Whether you realize it or not, water heaters are an essential part of our everyday lives, whether it’s for our showers and baths, or washing our dishes and our laundry. Without them, we’d be stuck with cold water.
However, just like any appliance within our homes, they can also develop faults over time, and even malfunction.
While there are a number of different things that can go wrong with our water heaters, one of the most commonly encountered issues is the failure of the heating element, which can lead to no hot water.
Typically, a multimeter would be used to test whether or not the heater element was working, but if you don’t have one around (very few people do), then you’ll need to find some other way of checking.
In this guide, we’ll provide you with all of the steps needed to test your water heater element without using a multimeter, so let’s get started!
How To Tell If Your Water Heater Element Is Faulty
Before we can get to testing our water heater element, it’s first worth considering whether or not the element itself even needs to be tested.
If you think that your heater’s element is faulty or has malfunctioned, then there are a number of different ways to tell if this is actually the case.
The symptoms that your water heater’s element is faulty are always shared with a faulty heater element in general, these include things such as:
Lukewarm or cold water, when there should be hot water.
Hot water is running out faster than it should be. Because each heater has two elements, one at both ends, this is typically a sign that the bottom element is faulty, while the top one works.
So, if you’re encountering any of these issues, it could mean that your water heater’s element is faulty, or that there’s another issue with your water heater. In this case, you’ll need to check whether or not it’s the element that is the problem.
Tools Required
In order to be able to test your water heater’s element, you’re still going to need a number of tools to be able to do so.
The tools needed are:
A wrench (for replacement)
A Phillips head screwdriver
Non-contact voltage tester Ohmmeter
Testing Your Water Heater’s Element
So, with all of your tools and equipment ready, you can now begin to test your water heater’s element.
It’s worth paying attention to these steps and following them as closely as possible, which will not only ensure that you do the test correctly, but also that you don’t damage the heater any further.
Step 1
The first thing you’ll need to do is turn off any power from going to the water heater.
There’s absolutely no need for there to be any power running through the heater for you to be able to test whether or not the element is working, and disconnecting it will prevent you from suffering any potential shocks (which could be fatal!)
You can do this either through the electric breaker box in your home, or through a switch on the wall, depending on your heater.
Step 2
The next job is to remove the metal cover that guards your water heater, as you’ll need to be able to access all of the electric components on the inside, which includes things such as the thermostat, and of course, the heating element.
Removing this cover should simply be a case of using your screwdriver to remove each of the screws holding it in place, before lifting it off.
Just ensure you keep the screws in a safe place, so that you don’t lose them when it comes to replacing the cover.
Step 3
Once you’ve removed the cover, you’ll usually discover that there is a further piece of insulation, typically made from either fiberglass or plastic, which is installed to protect the electrical components.
This is usually held in place by some form of tab, so simply pull the tab and you should be able to remove the insulation.
It is possible that your heater doesn’t have this, if this is the case, then simply ignore and continue with the rest of the steps.
Step 4
Because we’re dealing with metal components on the heater, it’s vital that you double check that there is no electric current.
Use your non-contact voltage detector for this by simply placing the tip of the detector onto one of the wires from the thermostat.
If there’s a beep or illumination on the voltage detector, then there is still a current, and you’ll need to turn it off before you can continue.
If there’s no current, then you can proceed with the test.
Step 5
While most of the element’s body will be inside the drum, it should extend out onto a piece of metal with a plastic extension.
On this, you will see that there are wires held with screws, take a picture on your phone of the wires and the way they go, before loosening the screws and removing the wires.
Step 6
Place the first clamp of your ohmmeter onto one of the element’s screws, and then the other clamp on the second screw.
If there’s an illumination or a beep, then the continuity is fine. Whereas a lack of light or beep means that there is no continuity, and the element must be replaced.
Step 7
While you’re there, test to see if there is a short circuit in the element.
To do this, keep one clamp on one of the element’s screws, and place the other onto the bottom of the hexagonal piece.
If there’s an illumination or beep, then your element has a short circuit, and needs replacing.
Final Thoughts
We hope that this guide has helped you to test your water heater’s element. Just remember that you don’t always need to have a multimeter to do so!
Hi everyone! My name is Jason, and I am the founder of HeaterWise.com. Having run my own business as a Heating Engineer for 21 years, I have picked up a few things along the way.
I wanted to create Heater Wise as a place where anyone could come, from far and wide, to find the information that they need.
I hope you will join us here at Heater Wise, to get started on your own journey, to expand your knowledge, and make the best heating choices for you and your family.
