Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

R

rbh

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BRRRR, so the hot water tank just gave up the ghost yesterday and the guy that installed it 4 years ago will not be available to look at it for a week, as are the rest of the plumbers in town, so I guess it up to me!

So were do I start testing?

Thermostat, elements?

Thanks

Rob
 
JB

JB

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

First of all, rbh, you need to tell us what manner of water heater you have, and explain the symptoms of BUSTAMAKATED!!
 
Tim Frank

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

rbh said:
BRRRR, so the hot water tank just gave up the ghost yesterday and the guy that installed it 4 years ago will not be available to look at it for a week, as are the rest of the plumbers in town, so I guess it up to me!

So were do I start testing?

Thermostat, elements?

Thanks

Rob
Click to expand...

Assuming that you mean hot water temp rise = 0 :

If you are OK with a voltmeter, after you have verified that the breaker is not tripped....if you have fuses, that BOTH are good, ensure that you have 240 Volts across the thermostat, and at the upper heating element.
If you have voltage at t/stat and heater....disconnect heater element and check resistance on 0-50 ohm scale if your meter has one. 0-100 if not. You want a resistance of 10-20 ohms (depending on wattage....in that range anything is pretty much OK unless you have a really good meter.)

If resistance is ~ infinite, your element is blown....and in my experience that is the most frequent event by far.
Replacing is not tough. Lots of help here if needed.

If it is not a heating up issue....I've wasted my time typing this out....and you've wasted yours reading it. :D
 
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colbyt

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

Assuming electric heater. It might be as simple as pushing the reset button on the thermostat.

I do agree with with the poster above that two blown elements are the most common cause. The element wrench and the elements will be far less than a service call.

You will need to turn off the power and drain the tank before you remove the elements. And be sure the tank is full before you power it back up. Please ask more questions before proceeding.
 
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rbh

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

JB said:
First of all, rbh, you need to tell us what manner of water heater you have, and explain the symptoms of BUSTAMAKATED!!
Click to expand...

Electric water heater and the symptoms would be the cold water coming out of the tap:eek:

OK gentleman, here's what I just did- rechecked the breaker, no visual on the breaker for tripped, reset anyways.
Tank appears to have come back to life but sounds like an old electric kettle heating up, lots of grumbleing sounds inside.
(definetly need to replace the breaker)

While out of town before the water heater stopped the wife described it as alot hotter water than before, but that was a week ago and the tank went totaly cold yesterday morning???
 
ondarvr

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

The breaker has nothing to do with a grumbling heater.

Sounds like the thermostat first stuck on and the high limit was tripped, or when the thermostat did shut off it also stuck off.

Some high limits reset themselves and others need to be reset manually.

The noise you here is water boiling on the element and possibly air in the tank.

If the thermostat stuck once it will stick again, so it needs to be replaced. It's cheap and easy.
 
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colbyt

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

Not the breaker in your circuit box.

I agree with the post above that the unit thermostat probably needs to be replaced. Most of those also have a mini breaker/reset button.
 
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rbh

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

Actually the breaker in the breaker panel was tripped, as I said, reset the breaker and 4 feet away I could hear the water heater warming up.
It does make sense though, if the thermostat stuck, the draw would have tripped the breaker eventually.
 
Tim Frank

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

rbh said:
Actually the breaker in the breaker panel was tripped, as I said, reset the breaker and 4 feet away I could hear the water heater warming up.
It does make sense though, if the thermostat stuck, the draw would have tripped the breaker eventually.
Click to expand...

Disagree.
The breaker is meant to handle the draw from the heater.
30A. breaker or 20A. ?
Sometimes you get voltage drops that will increase the current draw (Ohms law) and trip the breaker.
Are you on rural supply?
 
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foodfisher

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

Grumbling is salts building up in the tank. May have caused the circuit breaker to blow. Hook up a hose and blow the salts out the drain at least once a year. Shut off inlet valve, open drain w/hose attached, open inlet valve. Proof will be laying on the ground after it runs clear, two mins. max.
 
JB

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

Hmmmm. Glad my water heater runs on propane. Even in a power failure (What? In rural Texas?) I have hot water. Now if I could just get our water coop to keep the pressure up.
 
