This morning was the coldest day of the year in the Washington DC area
- a bone-chilling 21 degrees F. I stepped into my shower and lo and
behold - no hot water! I scurried to the basement, checked the main
circuit breaker and the water heater/deep well pump breaker and
everything was on - they did not trip.

I went to the water heater - a Bradford White Hydrojet that is less
than 3 years old - opened the upper panel, pushed the red reset button,
heard it click, and waited a few minutes. Later, I felt the copper tube
on top warming up again and when I checked the water faucets, the water
was starting to get warm. I had to leave for work so I didn't have a
chance to see if it would trip again. I'm now in the office for 3 hours
and the wife has not called, so I am assuming things are back to
normal.

I have done a fair amount of reading on the subject but, given the
relatively young age of this unit, I don't believe there is anything
wrong with the thermostats or the heating elements.

So my question is - is this just a fluke, an act of God, a one-time
random event that may never happen again? What could have caused it to
trip without the main breaker going off? Could the cold weather have
anything to do with it? What about the fact that our water source is a
deep well pump?

I guess I'm just looking for a rational explanation, so that I will
have peace of mind if the heater switch does not trip again.
Thanks for any insights, tips, comments, etc.

On 16 Dec 2004 05:16:26 -0800, wrote:

This morning was the coldest day of the year in the Washington DC area
- a bone-chilling 21 degrees F. I stepped into my shower and lo and
behold - no hot water! I scurried to the basement, checked the main
circuit breaker and the water heater/deep well pump breaker and
everything was on - they did not trip.

I went to the water heater - a Bradford White Hydrojet that is less
than 3 years old - opened the upper panel, pushed the red reset button,
heard it click, and waited a few minutes. Later, I felt the copper tube
on top warming up again and when I checked the water faucets, the water
was starting to get warm. I had to leave for work so I didn't have a
chance to see if it would trip again. I'm now in the office for 3 hours
and the wife has not called, so I am assuming things are back to
normal.

I have done a fair amount of reading on the subject but, given the
relatively young age of this unit, I don't believe there is anything
wrong with the thermostats or the heating elements.

So my question is - is this just a fluke, an act of God, a one-time
random event that may never happen again? What could have caused it to
trip without the main breaker going off? Could the cold weather have
anything to do with it? What about the fact that our water source is a
deep well pump?

I guess I'm just looking for a rational explanation, so that I will
have peace of mind if the heater switch does not trip again.
Thanks for any insights, tips, comments, etc.


imho:
Sometimes breakers just go bad. You can verify this with a clamp on
amp meter. Which should only be done by safely trained professionals.

later,

tom @ www.FindMeShelter.com

wrote:
On 16 Dec 2004 05:16:26 -0800, wrote:


This morning was the coldest day of the year in the Washington DC area
- a bone-chilling 21 degrees F. I stepped into my shower and lo and
behold - no hot water! I scurried to the basement, checked the main
circuit breaker and the water heater/deep well pump breaker and
everything was on - they did not trip.

I went to the water heater - a Bradford White Hydrojet that is less
than 3 years old - opened the upper panel, pushed the red reset button,
heard it click, and waited a few minutes. Later, I felt the copper tube
on top warming up again and when I checked the water faucets, the water
was starting to get warm. I had to leave for work so I didn't have a
chance to see if it would trip again. I'm now in the office for 3 hours
and the wife has not called, so I am assuming things are back to
normal.

I have done a fair amount of reading on the subject but, given the
relatively young age of this unit, I don't believe there is anything
wrong with the thermostats or the heating elements.

So my question is - is this just a fluke, an act of God, a one-time
random event that may never happen again? What could have caused it to
trip without the main breaker going off? Could the cold weather have
anything to do with it? What about the fact that our water source is a
deep well pump?

I guess I'm just looking for a rational explanation, so that I will
have peace of mind if the heater switch does not trip again.
Thanks for any insights, tips, comments, etc.



imho:
Sometimes breakers just go bad. You can verify this with a clamp on
amp meter. Which should only be done by safely trained professionals.

later,

tom @ www.FindMeShelter.com



Tom, it appears you missed the entire point of the OPs message, the "red
button" is a THERMAL overload, not an overcurrent one. While your
statement about "breakers" is valid, the only part about it which is
pertinent is that if the OP doesn't have the skills and knowledge to
work on and/or change out a water heater thermostat then he SHOULD call
in a professional.

