This gentleman is a true professional. His explanation of safety, changing out elements and setting thermostats T and B is outstanding. Plus, the proper use of the meter and what to look for, voltage/amps, etc. Straight forward with an honest approach. A++++👍🏻😅

This dude should be the face on all Hot water heaters. Great job explaining!!

About 15 years ago in the farmhouse I lived in as a teenager, the bottom element on the 50 gallon water heater grounded out, and the reset button did not trip. We were gone all day hauling a load of cattle to the slaughterhouse, when we got home the pressure relief valve was running boiling water, the basement felt like a sauna. First we went to home depot and got new thermoatats. This time it popped the reset button. By the time we figured out the real problem it was 11pm, so everyone got to enjoy a cold shower before bed, just in time for another day of hard work 😂

This is a golden video! It doesn't matter what industry you are in, nobody anywhere actually let's us learn things and handle jobs that we can deal with ourselves instead of getting ripped off over and over by people that prey on ignorance, instead of replacing ignorance with knowledge like you just did! Well done, good Sir, well done!!!

This guy knows ! I watched 4-5 before this one THE BEST !

Some body give this man a raise! For the first time in a very long time finally i have not a question or left having to watch 10 more videos tryin to figure out something that never got explained one very professional job hands down .Hey there bud1 Hella good tutorial. Great job I wish everyone would do the same and you just did keep up the great work will refer every one to you videos

Brother, I’m relatively handy, and I’m having a water heating issue - aside from you not actually removing elements and showing water shooting out, this was TOP NOTCH.

Most informative video ive seen about diagnosing electric water heaters!

Quick Story: My aging Dad hardly ever uses hot water. We installed an electric water heater for him 2.5 years ago (A.O Smith). Now when he goes to take his weekly bath and shave he quickly runs out of hot water. The electricity to the elements measured 233 volts which should have around 19 amps. The elements passed the continuity test. Come to find out the lower element was measuring 16.9 amps. We removed and replaced the lower element and he's back in business. The old element was scaled all to heck. It's funny how that amperage difference was reflected in the heaters elements poor performance. Great Video (Next heater will be tankless because we think his very low usage is causing premature element failure)

This is an incredible video tutorial. It is clear, concise, and very step by step. You must be very careful around electricity as you explain. This video will definitely help me diagnose my issue. Keep the awesome content alive.

Thankyou so much Mr. Smedley plumbing for getting my hot water back on Christmas day 2023.Today you definitely got your stars in your crown for giving such valuable advice.

Thank you very much you just saved me from spending unnecessary money I just fixed my water heater by watching your video.

I had a wiring issue with my 1 year old water heater. This video helped to debug the issue by eliminating all the other potential issues. The original installer pinched a hot wire in the junction box against the ground screw. Ultimately, over time with repeated heating cycles the insulation oozed away and the wire shorted to ground and tripped the breaker and cut the wire at the point of contact. It took me two days to figure it out. The top thermostat actually was damaged in the event too. Both phases were stuck active at the same time. Anyway, thanks for the video. The methodical approach really helped me out.

This is the best video on this topic that I've seen on KZfaq. Keep up the good work and thanks

Great job explaining all possible causes for not getting hot water.

Might have to show my plumber this video so he can do more than press the reset button and go home

I’m so grateful for this video today! I’m so grateful for people like you and internet to this extent. I appreciate this video, more then you’ll ever know! Thank you! ❤

Wish I had this video back in the day when I managed a True Value. So many customers with these issues. No need to replace the whole heater when it's just an element or t-stat. Thank you for this video.

It's probably worth mentioning the importance of installing the stats tight to the tank wall. & maybe demonstrating the stat & element R&R technique. You're a good teacher.

Best explanation I've seen. Thanks !

Excellent video. Learned a lot about water heater problems and causes. Thanks

Thank you so much. I woke up to cold water and was able to find out that my reset button popped out. Your video was extremely helpful in diagnosing the problem.

