Dual Element Water Heater

Before checking any electrical parts of a water heater shut off the power to the heater s circuit by turning off the appropriate breaker in your home s service panel breaker box.

Dual element water heater.

A dual element water heater uses two heating elements controlled by two separate thermostats. Low density water heater elements use less watts of energy per square inch so they are made longer in length to make up the watts rating of the element. Fits most models of american ao smith bradford white craftmaster general electric. Copper sheathed zinc plated elements ahelp minimize galvanization that can limit service life while nickel based alloy sheath water heater elements are suited for areas with extremely hard water and high sulfur and lime content.

Typically the lower element goes first but that s not always the case. Sequence of operation for a dual element electric water heater the basic operation of a two thermostat system upper and lower on an electric water heater of 240 volt supply is as follows. It shows the parts of the circuit as simplified forms as well as the power and also signal connections in between the tools. The upper thermostat takes first priority heating the water to a preset temperature before powering up the lower thermostat to heat the water to its final temperature.

The upper element heats the upper portion of. Its universal design allows it to fit in most major brands of water heaters. A dual element water heater is a two thermostat system an upper and lower that heats water in its tank one element at a time. If the high limit switch fails to activate a pressure relief valve typically located against.

This screw in water heater element is constructed from copper tubing with magnesium oxide and zinc plating. If the water within the tank reaches a dangerously high level a switch called a high limit switch will automatically cut the power to both elements. Fortunately a few. Detailed instructions and a gasket are included with each packaged element.

A 4500 watt high density element generally has 30 square inches of surface area and a 4500 watt low density element generally has 60 square inches of surface area. Water heater elements keep electric water heaters in good repair. Electric water heaters are high voltage 240 volt appliances that are dangerous to work with when the power is on. A wiring diagram is a simplified conventional pictorial depiction of an electrical circuit.

Many modern homes come with dual element water heaters. Only one element will come on at any one time. This is known as a flip flop system. As with gas water heaters dual element electric water heaters feature a number of safety devices.