Got 5 minutes of hot water then cold. replaced both elements and thermos. still 5 minutes of hot water. power bill increased nearly 400% in 30 days. HELP!!! please.

It appears that the water heater has 2 elements but on 1 thermostat, I would hope that there is an upper and lower thermostat . If water heater has just been installed the cold water feed is hooked to the hot water discharge, Cold water to cold hot to hat. They are marked on top of unit..Or the unit was powered up before tank was fully purged. If there is only 1 thermostat Shut power down and using a DMM check resistance on upper heating element and compare to lower. If the element is damaged it will show a high resistance. You can buy replacement elements, at box stores.
https://hw.menardc.com/main/items/media/RHEEM001/Install_Instruct/StandardElec_UC.pdf

I had this same EXACT problem. I replaced both elements, and STILL no hot water. Power to everything, but no hot water. So, I got online, and got educated.

THEN what I did was to replace the Thermostats, both the top (master) and the bottom. Cost was reasonable, I think all told it was 24.00 for both elements, and about 40.00 for both thermos. Got the thermos at the same plumbing supply store where I got the elements.

This fixed my problem, I now have great hot water.

The way the water heater works is that the top thermo is the master, and when the water needs to be heated, it turns on the bottom one first. This is because that when you turn on a tap, the hot water is taken from the TOP of the tank, and the new water coming into the tank comes in to the BOTTOM. This means that during normal operation, the water in the top of the tank will pretty much stay hot, and only the water in the bottom will need to be heated. Your bad Thermostats are not reading the temperature any more, so it isn't sending power, (or rather grounding) the circuit to the elements. Since the entire tank is cold, it is probably the top one that is bad, since it turns on the the lower element (or, I should say, the lower thermostat) FIRST. The elements always have power, the switch in the thermos just works by grounding, and thereby completing, the circuit.

Either one of your thermos could be bad, or both. I thought for myself that if one went bad, then it won't be long till the other goes bad too, so I just replaced them both. On mine, they just snapped out, and snapped back in, they just kind of sit against the tank, and there is only 4 or 5 wires to hook back up.

I am assuming that you are competent to do it, since you already know how to replace the elements, and obviously have a voltage tester to see if you have power everywhere you supposed to have it. One thing, too, make sure that both of the Temperature Stettings on the thermostats are exactly the same. You do not want one to read 125, and the other to read 150, or whatever. Set them both to the same temp.

This should fix ya, and it is a heck of a lot cheaper than a whole new water heater. The only reason to completely replace an electric hot water heater is if the tank has rusted through and is leaking, or if it has filled up with sediment. Or physically damaged in some irrepairable way. Other than that, this cheap repair should do it.

Good Luck To You.

Hello Rsjohnson164,

I understand that you are having a problem with your hot-water tank not producing any amount of hot-water. I would suggest that you turn off the cold water supply to your hot water tank and drain the tank and see how much water comes out of it.

Flush the tank:
1. Turn off the cold water supply
2. Hook a water hose to the boiler valve (spicket on the bottom of the tank) and turn on the valve
3. Turn on the cold water inlet line and let it run for about 15 minutes or until you get good pressure coming out.

Check the Elements:
1. Turn off the power to the hot-water tank
2. Remove the service panels
3. Remove one wire from the element and use a multi-meter to check continuity
4. If no continuity replace one or both elements

If you do all of this and still have a problem repost to this thread and we will check your thermostats to make sure they are working properly.

Thank you for choosing FIxYa.com

Justin

I am guessing this is an ele water heater and the temp setting are not the problem.
Problem: Not enough hot water or water temperature too low. When the top of the tank is hot the upper thermostat removes power from the upper heating element and transfers the power to the lower thermostat and heating element. If the lower thermostat is defective, then the lower portion of the tank will not be heated and the supply will be greatly reduced.
Check for power at the upper thermostat terminals where the power is sent to the lower thermostat and heating element. If there is no power then the upper thermostat should be replaced. If there is power then check for power at the lower heating element. If there is no power at the lower heating element then replace the lower thermostat.
If there is power to the lower heating element then it should be getting hot. If it is not, replace it. Another possibility is a broken dip tube. Check for a broken dip tube and replace if necessary.

The dip tub is located under the fitting where the hot water comes out.

Most electric hot water heaters have two thermostats, one near the top of the tank and one near the bottom, and are covered by removable metal cover plates. The thermostats are pressed firmly against the bare metal wall of the hot water heaters tank.

The top thermostat usually has a high limit switch that will trip if the water gets too hot. When it trips it shuts off the electricity to both the upper and lower heating elements.

To reset the high limit switch there is usually a red button that you must press. When the upper limit switch trips it is often an indication that something else has gone wrong with the heater.

When the top of the tank is hot the upper thermostat removes power from the upper heating element and transfers the power to the lower thermostat and heating element. If the lower thermostat is defective, then the lower portion of the tank will not be heated and the supply will be greatly reduced.
Check for power at the upper thermostat terminals where the power is sent to the lower thermostat and heating element. If there is no power then the upper thermostat should be replaced. If there is power then check for power at the lower heating element. If there is no power at the lower heating element then replace the lower thermostat.
If there is power to the lower heating element then it should be getting hot. If it is not, replace it. Another possibility is a broken dip tube. Check for a broken dip tube and replace if necessary.

Hope this helps out

I suggest taking 30 minutes and testing water heater parts.
Right away we know 2 things:
-Electricity to heater is good.
-Upper element is receiving power because you have some hot water. If upper element was burned out, you would have no hot water.

That leaves 5 suspects:
Upper thermostat.
Lower thermostat.
Loose or shorted wire.
Upper element shorted to ground near center of element.
Lower element shorted or damaged in some manner.

Buy $10 milti-meter from Home Center or hardware
When test calls for testing voltage, rotate multimeter dial to 240-250-277 VAC.
When test calls for testing elements or continuity, rotate multimeter dial to Ohms.
Take 30 minutes and go down page.
Test will identify problem(s) and show how to fix it yourself.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-troubleshoot-electric-water-heater.html

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Hello Bill The temp stat is a square box clipped in under the elements .Can be replaced in 5 minutes.Need a large flat screwdriver.

Some elements will read with a meter good until they heat up.

Hot water then going to ice cold top element is working and bottom bad. Luke warm water and then goes cold bottom element good and top element bad.

Elements and thermostats are not to exspensive to replace.

If you have power only two thing's left are the thermostat's and the elements.

Makes you feel good to save some money right? Have a great day!

It sounds like you might have scale buildup on the elements. If its a dual element unit it will ground it self out and it sounds like its boiling. constance usage of electricity, but no water usage. Drain it, and pull the element and replace the element.