My electric hot water heater quite and I replaced both elements. Still nothing. I pushed the reset button and it does not move much or click. I checked wires with multi meter and show nothing. I checked each leg of the breaker and show 120 on both sides. I show nothing checking both sides at once. Any ideas??

If it's not the elements the only thing left is the control panel then?

There is no control panel really. There are two heat elements, two thermostats, and a reset button which is just a breaker switch. I am lost why I don't show power when I check both legs at once and do checking each single.

You need to figure out why it is not reading 240v across both sides of the breaker. Did you try resetting it. Turn all the way off and back on.

The reason you see 120v on both legs is, one side is back feeding the other non working side.

I Have flipped that breaker close to a dozen times, maybe more. How can it read 120 on each side and nothing on the two?? I am lost.

That makes sense to me. I was wondering if it was the breaker. Do you think the reset button could be the cause?

Sounds like you have a bad breaker. It happens. I answered the question above your last post.

Ditto

2nd

Could be. But it just sounds like it is not getting power to it.

breakers are not very expensive and easy to replace , when your sure that is good the thermostats are not expensive or difficult to replace either


how old is it , did you check the cathode rod yet , you will want to replace that it is the sacrificial piece in the hot water heater when you run out of cathode , you start eating the drop tube , when you loose that you loose a lot of efficiency, get cold water much sooner than you should and start eating at the tank

Do you have any other 2 pole breakers in there? Such as an electric stove?

Greencountrypete it was put in Mar 2009. I never played with a cathode rod. How do I check it? I see something that hangs down inside and it moves. I take it that it?

Cur Dog I do have other 2 poles and they show 240 when checking both sides.

Swap them breakers and see if that fixes it.

I have spare rods if you need some MJM I removed a few from my water heaters when I hook up the heat exchange from the boiler. Off a 50 gallon ones I believe.

Good thinking ADC. I may have an extra 2 pole laying around too. I was just lost as to why I would not show 240 when checking the two poles. I am thing the reset button is fried too. I never played with one, but it is a $14 part.

What amp are the other breakers?

When you go after a new breaker, take the old one with you.

Read the voltage on the bars the breaker screws into. then read the voltage on the breaker when it is closed. If the breaker is good the voltage should be the same.

The water heater is a 30 amp. Stove and wife's kiln are on 50's.
And take my glasses. It is a 40 mile drive to town.

I just pulled the breaker and it has a smoked spot on the side. I am going to get a reset button too. To save a extra trip to town.