Outstanding presentation and explanation. Thanks!

Great video in layman's terms... Thanks to you I have diagnosed my bad top heating element, and have ordered a new one... I LOVE YOUBOOB!!!

Thanks for the thorough detail. Great video .

Excellent video! Thanks for taking the time to explain this process so thoroughly.

Great video!!! Best one I’ve found by far!! Thanks for the great info!

You just bailed me out BIG TIME! the red button clicked when I pushed it back in and there's scorching hot water now, if it does it again I'll call out a tech and get the whole thing diagnosed :)

Thank you, you saved me a lot of time.

Excellent video, and very well presented. The t-stats and elements are truly the most common heater issue that can be handled by Diy'ers. Just want to mention a seldom talked about and trickier issue is a cracked or leaking "dip" tube. That's the tube that brings incoming water into the bottom of the heater tank to be heated. When damaged or worn out, it can leak cold water into the upper tank and dilute the hot water that's being called for throughout the house. When the stats and elements check out OK, that can possibly be an issue causing cool water.

Thank you for the in depth process to do this. You just saved me from setting a bomb. I wired my thermostat and replaced the elements but there was a gap between the thermostat and the tank and I've been troubleshooting why my tank has been constantly pressure releasing, and had no idea that's how the thermostat works. Could've blown up my house so thank you for explaining everything!

You, Sir, are a great teacher. Thank you.

Best video out there! Thanks for taking the time to make these videos. A+

Great job. Well explained.

This is well done - particularly adding that removing the insulation cover over the thermostats will lead to constant thermal tripping if left uncovered. This happened to me, and I though that leaving the upper thermostat uncovered would allow excess heat to leak away, but didn't realize that (i) being in a small basement room that was ~45F at the time, and (ii) the upper thermostat being susceptible to the low air temperature of the room was (n fact) causing the thermal switch to trip every day. Restoring the insulation remediated that problem. Also, to reiterate a point made in the video, the upper thermostat acts as an "EXCLUSIVE OR" switch for just one leg of 120V -While one leg of 120V power is always attached to both upper and lower heater elements - when the upper thermostat is off, the other 120V "leg" power is directed to the lower element & lower thermostat (breaking contact with the top element), otherwise when upper thermostat is on, the other 120V "leg" power is diverted to the upper element (and that same 120V leg of circuit broken from the lower element/lower thermostat).

Very well explained thanks

Crystal clear- Great Instructions Thanks for sharing - Liked & Shared

Excellent video 👍👍

Excellent video, thank you so much.

Great video. Professional. Thank you.

Thank you. That was helpful. I think I'm going for the rebuild .

Thanks man I now understand how this works

Great video! 👍

Great tutorial!

Good job,, your a good teacher 💯😊

Thank you for taking your free time to explain how to do this

You are really good to explain thank you I learned a lot with your video

Great video! Thank you!

Yes! He does explain very good and make me understand in everything he is talking about!! I deside to watch his video because i Just finish it taking a shower and the water it was not too hot like shoud be hot! And make sence every word like he explain already. Tomorrow i Will go down to take a look the water heater. Thank you my friend for your good explain about the water heater.

Brilliant, just brilliant!! 👏 👏👏

Great video!!

Excellent knowledge for a beginner.

I’m a maintenance guy for an apartment complex and all my experience has been gas water heaters, just started at a new property with all electric and I can’t thank you enough for this video.

Thanks. You’re right, the parts are inexpensive, mine as well replace all of them while in there. Thx again

Great video

Got er done ✔️.. thanks

At the 7:38 mark, you stated Volt X amps = watts. Should have said divided... great video

Thanks!

Excelente 👍🏼

This is the first water heater video I've seen that mentions a partial heating element failure. My 80 gal. electric water heater just started to severely over heat. I bought new thermostats for it and it made no difference so I bought another set of thermostats thinking the first ones I got from Home Depot might have been the wrong ones but the second set I got from an appliance store didn't make any difference. The elements check okay with the ohm meter and I couldn't figure out what else could be the problem until watching this video. Guess I'll have to go get a clamp on amp meter to see if I have a partial element failure. The water heater is about 30 yrs old so the elements are probably worn out.

