- 1). Shut off power to the hot water tank. Locate the breaker at the circuit panel for the hot water tank and flip it to the off position.
- 2). Remove the top access door by unscrewing the screws that hold it in place. Set the panel and the screws aside.
- 3). Remove the insulation that is covering the water heater element. Set this where it will not get wet.
- 4). Remove the plastic shield covering the water heater element if there is one. Pulling on this gently should pop it right off.
- 5). Locate the two screws on what looks like the end of a large bolt. These screws are the element terminal screws. There will be one wire connected to each of the terminals.
- 6). Remove one wire from one of the terminals. Do this by loosening the screw with the screwdriver and gently pulling the wire away from the screw.
- 7). Set your multimeter to Rx1 or resistance times 1. If you are unsure how to do this on your multimeter, refer to the directions that came with it.
- 8). Touch each of the element terminal screws with one of the leads. Your multimeter should read a closed circuit if the element is still good. It will read "infinity" or "open circuit" if the heating element needs to be replaced.
- 9). Replace the heating element if you choose to do so following your hot water heater manufacturer's instructions.
- 10
Connect the wire back to the terminal screw it was removed from and tighten the screw to hold it in place. - 11
Return the plastic shield to the heating element by snapping it back into place. - 12
Replace the insulation and then the access panel. Screw the screws into place to secure the access panel to the hot water heater. - 13
Repeat steps 2 through 12 to test the bottom heating element. - 14
Flip the breaker switch at the circuit panel to the on position for the hot water tank once all testing and the possible replacement of elements has been completed.
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