I have a hot water heater that uses a small screw to set the temperature of the water. I have the unit set at about 120-135 degrees, but the water coming from the unit is more than 150. Also the breaker on the water heater itself is kicking off each day and I have to reset it to get hot water. Any ideas of why this is happening? What should I do?
Overheating Hot Water Heater
Jun 28, 2003
4 Replies
2 possibilities:
The thermostat is defective (sticking?).
One of the elements has an internal fault to the element sheath. This can allow current to flow even though the thermostat opens (one side of) the circuit.
Jim
It is probably not a good idea to have the water heater on if the breaker keeps going off. Unless you have a defective breaker, it is trying to tell you something.
How many watts is the heater? How many amps is the breaker? Did it just start doing this? If you know someone with an ampmeter (or want to spend $30 for a really fun tool) it would be nice to measure the amperage.
Save yourself the hassle, and replace both thermostats while you're at it. (voice of experience..;-)
darned good point ; )
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