Water heater, electric heater not working

When mine wouldn't heat I just went straight to the back of the element. Voltage present and no hot water? Element bad.

Various problems found by others when WH not working on electric include:

- bad heating element
- bad thermostat
- bad hi temp cutout switch
- bad on/off switch
- loose neutral wire connection in junction box on back of WH
- bad/loose wire connections else where in circuit
- tripped breaker

With a voltmeter and the schematic shown above you should be able to isolate the problem if you are comfortable troubleshooting 120 vac electric.

Like usual, Old-Biscuit covered the workings very well. He also mentioned, if turned on, no water in tank, element will burn out. I always make sure to check/push outside switch to off, before draining heater. It's just too easy to forget! If you plug the trailer in, switch on, the element is toast, if tank is empty.

Jerry

You do realize that the electric side works ONLY from 120 V AC.....right ??
And it probably needs 12 V DC for the control circuit too.

ktmrfs wrote:
first, if you have a switch for the AC element inside the trailer check and make sure the switch outside in the wh is also set to ON. most of the time they are set off and you need to change it. then the inside switch will turn on the element. the inside switch is a 12V signal to a relay inside the wh control board.

Not quite......

Suburban electric is a DIRECT fed from a AC Circuit Breaker to On/OFF switch to the set of t-stats then to element

(Atwood uses the 12V DC relay for AC element)

Yes..
If you have an ON/OFF switch inside RV then the OEM outside switch has to be ON also (lower left corner)

Also check that the High T-stat has not tripped.....Rubber cover in outside compartment 'Push To Reset' (if tripped you will feel resistance as you reset------Left side for AC/Right side for LP)


If switches are ON and Hi T-stat didn't trip/is reset then you should have 120V AC at element (Voltage between Black wire terminal & White wire terminal)

No voltage......turn switch OFF and measure continuity between the two terminals (Should have continuity)
And 'No Continuity' between Black wire terminal and element flange

IF tests good then remove cover over t-stats and see if 'connecting wire' between Hi and Normal t-stat has burnt in to

IF turned on without water......element burnt out

first, if you have a switch for the AC element inside the trailer check and make sure the switch outside in the wh is also set to ON. most of the time they are set off and you need to change it. then the inside switch will turn on the element. the inside switch is a 12V signal to a relay inside the wh control board.