Bob_VT

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

Take a look at this old post of mine.......I have hard water and it killed the water heater http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=289915&highlight=water

I would drain the tank and removed the elements and inspect them. It is not uncommon for elements to go bad and they are fairly easy to replace............. DIS-CONNECT ALL POWER First!!
 
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colbyt

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

rbh said:
Actually the breaker in the breaker panel was tripped, as I said, reset the breaker and 4 feet away I could hear the water heater warming up.
It does make sense though, if the thermostat stuck, the draw would have tripped the breaker eventually.
Click to expand...

For single isolated breaker trip I would be inclined to do nothing. Stuff happens sometimes. Four years old with average use would be about the right time for the bottom element to blow. Monitor and take action as needed. Reduced hot water volume indicates a blown element. Another trip indicates time to check it out per the advice above.


Certainly getting the sediment out of the tank won't hurt anything. I don't suggest pulling one unless you plan to replace it. I have seen leaks created that way where there were none before.
 
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rbh

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

So here is whats happening-
Yesterday at 2pm PST I reset the 20 amp breaker in the breaker box and it came back on for about 2 hours +- lets say.
(water by 8 pm was cold again)
So this morning at 0530 pst pulled inspection cover of the tank, dropped the temp down a click (reset button was good had not popped)

Now why did the reset button not go before the 20 amp breaker in the panel??

I am betting the 20 amp breaker is 35+ years old (square D) could it be fatigued after all these years?
 
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colbyt

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

20 amp breaker?

Single or dual element water heater? What size wire running from the panel to the heater?

Tends to indicate a bad thermostat/ reset switch but the answers to the above may change my opinion.
 
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rbh

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

colbyt said:
20 amp breaker?

Single or dual element water heater? What size wire running from the panel to the heater?

Tends to indicate a bad thermostat/ reset switch but the answers to the above may change my opinion.
Click to expand...

220 VAC, dual element, same wire thats been feeding the tank for 35+ years (ga= proper size I believe)
 
Tim Frank

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

rbh said:
So here is whats happening-
Yesterday at 2pm PST I reset the 20 amp breaker in the breaker box and it came back on for about 2 hours +- lets say.
(water by 8 pm was cold again)
So this morning at 0530 pst pulled inspection cover of the tank, dropped the temp down a click (reset button was good had not popped)

Now why did the reset button not go before the 20 amp breaker in the panel??

I am betting the 20 amp breaker is 35+ years old (square D) could it be fatigued after all these years?
Click to expand...

The thermostat cut-out is a high temp safety device.....not over current protection like a breaker. You are not getting hot water....so the high temp cutout won't be involved.
How big is the tank?
Are there one or two inspection covers, and if 2, which one did you pull?

From a distance my money is on the bottom element being T/U....it does most of the heavy lifting.
Toughest part of replacing is draining the tank... :)

Good info here:
http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumbingrepair/ss/element_replace.htm
 
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rbh

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

Tim Frank said:
The thermostat cut-out is a high temp safety device.....not over current protection like a breaker. You are not getting hot water....so the high temp cutout won't be involved.
How big is the tank?
Are there one or two inspection covers, and if 2, which one did you pull?

From a distance my money is on the bottom element being T/U....it does most of the heavy lifting.
Toughest part of replacing is draining the tank... :)

Good info here:
http://homerepair.about.com/od/plumbingrepair/ss/element_replace.htm
Click to expand...

Thanks Tim and the rest of you guys.

Going to bite the bullet, I found a plumber, should be here in a hour or so.
 
WIMUSKY

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Re: Hot Water Tank - BUSTAMAKATED!! BRRRRRRR

Someone mentioned sediment buildup. Boy, do I remember as a kid cleaning out the tank. We had very hard water. Had to use a spoon to scoop it all out. It would build up some much that it shorted out the heating element.

Post up what the plumber finds, Robby!

A little off subject, but, I also remember going down the "hand dug well"(in our basement) and scooping out clay that would build up with a shovel. Dump it in a bucket and hand it off up to dad. I came out of that hole wet and muddy. Dad was no dummy. Eventually, he broke down and had a well drilled..... The good ol' days..:rolleyes:
 
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