Hot water heater tripping

[OBXTucker]

After recommissioning a few weeks ago, we haven't had any hot water.
Filled the tank, turned on the breaker and a day later nothing. Now the breaker trips. When trying to reset the breaker, the 220 trips as a fault at the main panel.

Any thoughts? Bad heating element or bad breaker?

Trying to figure out where to start first.

Thanks.

PS: yes, the tank has water, so I don't think I burned up the element. Not by lack of water anyways.

 

[SKYCHENEY]

May be a bad element or thermostat. Remove the incoming wires, tape them off and turn on the breaker. If it doesn't trip, then it is not the breaker or wiring.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

You most likely have a shorted heating element. Along those lines, our Hat has a heat exchanger in the tank that works from anti-freeze circulated through it from the port engine cooling system. Our engines run around 200 degrees and, on occasion, this much heat has caused a tripping of the overheat sensor on the tank. This is not an electrical device, but is a simple bi-metal. I reset it and all is good until another long, hard run.

 

[captddis]

200 degrees on Crusaders?????

 

[OBXTucker]

Thanks. I'll do the process of elimination Sky mentioned above. Need to get it fixed before the the Admiral comes aboard in two weeks.

 

[captddis]

I had the same problem on my old water heater. It was a chafed wire that would make contact with the case. Sometimes it worked and sometimes it tripped the breaker.

 

[OBXTucker]

Heating element. Cheapest repair of the last 2 years! And most necessary!