Operating Guide

18 • Residen al Electric Water Heater Use and Care Guide
5
Check/Reset Energy Cut Off
(ECO) Bu on.
Figure 23 - Energy Cut Off (ECO) button
The Energy Cut Off (ECO) shuts off power
to the water heater’s elements if the
temperature of the water in the tank gets
too hot. If the ECO has tripped, you’ll have
no hot water. A tripped ECO can usually
be reset, but you should have a qualifi ed
person inves gate the cause of the over-
hea ng and repair the problem. Do not
turn the power back on un l the cause of
the overhea ng has been iden fi ed and
repaired.
To check the Energy Cut Off (ECO)
• Turn off the power to the water heater.
WARNING! Working near an energized
circuit can result in severe injury or death
from electrical shock. Check power wires
in the electrical junc on box with a non-
contact circuit tester to make sure power
is off .
• Press the red ECO reset button (see
photo above).
• The ECO was tripped if you hear a
click when it is reset. In most cases,
a tripped ECO indicates that the tank
overheated due to a problem with one
of the elements or thermostats—have
a qualified person check the upper and
lower elements and thermostats and
replace if necessary.
• The ECO was not tripped if you didn’t
hear a click. In that case, the upper
thermostat should be checked by a
qualified person.
• Replace the insulation and the upper
access panel.
• Turn off the power to the water heater.
WARNING! Be sure all covers are secured
to reduce the risk of fi re and electric
shock.
Insuffi cient Hot Water or
Slow Hot Water
Recovery
WARNING! Because of the increased
risk from scalding, if you set the water
heater’s thermostat(s) higher than 120°F,
Thermosta c Mixing Valves at each
point-of-use are par cularly important
(page 4).
If the hot water is simply not warm
enough, there are several possible causes:
• Faulty Thermostatic Mixing Valve in a
faucet or shower control (check other
faucets in the house for hot water)
• One (or both) of the thermostats set
too low
• Water heater’s capacity too small (or
usage too high)
• Reversed plumbing connections or
melted dip tube (usually found soon
after new installation)
• Plumbing leak
• Bad lower heating element (or lower
thermostat)
• Low supply voltage
Thermosta c Mixing Valves. If the hot
water is simply not warm enough, make
sure the faucet you are checking doesn’t
have a defec ve Thermosta c Mixing
Valve. Many shower controls now have
built-in mixing valves. If these devices fail,
they can reduce the amount of hot water
the shower or faucet delivers even though
there is plenty of hot water in the tank.
Always check the water temperature at
several faucets to make sure the problem
is not in a faucet or shower control.
Thermostats set too low. If the water
temperature at several faucets is too cool,
adjust the thermostat(s) according to the
instruc ons in Step 10 of the Installa on
sec on of this manual.
Undersized water heater. If your water
heater runs out of hot water too quickly,
it may be too small for your needs. If the
water heater is old, consider replacing it
with a larger model. If the water heater
is in good condi on, you may be able to
meet your family’s hot water needs with
the exis ng water heater by installing
Thermosta c Mixing Valves at each point-
of-use and then turning the thermostat(s)
to a higher se ng. See “Step 10” on page
15.
You can also reduce your home’s hot
water needs by washing clothes in cold
water, installing fl ow restrictors on shower
heads, repairing leaky faucets, and taking
other conserva on steps.
Reversed connec ons or melted dip
tube. Check the hot and cold connec ons
and make sure your home’s hot water
pipe is connected to the hot water outlet
on the water heater. Usually, reversed
connec ons are found soon a er the
installa on of a new unit. If copper pipes
were soldered while they were a ached
to the water heater, the dip tube may
have melted. The dip tube is a long plas c
tube inside the tank a ached to the cold
water inlet. If the dip tube has melted,
it can be replaced by removing the cold
water inlet connec on, removing the old
dip tube and installing a new one.
Plumbing leak. Even a small leak in the
hot water side of the home’s plumbing
system can make it appear that the water
heater is producing li le to no hot water.
Locate and repair the leak.
Lower hea
ng element not working.
If the lower hea ng element (or, more
rarely, the lower thermostat) is not work-
ing, you will have some hot water but not
as much as before. Because the lower
element does most of the work, the lower
element usually wears out before the up-
per element. Replace the lower element
and/or thermostat if necessary (see page
21).
TROUBLESHOOTING