Electric Water Heater

GTSRider

Some back ground first.
My GE water heater has a 6 year warrantee and has been in use for 5 years. It is a 6 gallon unit. I can't use warrantee because it came new with the house in the year 2000, and I have no paper work. House has city water in Tampa, Fl. which is fairly high in mineral content. Unit is in kitchen closet so it looks brand new from outside.
Water heater worked impecably till a week ago. It HAS hot water but
runs out quicker than it used to. In fact, it never ran out before.
Now it can just make it through one shower.
Here's what I've done.
Drained it after shutting down electric and cold water intake.
Opened hot faucet. Water that drained out looked OK , (clean) after a small amount of orangeish water came out. Flushed it with cold water that I ran through it with drain open.
Thought I had it licked, when I turned on faucet after draining
and got nice hot water, but it seems as if the unit shrunk from a 6 gallon to a 3 gallon unit ?... still runs out of hot water quickly.
OK Guys what's up with this thing?
-Pete
Tampa, Fl.

GTSRider

Sorry... that was a 63 gallon per/hr. rating, with a 50 gallon capacity.
Pete

Teetorbilt

Sounds as if you may have an element gone bad.

GTSRider

Pardon my ignorance, but can you still have hot water with a bad element? Or is there 2 elements and one has gone bad?
If so, can I replace the bad element myself?
Thanks.
-Pete

Mike Swearingen

A 50-gallon electric water heater will have two heating elements...an upper and lower...found behind two side panels. The lower, which works the most, will most likely be the one that's gone bad.
To do a quick element check:
1. Turn OFF the water heater breaker in the electrical panel (should be a 30-amp double).
2. Disconnect the two wires on the element.
3. Test the the two element contacts with an ohm meter. No (or very low) continuity reading, replace the element.
To replace an element:
1. Power OFF.
2. Cold water supply OFF.
3. Drain tank down by opening bottom drain, and the T&P valve at top and hot water faucets for air. Attach a water hose to bottom drain to run it to nearest drain below water heater level or out the door.
4. Unscrew the four bolts or the element itself (depending upon the type) and take it to plumbing store for a replacement just like it (doesn't have to be same brand). If the element itself unscrews, you may need an element socket (inexpensive and available at almost any plumbing store.)
5. Replace element and gasket.
6. Close bottom drain and T&P valve and turn water supply back on until you have solid stream of water (and all air) out of tank and faucets.
7. Turn breaker back on. Do NOT turn breaker on until you're certain that the tank is full or you'll fry an element(s).
Good Luck!
Mike

GTSRider

Mike... thanks so much for our help!
It appears you are right... the bottom element is cold to touch where the upper is warm. I have 2 new elements on order ( 1 back up)
and will install new lower on Saturday.
-Pete

Mike Swearingen

Pete,
Another tip. Although most of the tank sediment should drain out the water hose when you drain the tank, in order not to clog a faucet with an aerator screen, run the refill water through a tub faucet when refilling the water heater. The air in the tank and lines and the water (with any residual sediment) will flow right out the tub faucet with no clogging problem.
If you have any more questions, just ask. We'll be glad to help you.
Good luck!
Mike

GTSRider

Put in new heater element in 50 gal tank and just took a cold shower. New element was in 1 hour when I took shower. How long will it take to heat 50 gallon tank?
I'm hoping everything is OK, and it will just take several hours to heat up.
Pete
Tampa, Fl.

Mike Swearingen

A quick-recovery water heater should be heated up in a hour.
Is the breaker back on after refilling the tank and lines with water? Did you allow the hot water to run long enough to get all cold water out of the lines and hot water from the tank?
Mike

justdon

I used to have a elec. heater that had a red button on the temp limit control and have to be reset(pushed it) like a breaker. If not maybe your limit control is -bad-. Try an ohm metter with elec main circuit breaker off and seee where juice will not flow thru. had one once that had the wire broke between upper and lower element areas. Hard to find sometimes. Is that bottom element heating any at all or still cold to the touch like before??? Is this heater on a concrete basement floor with a floor drain usable??? If so you can screw out the hose drain completely and get a , like clothes hanger wire, to disturb the scale and crud and get it to flow out of the drain . DONT sweep it into the floor drain or it will be the next project for you. Let it settle gently on the floor before the drain, even if you have to filter it thru a cloth or something. A clean heater gives more water or take the whole thing outside or whereever to clean out. Bottom element usually gives up when the scale builds up inside deep enough to touch the element, sorta burns out from there. Or you can leave element out and still drain thru hose drain so you can see and scratch. Good luck!!

Bluefire

i need help with my water heater. anybody here?

Bluefire

seems i must post 20 times to be able to PM. i need help pretty quick so im going to post 20 times. i hope this is okay.

Bluefire

here is three

Bluefire

here is 4

Bluefire

and five