Lately our hot water has been running out very quickly, a lot quicker than it used to. I have an Whirlpool electric water heater with 2 elements with the top element has a reset switch.
I followed this guide to troubleshoot.
I checked the resistance of each element by removing a wire from each and measuring across the connectors for the element and I got 13 ohms on each one. I restored power to the unit and tested the voltage across the top element by turning the bottom thermostat to the lowest temp and the top one to the highest temp and got no voltage across the top element. I reversed the thermostats and tested the bottom element and got ~240 Volts on the bottom element so I figured the top controls were bad as the article indicated.
I replaced the top thermostat, making sure to label all the wires and reconnect them in the right place, but I'm still getting the same behavior, no voltage across the top element.
Is it possible that the top element is bad? I'm not sure what else to do at this point other than call a plumber.
UPDATE:
Apparently it is still not working. I did drain the tank, but the water looked pretty clear and it didn't seem to help any. Here is the extra info on the water heater:
The year is 2002.
The hot water runs out about 20-30 minutes. It used to last probably an hour at least.
It's a 40-gallon tank.
Best Answer
You may have already done this but not sure from your question. When testing the thermostats be aware that you must test the input and output sides. A thermostat is really just a switch. First be sure you have 240VAC on the input sides across the hot leads and 120VAC from each leg to ground. Now connect to the load or element side across the element and look for 240VAC as you turn on and off the thermostat. If you have an AMPROBE, confirm current flow when the thermostat is turned to the highest temp position, indicating current flow through the element, and conversely no current when the temp is satisfied. If the voltages are good on both sides of the thermostat, but no current, it is safe to assume the element is bad. If you do not get the changes in voltage at the load side when operating the thermostat min to max etc. the thermostat is bad. Have you drained the heater? Large amounts of sediment can indicate fouled elements or a partially plugged dip/transfer tube. Be sure to turn off power before draining and refill the tank before turning electricity back on. You can also find a toll free number for tech assistance online for all Whirlpool products and should be able to reach a real person in tech assistance that will help walk you through it. not sure if they will do that for the user, but they do that for us contractors all the time. Good luck.