How to Deal With an Overheating Water Heater

If your water heater has been overheating, it could pose serious dangers to those inside the home. To keep all parties safe and prevent further property damage, immediately turn off its power source to stop further damage to the unit and ensure everyone’s well-being.

Once the breaker has been turned off, remove both covers from your electric water heater to expose its thermostats and access its controls.

After turning off the breaker and exposing the thermostats, it’s a good idea to consult a professional like PlumbTech Plumbing and Heating for safe and effective water heater repair.

1. Check the thermostat

The thermostat is an electrical switch that informs heating elements when to switch on or off so they don’t overheat, and when its signal doesn’t arrive, it cannot turn them off. This is one of the more frequent issues associated with hot water heaters.

OPEN the access panel on the front of your tank, remove insulation, and look inside for a red button – press it in to reset the thermostat if it trips again; otherwise, replace it. 

For an additional check, you could also use a multimeter to check the continuity between upper and lower heating elements and respective thermostats; you should expect 13 Ohms resistance; otherwise, your thermostat may be defective and addressed professionally.

2. Turn it down

If your water heater’s temperature setting is higher than necessary, this could contribute to its issues. Water temperatures exceeding 125 F can cause severe burns and even fatalities from scalding; lowering this number will improve safety and save money.

Adjusting requires turning off both power and gas supplies before making modifications; doing so could prevent accidents or explosions.

3. Check the pressure relief valve

Pressure relief valves are essential to prevent flooding and possible death. A dripping pressure relief valve indicates there may be an issue and should either be cleaned or replaced as soon as possible.

Your unit features a small opening on its side, which can be opened by pulling up on a lever, but beware, as hot water could potentially scald you! If it doesn’t open, sediment may be stuck inside; flushing it with water might help or hiring professional services is recommended to clear away this blockage. Consider having it professionally installed to make sure everything works smoothly.

4. Check the element

Most electric water heaters utilize two heating elements – thick metal loops that heat when electricity passes through them – controlled by separate thermostats to regulate water temperatures in your home.

Mineral deposits often coat lower or upper heating elements, forcing them to work harder to heat your water, ultimately leading to their malfunction or burning out altogether.

Once you’ve reset the high-temperature limit switch and turned on your electric water heater, use a multimeter to check the upper heating element. With it set on continuity or “Ohms,” connect one lead from each screw on the face of the component; when testing resistance, it should register around 13 ohms; otherwise, something is broken and should be replaced immediately.

5. Turn off the power

Water heaters are integral parts of a home, yet they can become dangerous if something goes awry. Exposure to too hot of water could result in burns or scalds for anyone using it – particularly children or elderly adults.

Turning off power to a water heater is the safest way to avoid an unsafe situation until a professional can inspect and address its cause. This can be accomplished by turning off its gas valve or flipping its circuit breaker off.

Electric water heaters use one or two heating elements to warm the water. Still, these can become worn and ground out over time, failing to shut off when requested by their thermostat, producing too hot of a supply until ultimately breaking down completely.