In recent times, the technology of water heater has been significantly improved. Tankless units gain so much attention from a lot of house owners. However, if you are searching for a water heater that can work more efficiently and is much more affordable than the tankless model, you may want to consider a dual-element water heater.
Not familiar with the name yet? The passage below will show you how a dual-element water heater works, perform troubleshooting for this equipment, and many more.
Dual Element Water Heater Troubleshooting
Even though electric powered water heater has existed for a considerably long time, there is a new technology improvement carried by the dual-element models.
Basic electric water heater only involves one heating element to heat the water. Meanwhile, with dual-element units, as the name implies, there will be two heat elements located at the upper and bottom parts of the water tank. One element is accompanied by one thermostat, and typically, only one operates at one time.
The upper element will run first to begin the heating up process, and then after the water reaches the temperature on dual-element water heater settings, it will turn off. From here, the bottom elements will take off the rest of the work.
Read also: Read also: Bad Water Heater Element Symptoms
If you own one and you currently encounter some issue with the operation, you may try several troubleshooting guides in the following:
- If the water is not hot: Check if the power is already turned on, check the upper element and thermostat, and check the fuse box or circuit breaker.
- If the water is not hot enough: Check if you have set the temperature correctly, check the thermostats or elements, check the fill tube or the dip, or check if you use a unit too small for your household.
- If the water is too hot: Adjust the temperature settings, check the thermostat function or if it’s fit too tight to the water tank, and check the ground element.
- If the hot water recovery is too slow: Adjust the temperature, check the elements, thermostats, or wire connections, or see if there’s built-up of sediments on the elements.
- If the water heater makes unnecessary noise, check the heat trap or see if there’s a build-up of sediments on the elements.
Will a Water Heater Work with One Element?
Don’t worry yet for those of you who have a dual-element water heater, and only one element can work. Your unit can still operate even if the bottom elements cannot function. That being said, it won’t run as efficiently, and you are most likely won’t get as much hot water as you’d like.
However, does a dual-element water heater work still if the upper element doesn’t function properly? The case will be different if it’s the upper element that fails. If this component is not working, then your water heater won’t produce any hot water because the thermostat on the bottom element won’t be triggered.
