Troubleshooting a Water Heater Emergency: What to Do When It Stops Working
Troubleshooting a Water Heater Emergency: What to Do When It Stops Working
Blog Article
They are making a number of good points about What Would Cause My Electric Water Heater to Stop Working? in general in this great article just below.
Numerous modern homes utilize an electric hot water heater for their heating unit, as a result of its convenience and also convenience of use. However, just like any other electric devices, troubles may arise with its use, suddenly. It can be really frustrating to awaken to a chilly shower rather than a hot one or having your bathroom with water that isn't hot sufficient and even as well warm. Whatever the instance may be, hot water heater troubles can be rather nerve-racking. Luckily, we've made a checklist of feasible solutions to your hot water heater problems. There are a number of aspects that might create a lot of these troubles, it could be a concern with the power supply, the electric heating element, or the thermostat. Prior to doing anything, ensure you switch off the main power supply for safety and security. Whatever the trouble is, getting it taken care of should not posture excessive of a concern if you comply with these actions:
Inspect Your Power Supply:
As standard as this may seem, it is extremely necessary. Without ample power, your water heater will certainly not function. So the first thing to do when your water all of a sudden stops working is to validate that it isn't a power problem. Examine if the fuse is burnt out or the circuit breaker stumbled. If the breaker is the problem, simply turn it on and off once more. Replace any type of busted or worn-out fuse. Check the appliance with power after these modifications to see if it's currently working.
Inspect the Heating Element in the Hot Water Heater:
If it's not a power trouble, then try checking out your heating element if it is still functioning. Examine each of your heating elements to make sure the problem isn't with any one of them. If any one of them is faulty, replace that component and afterwards check whether the hot water is back on.
Examine Your Thermostat:
If your hot water heater still isn't working or the water appearing isn't warm enough, you may need to inspect the temperature level setups on your upper thermostat. Guarantee the circuit breaker is switched off before doing anything. Open the accessibility panel and also press the red button for temperature reset above the thermostat. This must aid heat up the water. Turn the circuit breaker back on as well as examine if the trouble has actually been dealt with.
Call A Professional:
If after replacing all defective components and resetting your temperature level, the water heater still isn't functioning, you might need to get in touch with a professional plumber for a specialist opinion. The problem with your heater could be that the hot and cold taps have been switched or it may be undersized for the amount of hot water needed in your home. Whatever the case may be, a professional plumber would help solve the problem.
Conclusion
Water heater problems are not constantly significant. Many of them are due to small concerns like a blown fuse or damaged burner. Replacing the defective parts need to suffice. Nevertheless, if you are still not able to resolve the issue, give a call to your closest plumber to come to get it fixed.
8 possible reasons why you have no Hot Water
Along with streaming Netflix and having light flood a room when we flick a switch, having hot water flow from our taps and showerheads whenever we want is an oft-overlooked modern miracle of homeownership. That's why, when that flow goes cold, it can be shocking — and not just in a "Wow, that's freezing" kind of way while you're in the shower.
Water Leak
Before hot water reaches your taps and showerheads, it needs to spend some time in your water heater. This appliance, which can be either gas- or electric-powered, takes the cold water that enters your home from your well or utility company and cooks it until it gets hot. It's akin to an electric tea kettle.
Obviously, if your water heater is leaking, it will never fill with water so it won't have anything to warm. To see if this is the case, simply examine the area around the water heater to see if it is wet. If so, you'll likely need to replace the unit, but you can also call in a pro for a second opinion and to see if it is fixable. Sometimes leaks can happen around fixtures on the water heater, and if so, the solution might be as simple as replacing them.
Gas Heater: Gas Leak
If your hot water is fueled by natural gas and there is a leak in the supply line or where the line enters the tank, the appliance won't have the power it needs to heat up your water. The result is not only inconvenient, but it can be extremely dangerous as well. If you smell gas when you investigate your water heater, call your gas utility company immediately and report it as an emergency. It might also be prudent to leave your home until a repair person from the company arrives. Your utility company will usually fix any kind of gas leak. However, in terms of getting your water heater working again, you'll need to relight the pilot and wait a while to see if it is functioning properly. You can call in a water heater specialist or plumber to help with this.
Gas Heater: Pilot Light Problems
There are two other issues with gas-powered water heaters that can lead to a loss of hot water. The first is a pilot light that's blown out. The pilot light is the source of a constant flame inside your water heater. When the heater determines the need to heat up the water it is holding, it will open a valve that will cause gas to flow over the pilot light and cause it to ignite. To see if your pilot light is functioning, there is usually a small window in the front of the water heater. If you can't see a flame, remove the access panel and see if that helps you locate it. If there is still no flame, you'll need to relight it in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions.
Your pilot light should burn with a bright blue flame. If not, make sure there are no drafts affecting it, which could keep it from functioning properly. If the flame looks yellow, it might be a sign of the presence of carbon monoxide, which spells trouble and needs to be looked at right away by a technician.
Gas Heater: Faulty Thermocouple
The second reason why a gas-powered water heater might fail is a faulty thermocouple. This is a small probe that should sit in the pilot light flame. Its purpose is to stop the flow of gas if it senses that the pilot light is out. Sometimes, these probes get knocked off track, so make sure it is directly in the flame. They can also get a buildup on them that prevents their function, so try cleaning yours off with some steel wool or fine-grit sandpaper. If your pilot light won't stay lit and you've tried these steps to fix the thermocouple, it is likely faulty and needs to be replaced. Call a technician.
Electric Heater: Breaker Blues
Electric water heaters don't have pilot lights, because there is no gas to burn in order to heat up the water. Instead, they do their magic through the use of (naturally) electricity. But that's not to say things can't go wrong with them. If your electric water heater isn't working properly, there's a good chance that a breaker was tripped that supplies the appliance power. Check your breaker box and flip any breakers that have switched to the off position back on. If it trips again, then there might be a fault in the water heater, and you'll want to call in a pro to have a look.
Electric Heater: Reaching The Limit
If the breaker is fine, check to see if the high-temperature limit has switched off on the water heater itself. To do so, first turn off the breaker to the unit. Then remove the service panel and press the red button you'll find there. This is the limit switch, and resetting it could solve your problem. To check, replace the panel, turn the breaker back on and listen to see if the water heater is functioning again.
Electric Heater: Heating Element
If these steps don't fix the issue, then you might have a failed heating element, which will need to be replaced. Unless you are comfortable with such repairs, calling in a technician might make the most sense.
https://www.homeserve.com/en-us/blog/home-improvement/no-water-heater/
Hopefully you liked our part about No Hot Water — Water Heater Repair. Thanks so much for taking time to read our article post. Sharing is good. You just don't know, you may very well be doing someone a favor. Kudos for your time. Kindly check our website back soon.
Tailored emergency solutions; call now. Report this page