UPDATE - HELP! Home electrical issue.
- Thread starter ClassicBlue
- Start date
How far is your water heater from your breaker box? If it’s a good distance check the wire size. If the wires were undersized you will have voltage drop and your amp draw will jump up because of the under voltage. Also check your wire connections at the breaker, thermostat and elements. Loose or corroded connections equal heat and higher amp draw.
How long has this been going on for?
I think he said it did it with the old heater also.
Have someone check the heating elements in the water heater.
I'd disconnect the wiring at the water heater from that circuit and see what current flow remains. There's no guarantee that the breaker is just feeding the Water Heater.
Southern company called. They advise not to repair as they need to pay for defunct savannah river nuke reactors 3&4.
Swap breakers around to possibly eliminate bad one.
Backflow preventer present?
Loose junction , wirenut?
Age of house/install?
In for remedy fix.
Swap breakers around to possibly eliminate bad one.
Backflow preventer present?
Loose junction , wirenut?
Age of house/install?
In for remedy fix.
How long did you let the new heater work before you panicked and shut the breaker off again? It's going to take quite a while for a tank full of cold water to heat up (hours). And, while it's working, it's going to pull some serious current! Both elements are going to be active and your meter is going to become a gyroscope. Try setting your heater thermostats to 120 and let it sit. Once the water gets warm, they'll shut off (unless there's a hot water leak somewhere). Once you're satisfied with normal operation, up the thermostat to your desired setting (140). It'll kick on again but with only a 20 degree rise, should shut off in 30 minutes or so.
