Replaced 15 year old Rheem that was leaking with a new Rheem of same size. About an hour later walked into laundry room and noticed a mild burning smell...turned breaker back off to water heater and the smell went away. Leaving it off for now. What would cause this?
Replaced water heater and now there is a burning smell coming from the breaker box
- Thread starter Destinie
- Start date
Users who are viewing this thread
Master Plumber Mark
Sensitivity trainer and plumber of mens souls
If you installed the heater correctly, then it means the breaker
cannot handle the stress load any longer
On occasion the breaker just gets weak and overheats.....
I suggest you get a new breaker and install it just to be safe....
cannot handle the stress load any longer
On occasion the breaker just gets weak and overheats.....
I suggest you get a new breaker and install it just to be safe....
Sponsor
Paid Advertisement
Jadnashua
Retired Defense Industry Engineer xxx
Worst case, your main bus bar got burned and that's a bit more trouble to fix. After time, especially with high current devices, the connection between the breaker and the bus bar can get hot as the spring tension of the breaker's contacts gets weaker. Note that if the supply wiring on the breaker isn't torqued properly, over time, the clamping screw may get loose...that can create a slight resistance, and cause things to get hot, creating a smell that is characteristic.
Pop the breaker out and look. Have a new one to replace it.
Double-check the specs on the new WH to verify what supply current it requires. You may have selected one that requires more current and it's taxing the existing breaker...not enough to trip it, but closer to max, and if the spring tension on the breaker is weak, or there's any corrosion there, it can start to overheat.
Pop the breaker out and look. Have a new one to replace it.
Double-check the specs on the new WH to verify what supply current it requires. You may have selected one that requires more current and it's taxing the existing breaker...not enough to trip it, but closer to max, and if the spring tension on the breaker is weak, or there's any corrosion there, it can start to overheat.
Phog
Active Member
It sounds like the new water heater is a higher output model -- perhaps you used to have a 3500W unit and the new one is now 4500W. Somewhere in the circuit there is a sketchy connection & that is what is heating up. Does anyone you know have a thermal camera? This would be immensely helpful. Without being on site, all we can do is speculate. Using the thermal camera you can take pics of the wiring and see exactly where the issue is. You can alternately also look for melted/scorched looking wires, or use your hand to feel for warm spots (such as the breaker face in the panel box). It could be as simple as someone forgetting to tighten down a lug screw. Good luck.
Master Plumber Mark
Sensitivity trainer and plumber of mens souls
Unless someone installed some extremely light duty wire not made for 220 volt
its probably gonna be the breaker just giving out on you--- I have seen some pretty sketchy water heater wires coming out of walls from way back in the 50s without grounds but it all still works ok.... its always the breaker that will mess up the day when it wont re-set
It is commonly a 4500 watt elements in both the top and bottom ... That is standard
in most water heaters since forever..... some might be less watts but just figure on
a new breaker and then fire it up and see what happens.....
its probably gonna be the breaker just giving out on you--- I have seen some pretty sketchy water heater wires coming out of walls from way back in the 50s without grounds but it all still works ok.... its always the breaker that will mess up the day when it wont re-set
It is commonly a 4500 watt elements in both the top and bottom ... That is standard
in most water heaters since forever..... some might be less watts but just figure on
a new breaker and then fire it up and see what happens.....
Similar threads
