Problems with an electric hot water heater that trips a breaker.
New electric water heater trips breaker.
Most electric water heaters have 2 heating elements.
The reset button is also sometimes referred to as the eco emergency cut off switch or high limit safety thermostat switch.
Okay with that out of the way let s look at the possible problems that are causing your electric water heater to trip your breaker.
The circuit will then draw too much current and get hot causing the breaker in the breaker box to trip.
Electric water heater red reset button tripping troubleshooting guide about the author based in colorado springs colo jerry walch has been writing articles for the diy market since 1974.
A red button located on the water heater itself just above the thermostat that trips when the water temperature exceeds 180 f the reset button is sometimes referred to as the eco emergency cut off or high limit switch.
It is never never never that the breaker is too small for the water heater.
When the hot water heater continuously trips a circuit breaker in your home it s a sign that there s a potentially dangerous.
You will cause a fire and burn your house down.
If the water heater has two elements as most electric water heaters do both elements remaining on at the same time can overload the circuit.
Burnt out heating element.
The first and most important thing to understand is.
Make sure the power to the water heater is off.
One on top and one on the bottom.
Your water heater reset button is a safety device that shuts off power to your water heater when the water temperature inside it exceeds 180 degrees fahrenheit.
Has this ever happened to you.
So you go and reset the circuit breaker.
Your water heater trips the circuit breaker in your house.
If the electric water heater was working fine then the breaker keeps tripping the worse thing you can do is install a larger circuit breaker.
The thermostats can be tested with a multimeter.