Water too Hot, Now Just Lukewarm (Electric Heater)

[Bob]

Remove the covers over the top and bottom thermostats and check for a resettable safety thermostat.

Bob

[Frank Boettcher]

Probably the low element is in a bed of calcium carbonate rocks distilled out of your water and it shorted out the element.

20 years old. Don't fool with parts, replace the whole water heater.

Frank

[frank1492]

My theory: A failed thermostat caused the water to get too hot (elements on much of the time). Now one has failed. (This is a very old heater- 20 yrs maybe?) Am I probably correct? (I know. I'll know when I take it apart but I always like to guess first) Help appreciated! Frank

[Joseph Meehan]

You might want to check to see how long your neighbor's water heaters are lasting. If they are not getting better than about 20 years, I would just replace it. It does depend on the water in your area, but in most areas 20 years is about it.

Of course I am getting at the first question you should be asking yourself is do I repair or replace. Since it appears you may be able to do it yourself for just the parts, then that might be a point for repair. However if it is located in a location where a major leak could be costly, I would say replace it anyway.