Thank you....

It's like a Sink Disposal. When your Water Disposal stops. You have too much garbage, it will stop. There's a red button under the disposal. Push it in, wait for a couple of minutes, then use your disposal again. If no go, you need a New One.

Great video and instructions i was debating changing both of the elements since the bottom one failed. Only 3 year old water heater in a new construction home. In the first 3 month of us moving in the anode rod was creating the rotton egg smell. Replaced it with a different metal ( dont remember what i changed to) . Could this change or my well water be the reason for the element to fail? Thank you for making this video! Cheers from Wisconsin!

Great Video. Going to do AMP test today. Yesterday. Had power to both elements with heater set to 120 but had no hot water being produced. I noticed that my elderly parents also have a breaker that is double pole 20amp breaker. I'm thinking the breaker and 12/2 wire is not enough for a water heater but that is what is there on their 1995 Double Wide. So..left there last night, hoping that it is making hot water or I find an AMP issue pointing to an element. Power is going through the elements but didn't have my multimeter with me so could not tell if getting 220v. Tks

Great video although I have a couple of questions. When checking both element wires with the multimeter, what is a tolerable range difference? I have 235v input voltage, so my current through those wires were 18.95A and 18.3A. Is that enough of a difference to cause an overheat problem? Also, why is my input voltage 235v and not 240v, and would that make a difference? BTW, both elements past the ohm test, so I am puzzled!

My daughter’s hot water keeping failing. The water heater is only a year old and under warranty. But nobody in the warranty department can come out and check the system. But they are willing to reimburse a local plumber $250.00. The problem is sometimes she has hot water. Other times she doesn’t. And at times when the hot water starts working, air comes out of the shower and faucet. A friend of hers said it’s an electric issue. He replaced the circuit breaker a few months ago and everything was working fine…for 3 months. Now it’s doing again 3-4 times a week. She keeps telling me to hit the reset button, but it’s doesn’t feel it tripped. Calling a plumber tomorrow.

Can you tell me how to check for amperage on my red multi-meter? You did a great job explaining this. Although the upper element heats the unit 75% and the bottom does a lot less work but the sediment is what causes it to go out first.

Well done! Thanks. Is it possible to ck Amps with a basic multimeter that doesn't have the amp clamp? Thx

Thanks. I have a multimeter but no amp clamp.

Great video! Thank you. One question though,my Rheem electric 50 gallon is giving me an error code that says the upper element is the issue however I replaced it and I’m still getting the same code, does this mean it’s a thermostat?

My water heater doesn’t have a reset button what should I do? Your help is appreciated

Fill the tank back up with water completely before turning the power on or you will ruin your brand new elements with no water in tank.

Was wondering about the green wire, mine rusted off and was wondering if it needs to be good back up like the ground wire? .....

He mentioned the reset button at the beginning and if it keeps popping. He never explained how or what is the issue with that reset button. That is what I wanted to know.

7:20 "we're being very safe cause the power's back on" 8:05 puts two fingers right on the element screws

13:15 Remember that any upward adjustment of the bottom t-stat setting should be readjusted to your original set point once you’ve completed your testing of the bottom element.

Great information. I just had a new hot water tank installed and the reset button keeps tripping. Now i know what questions to ask. Thank you.

Amperage is not a word. The word to use is Electrical Current. At least in Canada. Thanks. I’m an electrical contractor and was told, just today by the plumber installing a hot water tank, is that both upper and lower elements are isolated and only one comes on at a time. WHAT, we have always ran two 10 AWG wires and 30 A breaker. Looking for answers. If that is true I can 2255 W divide by 208 Volts and get a lower current and only need to run Number 12s or at least Number 14. With the voltage drop, number 12 is better.

if the thermostats are left without the foam in room temperature.. how does it know it overheats? I am confused by this. I did not put my foam back and it tripped after a couple days... But how would it even know to trip if it thinks it is at room temperature still?

