How To Check Continuity On A Hot Water Heater Thermostat

You can turn off the power and check for continuity by measuring resistance or you can leave the power on and check the voltage.

How to check continuity on a hot water heater thermostat. To check the thermostat settings. In the case of screw terminals loosen the screws with an appropriate screwdriver and remove the wires. Look for the panels attached with. 1 turn the electrical supply to the water heater off at the service.

For thermostats on gas hot water heaters you will need to see the article gas water heater thermostats for more information. The reading on the multimeter should be zero. If you want to test a thermostat on an electric water heater you will also need to check the heating element. Turn off the power to the water heater in the service panel.

Turn off the breaker inside your main electric panel providing power to the water heater. You want to use the water heater tester to check terminals 1 and 2 on the upper element this will be the lower set of 1 and 2 terminals. Most electric water heaters use a 30 amp double pole circuit breaker. The lower thermostat has only two terminals.

You ll see a metal plate near the base of the hot water heater. Leave the upper thermostat in the lowest setting and test the lower thermostat. You should get a glow or light if the contacts are engaging. Remove the metal cover so you can see the water heater s thermostat.

You will also need to check the water heater thermostat with digital multimeter tools. You can check the thermostats with a multimeter in one of two ways. Use a philips head screwdriver to take out the screws holding the metal plate in place. This is important especially as open and grounded heating elements result in inaccurate tests.

Fortunately checking the continuity of a heating element can be done in just a few steps with a minimum amount of equipment. Disconnect the wires from the thermostat to be tested. If you re experiencing this problem it s possible that one or both of your water heater s thermostats is set too high. Remove the access panel insulation and plastic safety guard from each heating element on the water heater.

To look for faults you will need to use a screwdriver. Touch one probe of the multimeter to each terminal on the lower thermostat. Under the plate you ll see the water heater s thermostat and heating elements.