Why does my water heater heating element keep going out?

If air pockets develop in the tank, often due to a failure to bleed out the tank completely before filling it up, the element may be burning itself out without enough water. As a result, the heating element could be failing faster and more frequently than it should.

Which element kicks on first in a water heater?

Lower element is a activated first, and when the upper part of tank is below set point, the lower element turns off and upper element turns on, and the heat cycle repeats.

What would causes a heating element to burn out?

A sudden voltage increase to the element caused by a power surge from the utility company, or by lightning, can be enough to burn out an element. All heating elements have a voltage rating. Voltages above this rating will burn out the element.

Do both water heater elements come on at the same time?

Only one element will come on at any one time. This is known as a flip/flop system. On a 240 volt water heater, there will always be 120 volts to both elements. When the tank is full of cold water, the upper thermostat will take priority and heat up the top portion of the water to the setting of the thermostat.

Will water heater work if top element is bad?

Yes, a water heater can still run if the bottom element quits. In most water heaters, the top heating element controls the thermostat and will still work even if the bottom element fails.

What happens when a heating element fails?

When an element fails it will usually “open” the electrical circuit and no further heating will take place. When this happens, the element simply appears to have stopped working.In some rare instances the element will “short-out” against the sheath which is the outer visible part of the surface unit.

Does the top or bottom element heat first?

If you set them to the same temperature, the bottom element will be the first one on every time, and frequently the only one used to maintain the temperature. If you set the top element too much higher, then it will be used most of the time, and the bottom element acts more as a pre-heater.

Will water heater work with only bottom element?

Yes, a water heater can still run if the bottom element quits. In most water heaters, the top heating element controls the thermostat and will still work even if the bottom element fails. So provided the top heating element is working, it can still produce some hot water even if the bottom heating element fails.

Should the top and bottom water heater thermostats be set to the same temperature?

The majority of electric water heaters have two thermostats: an upper and a lower, located under two control panels. To ensure your electric water heater works as efficiently as possible, you should set both of the thermostats at the same temperature.

Are top and bottom water heater elements the same?

Most residential electric water heaters have two heating elements: one near the top of the tank and one near the bottom. When the water on the top of the tank is hot, the top element turns off and the lower one heats. The upper and lower heating elements never come on at the same time.

Can water heater run on one element?

How do I know if the element in my water heater is bad?

Touch a probe on the multitester to each screw on the element. If you get no reading, or a maximum reading, the element is bad. Elements do have some resistance, so a reading of 10-16 ohms is normal, with higher ohm readings for 3,500 watt elements and lower readings for 5,500 watt elements.