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dss
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Joined:	Fri Aug 15th, 2008
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Posted: Fri Aug 15th, 2008 08:31 pm

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Hot water stopped in the mid. of child's bath. next day I replaced both elements and the top stat..nuttin! next day replaced bottom stat..nuttin! So electrical???I had already ck the breaker and it was tripped the 1rst time...right there-I should have dissected the prob. a little better but for $30, I replaced it all..so i took a shot. the breaker has correct amps and i even switched it w/ the 30 amp dryer, which is running fine.

So dip tube???? I used a OHM multimeter & testlight..overkill..to test all the elements and stats, even the old ones ( only one was week). I'm not crazy about ele. surely 240 is no joke! so the box to the heater on the stud in the attic, is a possibility. But testing it live?/ is that ok w/ OHM??

HERE IS THE CURVE BALL

Yesterday I had given up! I'm buying a new HWH and pray its not electrical, just than the hot water started working in the kitchen while I was doing dishes, immediately I headed for the tub! half full and ..COLD AGAIN! I jumped out and 5 min. later tried another tub..hot for an added 5 mins. then over??? i switched elements again..nuttin, switched them back nuttin! and today I got the 10 mins. of hot bath again..then nuttin??HELP

HOW DOES ONE GET TO THIS DIP TUBE??? could that be it????I took off the cold valve-but not the connector to the HWH?? my fingers can not reach/grab it to see if there is any damage?? SUGGESTIONS!!!!

So do I need to know if the charges are accurate to each stat?? something is causing ele. to ground out ( but the wiring diagram is right & I can not see anything in the HWH/down the sides of the cavity.????

THERE ARE ALOT OF LOSE ENDS HERE??????? I"m not sure what the next step should be???

Last edited on Fri Aug 15th, 2008 08:46 pm by dss

elenano
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Posted: Sat Aug 16th, 2008 12:56 am

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Are you sure it's the water heater and not the control of the shower faucet? There is quite a bit in Tanklets on cross connections. I suggest you read that and do the test for a cross connection. Tanklets is under Troubleshooting elsewhere on the site.

And there is a post just a little below this one, answered by Larry, about feeling the hot-water outlet pipe of the water heater to see if it has cooled down while the problem is occurring.

And another possibility: the tank doesn't produce as much hot water as you think. Or it could be some combination of the above. Let us know what you find.

Randy Schuyler

Last edited on Sat Aug 16th, 2008 12:59 am by elenano

dss
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Posted: Mon Aug 18th, 2008 06:00 am

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Randy,

ck this! it just started working???? maybe I was going through to many cks and balances to fast?? Naahh!

This what I perceive that might be the issue...I opened the cavity up once before -during this whole commotion and the insulation was damp and the cover was pressed real hard up against the insulation and element??? So as I screwed the provided screws back-in-to the doors- it was always jammed. So maybe it was causing the element to shorten out the stat.??? not sure but I left the cover and insulation off of both compartments to let it dry out...and we have had hot water ever since??? go figure!?? well I am a little concerned about not having the covers on but...I address that when I sell the house!!

what do ya think?/ I even returned the HWH today...i was ready to ditch the last one???? oh well?/

thx

elenano
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Posted: Mon Aug 18th, 2008 06:27 pm

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Don't know why you now have hot water, but all that stuff in the element port is supposed to be that way. A spring clip is supposed to hold the thermostat against the side of the tank so it will read correctly, and the insulation is supposed to be there for the same reason.

You should put it all back, but check it from time to time because moisture in the element port is one early sign of a tank rusting out. I don't suppose you've looked at the sacrificial anode? No point in the elements working great if the tank is about to rust out and leak.

Randy Schuyler

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