"herlihyboy" wrote in message
oups.com...
I currently have fuse box with two 30 amp fuses in it. It keeps
blowing a fuse [always the right side] and lately, has been blowing
them almost weekly. My father-in-law thinks it may be sediment
build-up and the bottom element needs to be changed out.

Did it ever not blow them? Blowing a fuse is a sign something is wrong.
Water heaters don't have surges (like motors) so they should never blow a
fuse.

I'm going to try this first. However, I'd like to also upgrade and put
a standard breaker box in instead. I have a separate meter/service
dedicated to the hot water heater. It's a 50 gallon heater. An
electrician said they typically put in a 30 amp breaker for this size
water heater.

First check the heater nameplate to see how many amps it draws. If it only
give watts, divide by 240v. If it is below 30a, a new service will probably
be a waste of money. If it is above 30a you have discovered why it is
blowing fuses. If you can get your hands on an ampmeter, see how many amps
it really draws; if it is more than the rating, there is a problem with it.

Second, check your wiring. It had better be #10 to go with the 30a fuses.

Third, if 1&2 are okay, replace the element as your fil suggested, or the
whole heater.

Does this sound right to you all? Any other advice would be
appreciated. I'll have public utility turn off the service before I do
the work. I'm also getting estimates on having an electrician do the
work. If it's reasonable [so far, between $100 and $150], I'll
probably have them do it. Not because I'm not able, but because I'm
not as familiar with codes on this sort of work.

I am not sure I would do it for $150, and I am a lot cheaper than an
electrician.

TIA,

Ryan