New one for me....H2o Element

[Rusty McNeil]

Just in case this helps someone else.....

First time ever seen a bad H20 Heater element staright off the shelf from Lowes.

Changed out both elements and both T-stats on Elect. H2o heater. Preventative maintenance, plenty of Hot h2o but had noticed the T-stats "cycling" alot lately, could hear them clicking on and off repeatedly, it was working fine but since I'm away on business so much I tend do do shit like this so I don't get a nasty bill from someone that had to do it for me while I was away, cheap insurance. like PM'ing the AC unit etc...

One of the elements "popped" on energization, could barely get it back out of the hole due to the way it split open...Considering what I do for a living I should have Ohm checked it and Megged it before I installed it.....takes forever to drain this damn thing.........:bang head:

Like a true gear head I installed 5500 watt elements instead of the stock 4500 watters, wire guage and t-stats were up to it so why not.....????

 

[SpecOps13]

:biglaugh:Great Work Rusty, Super Charged Water Heater.... Wish VMax's were so easy to mod...

 

[devine plumbing]

The upper element turns on first. Are you sure the heater was full of water before you turned the electricity back on. If the top of the tank was still full of air it would've popped the element immediately.

 

[Rusty McNeil]

The upper element turns on first. Are you sure the heater was full of water before you turned the electricity back on. If the top of the tank was still full of air it would've popped the element immediately.

Yep, Thanks for the tip. Pretty familair with them. I filled it and blew the air down til I got solid water to all the outlets before energizing the circut. The upper comes on first, and as long as it is on it locks out the bottom one, the bottom one can't turn on unless the top one is satisfied. System keeps both of 'em from coming on at the same time.
I'm not a plumber of course but use to be a decent electrician before moving on to utility substation commisioning.........

I put one of the old elements back in it little bit ago and all is well now....

 

[Miles Long]

I rent a water heater from our local utility. The current one is a Swedish-made, 40 gallon, 1x3000 watt stainless steel model. Still problem-free after 10 yrs. of service.
Prior to this one, I was replacing the water heater every two-three years, either because of tank leakage or element failure. These steel units were dual element, and not equipped with a anti-syphoning valve, as the new units are.
If there was a water line break, or the city shut off the water for servicing, sometimes the heater would syphon out , and the top element would fail.
Solar-powered domestic water pre-heaters are gaining popularity in this region. Being a very cost-concious(i.e.,cheap) individual, I constructed my own air-to air solar assembly a few years ago. I have the option of channeling the heated air directly into the warm-air ductwork of the house, or into the outer jacket of a pre-heater tank.
If your house is oriented with south-southwest roof exposure, you should look into solar heating. The potential BTU's available at your latitude and location would far exceed that of my neck of the woods (eastern Canada)
Cheers