Having your hot water heater inspected after regular intervals is a good idea. This helps identify any issues early enough to fix them quickly without the need to have certain elements replaced. Regular inspections certainly help, but sometimes, you just cannot avoid a problem with your water heater. By developing some understanding of different hot water heater problems, you will be in a much better position to handle basic issues on your own.
In most cases, you will have to replace the heating elements to resolve certain issues. This would help if your electric heater runs out of water in no time, takes ages to heat, stops delivering any water, or has similar issues. You do not need to spend a lot of money to find replacement elements. Moreover, it is easy to find them at hardware stores, home centers, and appliance parts dealers. However, before you decide to replace anything, you should also bear in mind that a water heater comes with a typical life span of 10-15 years. Be sure to consider how old it is before going any further with electric water heater repair.
Keep in mind that there can always be many other causes of why you are not getting enough hot water. Therefore, it is not a good idea to have the elements replaced without checking for other issues. For instance, sometimes, the circuit breaker is tripped and refuses to turn on. Sometimes, you can fix the issue simply by resetting the high-temperature cutoff that you can find above the upper thermostat. If they trip again, chances are there is another electrical problem causing all this to happen.
If there seems to be no other issue, you may proceed to check the heating elements. You can tell that the problem is with the cutoff switch or thermostats if the heating elements seem to be working just fine. Here, you need to ensure that you turn off the power before testing, checking, and replacing the heating elements. There should be no power while you are performing an electric water heater repair. For this, find the circuit breaker and switch it off. Then, use the non-contact voltage detector to test for power.
The fact of the matter is that you can certainly handle basic performance issues on your own, but sometimes, you need to call in an expert to take care of electric water heater repair. Be sure to hire an experienced technician only because they will have the experience to handle tricky issues in a more controlled manner. Moreover, they will be quick to tell you if a repair would really help or your water heater is now old enough to be replaced. It means that a repair is not always the answer and only an expert can guide you in the right way. So, take your time, conduct your research, and put your money on an experienced, insured, and licensed technician to have your water heater repaired properly.