Originally Posted by
meester_jamie
the best way to check an element is with a clamp on ammeter... turn on the upper element,, clamp on red wire,, then the black wire,, compare the 2 readings, they should be the same. clamp on the cold water pipe. you should get zero current flow in the water pipe.
a bad element can short to ground, and bypass the temp switch,, it will be hot to neutral connection,, well,, hot to ground. so you will see current in the water pipe ground,, when this happens,, the tank usually overheats too. and the pressure relief will be wet or show signs of leaking.
If they are immersion elements,, drain the tank, have a wet vac handy, and pull out the bottom element, catch the water and lime with the wet vac .. if the element is buggered , it will probably take a bit of yanking to get it out,,, once out,, clean out the loose lime,, then install your new element..
good luck... a lot easier to install a new tank.. especially with ferule style compression fittings.. no soldering needed.
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