Water Heater Upper Lower Thermostat Settings

When it goes bad you don t have any hot water at all.

Water heater upper lower thermostat settings.

An upper and a lower located under two control panels. It s not necessary that both thermostats will do the same work their work can vary according to the water heater unit. Keep in mind that the thermostat is factory preset to a recommended temperature and changing the setting may increase the potential for serious burns. According to the u s.

This article deals with thermostats on electric water heaters. The standard residential electric water heater control circuit consists of a manual reset high limit switch an upper thermostat lower thermostat two heating elements and wires. 1 turn off the circuit breaker to the water heater. Adjusting an electric hot water heater temperature thermostat setting.

If the faucet remains on eventually the upper thermostat drops below 140 degrees which turns on the upper element and turns off the lower element. Marker to mark the setting on your thermostat. The upper thermostat is the primary one that contains the high limit switch and the lower thermostat is used to detect the change in the temperature of the water. Thermometer for testing the water temperature.

The cold water turns on the lower element and begins preheating the lower tank. Adjusting an electric hot water heater temperature thermostat setting is a little more involved but still relatively easy. When power is initially turned on to the unit the upper element is energized and heats the water in the upper third of the tank see figure 1. I m guessing that setting your top thermostat to a 150 would give you small amount of really hot water rather quickly while setting the upper and lower thermostats evenly to a moderate temperature 115 125 would be your quickest way to get a full tank of hot water.

Hot water heater settings are easy to adjust although electric heaters will require a screwdriver and possibly a small wrench or socket. As a safety precaution shut off the electricity to the water heater before removing opening the panels. The majority of electric water heaters have two thermostats. Testing water heater thermostats is important in locating water heater problems.

Most manufacturers recommend changing the lower thermostat setting while leaving the upper thermostat at the factory setting. Keep in mind that an electric water heater may have two thermostats one each for the upper and lower heating elements. Although manufacturer s usually set water heaters at 140 degrees f you can reduce your carbon footprint and save money by adjusting your water heater thermostat.