I fixed it!

[catspjamas]

Back in February, my water heater went out. I had to replace the elements. It required several phone calls to my dad, but I replaced both elements. The heater has worked just fine, until Wed. Ran out of hot water during my shower. Ugh. So I opened the front panel, and hit the reset button, hoping that'd fix the problem. No luck. Another phone call to dad, replace the thermostat or new water heater? Shouldn't have been the elements, unless one was defective when I bought it. Dad said first I needed to get a voltage meter, that way I could test it and find out what was going on. So I picked up a little $10 analog meter to test the thermostat. But, before I placed my call to dad about how to test the thermostat, I got the bright idea of checking the fuses. Of course the instructions didn't say how to test a fuse, I didn't know that ohms/resistance applied to a fuse. So I just used every setting until I got the right one. One of the fuses was bad. Yay! A simple, cheap fix!

Home ownership is so wonderful, and educational.

Keep your fingers crossed for a while . Could be a problem with the heater that caused the fuse to blow .

[BamaSuzy]

yes, be extra careful. Fuses usually don't blow or breakers trip unless there is a reason.....could have just been a bad fuse but you need to be careful....husband was an electrician and now son is.

[Clod Kicker]

Whatever you do, don't be tempted to put a larger fuse in when it blows again. Fuses are sized to protect the wiring that is hidden in the wall from overheating. The wiring, in turn, is sized for the appliance or series of outlets, etc.
There are many reasons a fuse can melt. A bad connection in a wire nut, a partial breakage of the wire under a staple or nail, a partial short to ground.
A thermostat wouldn't cause a fuse to open, it is just a simple on-off switch.
If it blows again, I would remove and tape up the wires to the element that wasn't changed and see how that works. If the fuse doesn't blow then that element is drawing too much and going bad. HTH
p.s The Ohms scale shows continuity or lack thereof. That's the scale with the little upside down U - Pegging to zero means you have a continous circuit. Not moving means an open circuit. Somewhere in between is the resistance measure.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by catspjamas

Back in February, my water heater went out. I had to replace the elements. It required several phone calls to my dad, but I replaced both elements. The heater has worked just fine, until Wed. Ran out of hot water during my shower. Ugh. So I opened the front panel, and hit the reset button, hoping that'd fix the problem. No luck. Another phone call to dad, replace the thermostat or new water heater? Shouldn't have been the elements, unless one was defective when I bought it. Dad said first I needed to get a voltage meter, that way I could test it and find out what was going on. So I picked up a little $10 analog meter to test the thermostat. But, before I placed my call to dad about how to test the thermostat, I got the bright idea of checking the fuses. Of course the instructions didn't say how to test a fuse, I didn't know that ohms/resistance applied to a fuse. So I just used every setting until I got the right one. One of the fuses was bad. Yay! A simple, cheap fix!

Home ownership is so wonderful, and educational.

................So , you ran out of water , during your shower............when this happens the heating elements get too hot because of the Lack of water to absorb all the heat they generate ! When they get 'To hot' they pull excess amperage and pop the circuit breaker............they can also simply melt , IF the breaker doesn't pop like it is supposed too ! You need to investigate why you ran out of water . Your pressure switch can be malfunctioning , or a check valve can go bad and allow water in the pressure tank to drain back into your water well , IF you have such......................Regardless , you need to diagnose your water supply problem . , fordy

[||Downhome||]

If your on a well chances are your heaters packed with lime and minerals...

We go through a coffee pot a year here, thats with regular cleaning.

I also use to work for a HVAC company and we Installed boilers, We replaced many as well as water heaters in this area and the reason was the mineral build up.

I can boil water and see the minerals particulate out ,as well as a lime ring form around the water line in the pan.

So I second fordy on not enough water, and offer this as another cause as to why.

[o&itw]

If I may make a suggestion. If you have to replace the elements (it is usually only the lower one that goes out) get an element with the same wattage but with a double loop.
They have twice the area, so they do not need to get as hot. Because of all the minerals in our water, I used to have to replace ours about every year and a half. I went to the double loop element and now they last 5 years or more. They also make a triple loop element, but I haven't used one.

You won't be able to find them at the big hardware store, go to a plumbing supply. I also have a clean-out port on the side of my water heater, where I can clean out the lime that builds up. If you don't clean out the lime the new bottom element won't last any time. As soon as the lime touches it it will burn up at that point.

