Water Heater Top Or Bottom Element

Many modern homes come with dual element water heaters.

Water heater top or bottom element. Only the water in the top of the tank is being heated. Turn on the hot water tap at a sink and check for the following scenarios. Long tepid shower bad top water heater element. If the electric water heater produces the same old hot water temperature but the quantity seems drastically reduced we suspect that the bottom water heater element has burned out.

Most water heaters have two heating elements one near the top of the tank another located further down. When an electric hot water heater s elements short out or burn through cool water is the result. With two element designs one element heats the water at the top of the tank while the second element heats the water within the bottom of the tank. How electric water heaters work.

The upper heating element really only contributes when there is a high hot water demand and only serves to heat water in the upper portion of the tank. In an electric water heater the bottom heating element is the workhorse since it is at the bottom of the tank where cold water enters from a dip tube that extends down through the tank. How to diagnose a water heater element problem. Single element water heaters have one element mounted at the bottom of the tank controlled by a single thermostat and high limit switch.

Electric heaters feature fewer parts than gas models but a basic understanding of how two element models function can reduce the time needed to diagnose a problem. This is a sign that the bottom element has failed. Hot water heaters are an important home appliance that heat water for use in your sinks dishwasher washing machine and shower. If the water in your home doesn t get any hotter than a lukewarm temperature try turning up the heat if that doesn t solve the problem it s possible that 1 of the heating elements in the water heater is malfunctioning or broken.

How to set the upper and lower thermostats on dual element water heaters. So provided the top heating element is working it can still. A dual element water heater uses two heating elements controlled. Cold water enters and remains at the bottom of the water.

Standard electric water heater operation electric water heaters operate by use of either one or two direct immersion heating elements controlled by either thermostats or a microprocessor control module. Electric water heaters use either 120 or 240 volt power 240 volts is more common to energize metal heating elements that protrude into the water heater tank through the side wall. In most water heaters the top heating element controls the thermostat and will still work even if the bottom element fails. Typically the lower element goes first but that s not always the case.

No special tools required.