On Sat, 18 Dec 2004 13:46:50 -0500, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

I won't disagree that the elements could *also* be bad, but "how the F"
will that trip a thermal breaker?


Some bottom thermostat setups only switch one side of the 220 going to
the element. If the element suffers a failure that allows current
leakage but isnt catastropic to the element you have a 110v potential
on one side and a nice ground path through the defect/water on the
other so the element can continue to heat at 110v with thermostat off.
Eventually it could get hot enough to pop the overheat on the top
thermostat

It would seem that the odds of this happening would be somewhere
around the odds of winning powerball but it is possible.

Steve B.