Replaced Water Heater Element-Still No Hot Water

girlbugspoppa · 06-20-2010, 08:23 PM

Burned out our element last summer and have been running on propane since. Decided a few days ago to replace element and anode rod. After replacement filled the tank and turned on the switch-still no hot water. The resets are not popped out at the water heater and the breaker inside is not tripped. Thought that I'd read somewhere on the forum that it didn't matter which wire went on which terminal, but I swapped them to make sure. What now???

06-20-2010, 09:00 PM

So as not to assume anything, you let the hot water faucet run until there was a steady stream of cold water before you turned on switch. If you have a meter, measure the voltage across the two terminals with the switch on. ( be careful if the switch works there is 110V there.You are sure the pop buttons are not popped out, It does not make any difference which wire goes to which terminal. It is just a resistive heating element. The breaker almost always trips when the element burns out, so just for giggles, turn it off and then back on to insure it is reset.

**Bill** · 06-21-2010, 07:50 AM

Good suggestion, Bob. Beyond that, if you have a test meter, and if you feel you can safely use it (both big requirements), you can also test the element itself.

1. Disconnect the TM from shore power!!! Now there is no power anywhere that can hurt you.
2. Turn the water heater switch (the one in the outside compartment) to OFF.
3. Remove the black cover from the element connections.
4. Disconnect both wires from the screws on the element, and push them aside.

You have already done all of the steps above, so they are easy. Now ...

5. Set your meter to the lowest resistance scale - it is probably called "OHMS X 1". With the probes not touching anything, an analog meter will read all the way to the left. A digital meter will read a very high value, or more likely something like "OL".
6. Touch the two probe tips together. Confirm that the meter reads somewhere near ZERO OHMS. On an analog meter, this means that the pointer will move to the top of the scale, which reads ZERO ohms. If your meter is digital, the reading will be something around Zero. In either case, turn the adjustment knob until the meter reads full scale or ZERO.
7. Press the probe tips firmly against the two element screws.
If the element is bad, the analog meter will barely move, if at all. On a digital meter, the reading will stay very high.
If the element is good, the analog meter will move up to somewhere near the top of the scale, stopping at a reading in the neighborhood of 10. The digital meter will read somewhere around 10. Note that the suggested reading of "10" is not exact. All we are looking for is something approximating that.
8. Button everything back up safely.

I know it is a little late to point this out, but it is not a bad idea to perform this test on the old element, before removing it, to confirm that you are not removing a good element. It is also a good idea to perform this test on the new element before you install it, so you are sure you are not installing a bad element.

Bill

**mjlaupp** · 06-21-2010, 07:55 AM

Randy,

The resets at the water heater reset the over temp wafer switches. They should only trip if the thermostat wafer switches fail in the on mode. They don't pop out but you can feel them reset when you push them in if they are tripped.

If the fridge was working on AC then the breaker at the fuse panel is ok. The only thing left is to check for power to the element. It's also possible that you have a new - DOA (Dead On Arrival) element, disconnect it and check for continuity across it.

If you need some help, give me a call, I'm in the Calhoun phone book.

Mike

06-21-2010, 12:12 PM

If the element checks out OK, you might want to check the outside on/off switch. Mine was bad on a brand new camper......I replaced it myself to save a round trip of 150 miles to the dealer for warranty replacement.

girlbugspoppa · 06-21-2010, 08:23 PM

Thanks to everyone for the replies. As soon as I get a day off I'll get a meter and check it out. I know the old element was bad-it had a split in it and you could see its' innards. BTW, I did see that the fridge was on the same breaker so I turned it on and it did get cold.

girlbugspoppa · 07-06-2010, 03:39 PM

Okay gang, back to work! Bought a digital meter and checked the new element - read 10 ohms. Hooked the water back up, plugged back in to shore power and turned all breakers back on. Checked A/C voltage on wires to element and got a big old zero. Turned switch on and off several times, wiggled switch this way and that-still no voltage. What could it be? Is the outside switch hard to replace? Heading for the Gatlinburg area in a week so may just run on propane 'till we get back.

07-06-2010, 04:10 PM

Know this was mentioned before, but try pushing the two black round snap buttons just above the switch. If they snap one may have been tripped.

07-06-2010, 04:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by girlbugspoppa

Is the outside switch hard to replace?

The switch is not hard to replace, but can be a pain to get to and work on. There are "ears" on the top and bottom of the switch that need to be squeezed to pull the toggle switch out. Here is place to order it if your local RV store doesn't have it:
http://www.americanrvcompany.com/Sub...RV_p_1117.html

girlbugspoppa · 08-13-2010, 05:23 PM

Okay, finally got back to the problem and brought an electrician from work home with me (thanks Clint). Pulled out the On/Off switch and found power to both sides, so we decided to pull the cover off the over temp resets. Both resets have a piece of wire attached to both ends of switch. Lo and behold, the wire on the left switch was burned in two! Went to Carter's Campers and purchased a new one (30 bucks for that little bugger!). The guy there seemed to think that when the element shorted out it caused this switch to short out also. Opinions anyone? Anyway, I replaced this switch (my electrician had gone home), put everything back together and turned the power on. 15 minutes later I had hot water! I'll try to post pictures, I've never done it before. PS-While I had Clint here he put in a 30 amp plug; what a difference! I recently melted an adaptor plugged into an extension cord. It was worth digging a 60 foot trench in the 100 degree heat! Thanks to all for all the advice!