testing voltage at water heater

Dave H M wrote:
I thought you tested water heater elements by checking what kind of resistance (ohms) they have. Is what I did with mine. youtube has videos.

2 methods

Checking actual voltage..live circuit

Checking continuity.......dead circuit

I thought you tested water heater elements by checking what kind of resistance (ohms) they have. Is what I did with mine. youtube has videos.

yep its bad.

jlscjs wrote:

Old-Biscuit wrote:
With AC circuit breaker ON (CAUTION)
Electric element switch ON-----water in water heater!
You should read 120V AC at high limit t-stat (top ) and then 120V AC at normal t-stat (bottom terminal)
Then you should read 120V at element

Continuity --------power OFF

Just like post on 5/7/2015

2 terminals with 2 wires on element......1 black & 1 white

Test for 'continuity' between the 2 terminals........if no continuity element is bad

Test for 'continuity' between terminal with white wire and flange of element....if you have continuity then element is shorted and bad

I have tested and I get 0.L, this meaning I have no current flowing through the element, correct? I also now have an issue that when I hook it back up ( element) and flip the breaker it will kick off the breaker, any ideas what is going on?

Replace bad element

Old-Biscuit wrote:
With AC circuit breaker ON (CAUTION)
Electric element switch ON-----water in water heater!
You should read 120V AC at high limit t-stat (top ) and then 120V AC at normal t-stat (bottom terminal)
Then you should read 120V at element

Continuity --------power OFF

Just like post on 5/7/2015

2 terminals with 2 wires on element......1 black & 1 white

Test for 'continuity' between the 2 terminals........if no continuity element is bad

Test for 'continuity' between terminal with white wire and flange of element....if you have continuity then element is shorted and bad

I have tested and I get 0.L, this meaning I have no current flowing through the element, correct? I also now have an issue that when I hook it back up ( element) and flip the breaker it will kick off the breaker, any ideas what is going on?

With AC circuit breaker ON (CAUTION)
Electric element switch ON-----water in water heater!
You should read 120V AC at high limit t-stat (top ) and then 120V AC at normal t-stat (bottom terminal)
Then you should read 120V at element

Continuity --------power OFF

Just like post on 5/7/2015

2 terminals with 2 wires on element......1 black & 1 white

Test for 'continuity' between the 2 terminals........if no continuity element is bad

Test for 'continuity' between terminal with white wire and flange of element....if you have continuity then element is shorted and bad

Since it's a 120v heater, I would expect 120v.

Just a note, you can't have your fingers touching the probes or the reading will rise like you saw. To the meter we look much like a large capacitor charging.