240v 3800 watt electric water heater?
Dual 3800-Watt heating elements Existing heater wired to 2x 20A breakers Why is it only rated 3800 watts with 2 elements?
Forum Discussion
Actually, UPPER element is primary, LOWER is secondary. That means if both need to run, the UPPER is the one that actually does.
When hot water is pulled out at the top, cold water comes in at the bottom. When the bottom cools down, the lower element comes on to heat it. If you pull enough water out that the cold reaches the upper element, the lower element is cut off and the upper element cuts on. That way, it is only heating the top half of the tank, the half actually supplying hot water to the outlet. When the top half of the tank gets hot (after you turn off the water), the upper element cuts off, and the lower element cuts back on till the whole tank is hot again.
When hot water is pulled out at the top, cold water comes in at the bottom. When the bottom cools down, the lower element comes on to heat it. If you pull enough water out that the cold reaches the upper element, the lower element is cut off and the upper element cuts on. That way, it is only heating the top half of the tank, the half actually supplying hot water to the outlet. When the top half of the tank gets hot (after you turn off the water), the upper element cuts off, and the lower element cuts back on till the whole tank is hot again.
