water heater problem

[Joe Crisara]

Hello, Can you offer me any advice? My water heater keeps shutting itself down. Though I have lowered the temperature gauage twice, the water gets unusally hot, and periodically the water heater shuts down, especially after I have run the dishwasher. I have been under the house hitting the reset buttons about five times in the last month. Now, I figure I better call for service. What should I know so that I am not overcharged? (This is an electric water heater.) Im amazed that you might be out there and be willing to answer this. Ill keep my eyes out on my email. Many Thanks! Barbara Gordon

[BarbaraParticipant]

Barbara – This is a common problem- not to worry ! The problem is with your thermostats. Any qualified plumber should be able to check it out in a matter of minutes. Most residential heaters have an upper and lower thermostat, and generally the lower one fails first, because it gets used the most. The most common complaint is that the water is excessively hot, and then , wallah, no hot water at all. If you call a plumber and your heater is 5 yrs or older, have him replace both thermostats. If your heater is 10 yr or older, consider replacing it. The newer heaters are much more energy efficient, and invest your service call in modern technology.

[BarbaraParticipant]

It could be your thermostats, but it can also be an element which has burned out in such a way as to bypass the thermostat and operate all the time, which overheats the water and turns off the reset switch. It runs out becasuse you have finally used ou all the superhot water you had stored in the heater. The reset kicked out long before you ran out of water.: Hello, Can you offer me any advice? My water heater keeps shutting itself down. Though I have lowered the temperature gauage twice, the water gets unusally hot, and periodically the water heater shuts down, especially after I have run the dishwasher. I have been under the house hitting the reset buttons about five times in the last month. Now, I figure I better call for service. What should I know so that I am not overcharged? (This is an electric water heater.) Im amazed that you might be out there and be willing to answer this. Ill keep my eyes out on my email. Many Thanks! Barbara Gordon

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