@SmedleyPlumbing What causes the left top wire coming into the top thermostat to become red hot and burn?

Both elements & top and bottom thermostats have been replaced. Still poping rest occasionally... can the temp sensor that pops the reset malfunction?

My electric water heaters sequence is bottom goes first at set point set to 120F, is that normal or backwards? I replaced thermostat with same model WH10A..the top element turns on when i crank up the thermostat to 140ish..then at that 140 setting, the bottom element shuts down, no power coming in to the bottom element ..

How do you order the parts and where do we get them from for the heating elements and thermostat kit?

So what level of Multimeter do I need to be able to test a water heater Amperage? Mine has a 10 Amp probe jack and a 300 mA probe jack. I am thinking this is not adequate to test something with 18.75 Amps, right? This is an old Fluke 77 multimeter that my late husband had and I use it when I need to but I use a video each time pretty much. Thanks.

I just installed a brand new AOS 50 gal electric and it is only providing warm water no matter what I do to the temperature adjustment dial. Tried resetting the red button but it didn't budge.

I just replaced my hotwater heater today with an ao smith waterheater. I followed instructions filled take with water and ran hotwater faucet to get the air out. Wired the waterheater then cut the power on. No hot water after 2 hours. Press the reset button still no hot water. Then turned the temperature up to 150 still no hot water. Any suggestions

any reason this new home only has the bottom element wired in? the upper has no thermostat nor wiring connected.

Hi Mitch, any suggestion? I replaced both elements, the top relay (not the bottom yet) but we are still running out of hot water. Temp is set to 120ish. The only thing I can think of is the pressure tank hasn't been replaced yet and has a broken bladder. Maybe it is dumping too much cold water in to the hot water tank?

Mr Smedley what does it mean when my water heater has tripped the breaker box. This is the 2nd time this has happened?

I have water leaking from upper heating element area. (only one there is.) Do you think all will be well once I replace the element, or does the whole heater need replacing?

Still a little confused, how would you diagnose if the thermostat is not functioning?

Thanks for the video. If the heater element amp draw is correct and the reset button keeps popping, is it the thermostat?

Do you know what’s wrong with the breaker keep turning off? My friend said it might be the elements.

My reset button keeps tripping. Already replaced the thermostat and I have continuity with both elements. I don’t see any corrosion with the wiring. Very informative video but unfortunately I am still at a loss.

Hot water is working for a couple weeks then blows the fuse in my electric panel? Would a faulty element do that? Already replaced both upper and lower thermostats

Thank you for an excellent video. Very detailed and easy to follow. As an amateur, I would be shutting off the breaker way more often than you did just to be safe. One suggestion I would like to offer you has to do with the numerous times you said "ah" or "um" during the course of the video. You may not realize how often if occurred and it detracted from the overall quality of your presentation. Otherwise excellent job!

We have a very old Richmond water heater (model # 8V30-2) manufactured in 1998 which has recently started to overheat. I have heard that an element that has shorted out can cause it to receive constant power resulting in overheating. How is this possible? It's set at it's lowest setting but it's heating water to 165 degrees and it sometimes trips the reset button. I understand Richmond is made by Rheem and they have no references to that model number so parts will be hard to get.

Checked power at the outlet it’s good, checked power on the cord connection to the water heater and I’m getting OL, no reading at the thermostat. No volts no ohms. For some reason my ground wire was corroded the area the screw was in was also corroded. I took ground off brushed area to clean metal, cut wire put new end on and screwed it back down tight. Reset button stuck in out position, can not push in.

So de-enrgize when replacing parts....and when testing keep power on....is that right?

So my reset button has popped out about a handful of times and I pushed it back in so we could have hot water but now I have water in what looks to be like a drip pan at the very bottom could you possibly tell me what is going on?