Questions · Water heaters
No hot water: what to check first
On an electric heater, check the breaker, then the red reset button on the upper thermostat. On a gas heater, check that gas is on elsewhere in the house and that the pilot or igniter is lit. If both look right, the fault is inside the unit, and that is the call to make.
Electric heater, in order
- 01
Check the breaker. If it has tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, stop and call, because an element is usually shorted
- 02
Pop the upper access panel and press the red reset button behind the insulation
- 03
If it resets and then trips again within a day, the thermostat or the upper element is the cause
- 04
If nothing has tripped and there is still no heat, it is the thermostats or the elements
Gas heater, in order
- 01
Check that other gas appliances still work, so you know the supply is on
- 02
Look at the status light or the sight glass for the pilot
- 03
Follow the manufacturer's relight instructions on the label, once
- 04
If it will not light, or will not stay lit, the thermocouple, the gas valve or the burner assembly is the cause
When it is not the heater at all
- Lukewarm at one fixture only: that fixture's cartridge or a mixing valve
- Hot water that disappeared after other work: a shutoff left part way closed
- Hot water that runs out fast but starts hot: the tank is too small or heavily scaled
- No hot water anywhere and no cold pressure either: a house supply problem, not the heater
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Answers
How many times should I press the reset button?
Once. It is a safety cut out, and a heater that trips it again is telling you a part has failed. Repeated resets on a faulty element are how a small repair turns into a bigger one.
Should I relight the pilot myself?
Following the instructions printed on the unit, once, is reasonable. If you smell gas at any point, stop, leave the house, and call your gas utility's emergency line or 911 from outside.
Why is my water lukewarm instead of cold?
That usually means one element or one heat source is still working and the other is not, or a valve somewhere is mixing hot and cold. Both are worth testing rather than guessing.
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