Steelers Fan
In the Trades
so i got a call today from an existing customer who tells me one of her rental properties the tenant says she only gets about 5-6 minutes of hot water and then it goes cold.So I'm thinking it sounds like the lower element has crapped out.I get there and check it for continuity and its good so I check the upper and its also good.I then check every contact on its own and I get 120 volts across every one of em.But when I check both hot legs together I get nothing,I check both hots where they com into the heater same,and i check both at each element same,nothing.Yet when I check it at the panel box i get 240.Now I call the owner and the truth comes around a little more,seems he was playing electrician over the weekend trying to install some new flourescent lights in the kitchen when he ran across what he says were two 120 legs tied together and that did not make sense to him so he seperated and capped them,doesnt really make sense to me either but then again I'm not a sparky.I checked every contact on the w.h and got 120 everywhere but when i check both hot legs nada.The heater worked fine till he played weekend warrior now nothing and the breaker tripped out on him.So I told him to call an electrician to check it out.Now admittedly I'm a greenhorn in plumbing so I'm not sure if a bad thermostat will mimic this or not so here I am asking for some input from you guys.I am just baffled that I can get 120 at each hot leg but not 240 across them both .Can anyone enlighten me?