Steve Adams
New Member
We recently had a plumber come out to fix the HW Heater and he told me that it was a bad Circuit Breaker on the top element that was causing the issue with the heater. What was happening was the reset for the top thermostat was popping causing the heater to stop working. There were no issues with the breakers or input lines and he said the thermostat tested bad. He also salad it would be wise to replace the Element while he was in the tank. He did not however replace the lower element (which failed a few weeks later). It seemed to me that his biggest push was to get me to buy a new heater rather than repair the existing one as he was very adamant about not being able to warranty his work. This is a large reputable plumbing organization here in Virginia. I found that odd but had him do the repair. Once the second element went out I replaced it myself after doing a little research and testing the element out of circuit with no continuity. The only element my local Lowes had in stock was a 4500W 240V unit. I decided to replace both elements to keep them the same wattage and everything was good for about a month. Now the tank is back to tripping the overload on the top thermostat. What should I do next?