no power to hot water heating element

[Pugtracker]

put in electric switch worked outsideworked fine prior. rain that night now no power to element, have power at switch. gas works fine. any ideas

[Pugtracker]

well i answered my own question it appear for a while my hot wire had been grounding out on the metal cover i took the thermostat cover off and found both sides melted and hard and brittle which i believe have been that way a while. new switch on the way. easy fix need to run new wires. will not pull them out until i have new ones to snake in. will post pic tonight

[1retired06]

Always nice to have a easy diagnosis. Electric issues can be such a pain to troubleshoot.

[Pugtracker]

the picture shows wires burnt to a crisp both sides of the hi low. I belive what happen was the power wire came up from the swith to the high/low switch and was cut by the face plate. But it has been a slow death by grounding out over the years. The rubber was all dry and crisp. Anyway i guess its just a learning thing as I had noticed the wire plugged into the the switch when i changed it two days ago looked burnt. I had to pull the wires down that were connected to the switch which caused the tiny short to become a big short. If it looks burnt something might be wrong. Hope i explained it clearly.

[racquetballfreq]

I think that I might have the same problem. however, the black cover over the hi/low switch doesn't seem to want to come off, (yes, I removed the two screws!). Any clues?

[DQDick]

Thanks for posting, another item for the memory bank.

[Art-n-Marge]

The cover can be stuck on pretty good over time as it's subjected to heat and the elements. When I took mine off it did take some effort after removing the screws and there's nothing else holding the cover on except for the tow screws. It sounds like yours might be stuck on more than mine.

Try using a pliers of some kind to pry it loose from being stuck. There might be gasket material or sealant that has become like glue holding it on. Be gentle that you don't crack apart the cover. Or maybe you can use a screw driving to gently get the cover removed. But there is nothing else supposed to be holding the cover on.

[racquetballfreq]

Thanks Art! I will give it a try. The element hasn't worked since we bought our "used" Mountaineer. I am guessing that the wires are fried as the element came out in pieces when I replaced it.

[racquetballfreq]

Well, I used a bigger hammmer and was able to get the cover off of the TStat Hi Limit Switch. There are (2) switches and the both have a vertical connecting wire. One of them was melted. I guess I will have to buy a new one. I tried to insert a picture, but no luck.

[bncinwv]

While performing the exploratory surgery operations on the water heaters, I would recommend checking any and all wire nut connections. They are a common source of loose connections which in turn result in excessive heat in the wires which can affect the wire insulation in an adverse manner.
Bingo

[racquetballfreq]

Thanks Bingo!!
Phil 4:8

[racquetballfreq]

After I was finally able to get the cover off to check the T-Stat/Hi Limit Switch, I put a meter on it and had 120V to it. I turned off every breaker, (even the main), and still had 120V! This doesn't seem right. Any clues?

[Pugtracker]

quote:Originally posted by racquetballfreq

After I was finally able to get the cover off to check the T-Stat/Hi Limit Switch, I put a meter on it and had 120V to it. I turned off every breaker, (even the main), and still had 120V! This doesn't seem right. Any clues?

see if you got power to the element if you do i would say its bad

we are in the yukon right now so cant get internet

[Pugtracker]

quote:Originally posted by racquetballfreq

After I was finally able to get the cover off to check the T-Stat/Hi Limit Switch, I put a meter on it and had 120V to it. I turned off every breaker, (even the main), and still had 120V! This doesn't seem right. Any clues?

just reread your issue still have 120 volts no clue would have to start at the breaker and trace it