Now, if I could just find and easy way to get the old element to break loose when I want to change it

[wkndwrnch]

Congratulations on thinking of the fuse,all by yourself! You have learned by doing. I suspect Dad wishes he could be there,but he is proud of how far you have come. From one who has been there done that. Kids are moved away and are just now LEARNING about home ownership.

[Gianni]

Originally Posted by fordy

................So , you ran out of water , during your shower............when this happens the heating elements get too hot because of the Lack of water to absorb all the heat they generate ! When they get 'To hot' they pull excess amperage and pop the circuit breaker............they can also simply melt , IF the breaker doesn't pop like it is supposed too ! You need to investigate why you ran out of water . Your pressure switch can be malfunctioning , or a check valve can go bad and allow water in the pressure tank to drain back into your water well , IF you have such......................Regardless , you need to diagnose your water supply problem . , fordy

I read the OP as running out of hot water, not running out of water. If that is the case then get a replacement fuse and store it by the fuse box.

[fordy]

Originally Posted by Gianni

I read the OP as running out of hot water, not running out of water. If that is the case then get a replacement fuse and store it by the fuse box.

............Yep , I MIS read her statement ! , thanks , fordy

[Wolfy-hound]

Congrats!! I've found there's not much more in life that makes you feel self-sufficient than repairing something yourself.

Warning though, keep an eye on the costs of repairs/parts when you're repairing things vs the replacement cost of the item. I've spent $200 on a dryer and it still doesn't heat, and I could get a new one for $300. This doesn't count the repair bill from before either since I've fixed other things. I felt ten feet tall when I recently opened the dryer up and replaced several parts... until I turned it on and it still didn't heat. I even replaced a breaker(more $$) and it still doesn't heat. When I stepped back and looked at the cost and the frustration, I wish I had simply waited to save a bit more money and bought a new dryer.

If the issue with the water heater is minor like elements and fuses though, WOOT! Great to have a simple easy fix!

[jwal10]

IF you have a lot of minerals in your water, hook a hose to the faucet at the bottom of the water heater and let the water run for a while, this will help flush them out. They sink to the bottom and if enough collect they can cause the element to short out. Also, when you ever drain a water heater, always fill and run some water through the tank before turning the electricity back on. If the element is not flooded with water it will burn them out....James

[catspjamas]

Originally Posted by fordy

................So , you ran out of water , during your shower............when this happens the heating elements get too hot because of the Lack of water to absorb all the heat they generate ! When they get 'To hot' they pull excess amperage and pop the circuit breaker............they can also simply melt , IF the breaker doesn't pop like it is supposed too ! You need to investigate why you ran out of water . Your pressure switch can be malfunctioning , or a check valve can go bad and allow water in the pressure tank to drain back into your water well , IF you have such......................Regardless , you need to diagnose your water supply problem . , fordy

I didn't run out of water, I ran out of HOT water. I still had cold. I'm on county water, continuous supply, unless I don't pay the bill.

[catspjamas]

When I replaced the elements, it was the top one that was out, the bottom one was still good. But, since I had no way of checking that at the time, I replaced both of them. Also, I drained and flushed the tank several times to get as much sludge out of the bottom.

The fuses are the cartridge type, there are two for the water heater. They fit tight, aren't loose. So not sure why the one went bad. Anyway, got two new fuses and put them both in, and saved the good "old" fuse as a spare.

So far, I have less than $40 (not counting the $10 for the voltage meter) in the repair of the water heater.

[ralph perrello]

The metal fuse part of the fuse will fatigue after many years and will fail or blow for no apparent reason. The reason is old age of the fuse. If your fuses are 5 to 10 years old it is a good idea to just replace them all.

[catspjamas]

Originally Posted by ralph perrello

The metal fuse part of the fuse will fatigue after many years and will fail or blow for no apparent reason. The reason is old age of the fuse. If your fuses are 5 to 10 years old it is a good idea to just replace them all.

The fuses had been replaced in Feb., when I replaced the elements. Good to know though, I should check the stove's fuses, it has the same kind as the water heater and I've been in the house since 2007, no telling how old the fuses are.

[elkhound]

atta woman...job well done !