Water Heater Upper Lower Thermostat Settings

The upper thermostat controls both the upper and lower element.

Water heater upper lower thermostat settings.

Keep in mind that the thermostat is factory preset to a recommended temperature and changing the setting may increase the potential for serious burns. The upper thermostat is the primary one that contains the high limit switch and the lower thermostat is used to detect the change in the temperature of the water. When it goes bad you don t have any hot water at all. As a safety precaution shut off the electricity to the water heater before removing opening the panels.

If the faucet remains on eventually the upper thermostat drops below 140 degrees which turns on the upper element and turns off the lower element. According to the u s. Adjusting an electric hot water heater temperature thermostat setting is a little more involved but still relatively easy. Although manufacturer s usually set water heaters at 140 degrees f you can reduce your carbon footprint and save money by adjusting your water heater thermostat.

The standard residential electric water heater control circuit consists of a manual reset high limit switch an upper thermostat lower thermostat two heating elements and wires. 1 turn off the circuit breaker to the water heater. Marker to mark the setting on your thermostat. It s not necessary that both thermostats will do the same work their work can vary according to the water heater unit.

Adjusting an electric hot water heater temperature thermostat setting. An upper and a lower located under two control panels. Department of energy for each 10 degree reduction in water temperature you can save between 3 and 5 percent in energy costs. I m guessing that setting your top thermostat to a 150 would give you small amount of really hot water rather quickly while setting the upper and lower thermostats evenly to a moderate temperature 115 125 would be your quickest way to get a full tank of hot water.

When power is initially turned on to the unit the upper element is energized and heats the water in the upper third of the tank see figure 1. The majority of electric water heaters have two thermostats. The upper element stays off because there is still 140 degree water at the top of the tank. Hot water heater settings are easy to adjust although electric heaters will require a screwdriver and possibly a small wrench or socket.

This article deals with thermostats on electric water heaters. Thermometer for testing the water temperature. Testing water heater thermostats is important in locating water heater problems.