorrect, a popular misspoken statement, and people do not need to be scolded.

Not the end of the world.