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theemersons · Feb 23, 2009, 07:28 AM

:(At first me and my husband started with replacing elements and thermostats on our current water heater, due to the fact we wasn't receiving hot water. ( It would be luke warm to cold quickly.) Didn't work. So, we purchased a new water heater and had it installed by an experienced friend of ours, still doing the same thing as if we still had our old water heater in. What could be the problem? Please Help!:(
Still Cold In Va.

ballengerb1 · Feb 23, 2009, 08:02 AM

Since this is an electric water heater can you tell me the voltage getting to the elements?

theemersons · Feb 23, 2009, 08:27 AM

The voltage is 240

Milo Dolezal · Feb 23, 2009, 08:34 AM

Looks like it is running on one element only. Did you flip the breakers ON after heater was full of water and you bled all the air from the system ?
Also, thermostat may be set too low. Recheck your installation.

theemersons · Feb 23, 2009, 08:46 AM

Did all above, I set the upper thermostat to 130 and lower thermostat to 120

theemersons · Feb 23, 2009, 08:47 AM

By the way, the tank was full before I turned on the breaker.

theemersons · Feb 23, 2009, 08:49 AM

Originally Posted by Milo Dolezal

Looks like it is running on one element only. Did you flip the breakers ON after heater was full of water and you bled all the air from the system ?
Also, thermostat may be set too low. Recheck your installation.

This is a NEW water heater.

KISS · Feb 23, 2009, 09:29 AM

I need to ask a question. If you drain water out of the bottom of the tank, how hot is it?

Generally only the top or the bottom element works at a time, so that's an issue with the thermostats and the elements.

Make sure that hot and cold are connected to the right sides. That's an issue.

Make sure that there was a dip tube in the new water heater. Will go cold fast if there wasn't.

Here is part of the operation.

Normally hot exits at the top of the heater and new cold water is placed at the bottom of the tank via the dip tube. If the upper temp gets too cold the upper element turns on and the lower one turns off.

In a static situation, the bottom of the tank is heated. The hot water rises to the top and once the bottom temp is satisfied the bottom heater turns off.

If the dip tube is broken, then the entering cold water essentially exits. If hot and cold are reverse, then essentially the same thing happens.

So, lets get an idea of how hot the water is in the bottom of the heater by removing some water with the drain valve.

The anode rod is another complication - it doesn't appear to be in play here.

ballengerb1 · Feb 23, 2009, 09:31 AM

Another question, no answer just yet. Is the hot water temp the same at all faucets all over the house?

Milo Dolezal · Feb 23, 2009, 09:39 AM

Also: Do you have hot water circulating pump connected to the heater ?

theemersons · Feb 23, 2009, 10:17 AM

Water coming out of drain valve is COLD, shouldn't there have been a dip tube in tank when I purchased it new, yesterday?
I checked for voltage on the upper and lower thermostats as well, upper has current but lower did not, so I replaced the lower thermostat with a new one-Keep in mind this tank was just purchased yeterday,BRAND NEW! Still no voltage on lower element. IS it possible to have 2 bad thermostats? Please Help!

EPMiller · Feb 24, 2009, 03:57 PM

Originally Posted by theemersons

water coming out of drain valve is COLD, shouldn't there have been a dip tube in tank when I purchased it new, yesterday?
I checked for voltage on the upper and lower thermostats as well, upper has current but lower did not, so I replaced the lower thermostat with a new one-Keep in mind this tank was just purchased yeterday,BRAND NEW! Still no voltage on lower element. IS it possible to have 2 bad thermostats? Please Help!

I don't know of any good water heaters that don't come with a dip tube. Maybe real small ones, or bottom feed ones. I am assuming this is a garden variety top fed 40 or 50 gallon unit.

You will not have power to the lower element until the upper thermostat shuts off. Check your wiring. Then check the wiring in the water heater itself. Do you have 240 volts at the upper element? If one leg of the supply is out you will only have 120v and it will take forever to get warm. I am assuming that you know how a sequential (contrasted to a simultaneous element) water heater is wired. Also set your thermostats to the same temp.

Edit: I confused this with another WH question. Did you do any soldering right at the connections to the water heater? If you applied heat to the tank you can melt the dip tube off.

theemersons · Feb 25, 2009, 08:36 AM

No I did not do any soldering to the pipe or connections to the water heater. All elements and thermostats are getting current. Still have luke warm water,turns cold quickly. Does this sound like a broken dip tube?

Milo Dolezal · Feb 25, 2009, 08:38 AM

Have you have any plumbing work done on your house recently ? If positive, describe what was done...

theemersons · Feb 25, 2009, 08:16 PM

Well my house was built in 1920 so I'm sure the plumbing is as old as the house-no remodeling on the plumbing that I'm aware of. We have had clogged drains and sewage back-up, you name it -we had it!!

afaroo · Feb 25, 2009, 11:30 PM

Sorry guys, Most probably it sounds like you have problem with the dip tube, it's not worth to go through all these troubles, I would suggest to ask your friend to come and remove the heater and return it to the store for replacement, unless some one else has a better idea, good Luck.

John

theemersons · Feb 27, 2009, 11:26 AM

Well Guys, this is what the problem really is after buying replacement parts for my old water heater and removing it, then purchasing a new heater only to remove two days later because a technician gave me a wrong diagnosis of my problem, (and by the way he replaced the upper thermostat on a new heater and didn't even stick around to see if that fixed it. 15 minutes!! :( Which it didn't!) So, after getting a replacement tank on a new heater guess what? Yep, NO HOT WATER AGAIN!! So I had an electrician come to my home and check the current running through my circuit box to my heater,while the heater was under pressure to get an accurate reading and it was only pulling 110 of the current which it should have been pulling 220. So my problem is solved, everyone else was getting false readings on their meter. And I could have saved money and time over a half-working circuit breaker!! And by the way, my old water heater is fine, but can't use it, because I have a new one now and on the warranty it states only one replacement per warranty, (which I've already done) no more returns! Bummer Huh? UNBELIEVABLE!!

Milo Dolezal · Feb 27, 2009, 11:47 AM

Glad your w/h issue got resolved and you have hot water again. Maybe, next time copy of this question could be posted in Electrical Forum. Electricians' input could help us to solve your problem lot faster.

Good luck... and revisit if in need of help again !

KISS · Feb 27, 2009, 01:07 PM

A little education:

Current and voltage are two different things. One analogy that's uses is voltage is pressure and current is flow, like flow of water.

Current needs to be checked with an ammeter (clamp or series) or the voltage across a fixed resistor.

The quality of a contact such as relays and thermostats can be checked by measuring the voltage drop ACROSS the contact. Knowledge of the circuit is required.

240 in the US is actually two 120 circuits with a shared common which is neutral. Ground is also at this potential.

If only one side of the 240 volt circuit was operating and the thermostat was closed, you would have measured:

0 V across the element
120 with respect to ground on both sides of the element.

That would have been the clue.

EPMiller · Feb 27, 2009, 07:12 PM

I asked if you had 120 or 240 to the element. Should have checked. An electrical check is always the first thing you do if you have a malfunctioning (not leaking :p) electric water heater.

The really strange thing is why did you get ANY heat at all? There is no path for 120 volts in a correctly wired 4500 watt electric water heater. Something is fishy.