Electric Hot Water Heater Not Working After Draining

Sometimes the problem isn t actually a clogged water heater but a defective valve.

Electric hot water heater not working after draining.

Before checking any electrical parts of a water heater shut off the power to the heater s circuit by turning off the appropriate breaker in your home s service panel breaker box. Turn off the electricity to the water heater. If you have a gas hot water heater you may be able to do this procedure with the gas on but turned to the lowest setting. If an electric heating element turns on while not submersed in water it will burn out possibly leading to replacement of the entire water heater.

An absence of hot water generally occurs as a result of all the hot water in the tank being used up for example by running both the washing machine and dishwasher at the same time. However if that is not the cause of the problem it s not difficult to troubleshoot your water heater to locate the issue. Watch as i drain and refill a 40 gallon rheem electric hot water heater. Relight the water heater pilot or turn the power back on if it is an electric heater.

You ll want to ensure all of the faucets in the house are off so that air can t get into the tank while you re working. If it did not close completely you can put a cap over the hose thread of the outlet to stop the leak. You can remedy this situation by replacing the drain valve even when the tank s still full. Electric water heaters are high voltage 240 volt appliances that are dangerous to work with when the power is on.

Within an hour or so you should have hot water. Check the drain valve. Over time sediment and rust can build up in the tank and draining the tank will get rid of this foreign material. If you have no hot water there are several possible reasons and you need to work through each of them methodically to eliminate each one and this will also depend on whether you have an electric or gas powered heater.

Electric hot water heater maintenance draining and filling the tank.