https://imgur.com/a/9lGXd1FStarkNaked wrote:
An electric water heater element should be on a dedicated 110V breaker.
An electric water heater element should be hard wired directly from the breaker to the junction box on the water heater.
Here's how you described your wiring: "there is an electrical cord that is plugged into the outlet where the water heater tank is located. we tested that the electrical outlet works by plugging a phone charger into it".
This is NOT how a water heater element should be wired.
https://imgur.com/a/9lGXd1F
here are the pictures. the water heater is located under the kitchen sink and as you can see it has an electrical cord going to a single outlet.