The "most likely" cause of it tripping is that either the upper or lower
thermostat got "sticky" and didn't open, and the temperature in the
heater rose to the point where the thermal overload tripped. I've never
seen one "trip by itself" with water in the normal temperature
range.(I'm assuming that since you mentioned opening the "upper panel",
there's a lower one too, so there's two thermostats on your water heater.

Chances are that even if the sticky operating thermostat reopened, it'll
stick again in the near future. (Things which go away by themselves
usually come back by themselves, y'know. G) The safest thing to do is
to replace the sticking if you know enough to be able to circuit trace
and catch which one is stuck, otherwise change out BOTH thermostats,
they're cheap enough.

You may very well be able to get a replacement thermostat at no cost
under warranty if you know which one it is. But, since they're
relatively cheap and available at Home Cheepo, waiting for the factory
to exchange one under warranty isn't much of an option.

HTH, and Happy Holidays,

Jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

I can back-up Jeff's advice.

In the first house I owned, I had exactly the same experience with a water heater that was 2 years old. Temp safety switch
tripped for "no reason", I reset it, tripped again a couple weeks later, then it became more frequent. Along the way, I
noticed that the hot water was intermittently a lot hotter than normal.

Flipped a coin and decided to replace the upper thermostat which did not fix it, so I replaced the lower one which *did* fix
it. Like Jeff said, they're cheap and if I have the same experience again I'll just replace both.

Eric Law

EL wrote:

I can back-up Jeff's advice.

In the first house I owned, I had exactly the same experience with a water heater that was 2 years old. Temp safety switch
tripped for "no reason", I reset it, tripped again a couple weeks later, then it became more frequent. Along the way, I
noticed that the hot water was intermittently a lot hotter than normal.

Flipped a coin and decided to replace the upper thermostat which did not fix it, so I replaced the lower one which *did* fix
it. Like Jeff said, they're cheap and if I have the same experience again I'll just replace both.

Eric Law



I wouldn't have flipped a coin... I would have gone for the lower stat,
on the theory that with typical household hot water usage vs time the
heater is probably cycling on that one most of the time and only
flipping the upper stat at those times when so much hot water is drawn
continuously that that the water at the upper stat gets cool enough to
flip it on. That would auger for the lower stat being the one to "wear
out" first, huh?

I've got a neon pilot lamp hooked to the upper element on mine, and
while I'm near the water heater frequently ('Cause it's in my basement
home workshop.) The only time I can recall seeing it lit was near the
end of one of our daughter's nerve wrackingly long showers, just before
I reached over and shut off the heater's water inlet valve. G

Happy Holidays,

jeff

--
Jeffry Wisnia

(W1BSV + Brass Rat '57 EE)

"As long as there are final exams, there will be prayer in public
schools"

I think the lower one runs until it's satisfied, and then the upper one. Or
is it the other way around? Ah, well. Rip em both out.

--

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
www.mormons.com


"EL" wrote in message
m...
I can back-up Jeff's advice.

In the first house I owned, I had exactly the same experience with a water
heater that was 2 years old. Temp safety switch
tripped for "no reason", I reset it, tripped again a couple weeks later,
then it became more frequent. Along the way, I
noticed that the hot water was intermittently a lot hotter than normal.

Flipped a coin and decided to replace the upper thermostat which did not fix
it, so I replaced the lower one which *did* fix
it. Like Jeff said, they're cheap and if I have the same experience again
I'll just replace both.

Eric Law

On Thu, 16 Dec 2004 10:19:12 -0500, Jeff Wisnia
wrote:

wrote:
On 16 Dec 2004 05:16:26 -0800, wrote:


This morning was the coldest day of the year in the Washington DC area
- a bone-chilling 21 degrees F. I stepped into my shower and lo and
behold - no hot water! I scurried to the basement, checked the main
circuit breaker and the water heater/deep well pump breaker and
everything was on - they did not trip.

I went to the water heater - a Bradford White Hydrojet that is less
than 3 years old - opened the upper panel, pushed the red reset button,
heard it click, and waited a few minutes. Later, I felt the copper tube
on top warming up again and when I checked the water faucets, the water
was starting to get warm. I had to leave for work so I didn't have a
chance to see if it would trip again. I'm now in the office for 3 hours
and the wife has not called, so I am assuming things are back to
normal.

I have done a fair amount of reading on the subject but, given the
relatively young age of this unit, I don't believe there is anything
wrong with the thermostats or the heating elements.

So my question is - is this just a fluke, an act of God, a one-time
random event that may never happen again? What could have caused it to
trip without the main breaker going off? Could the cold weather have
anything to do with it? What about the fact that our water source is a
deep well pump?

I guess I'm just looking for a rational explanation, so that I will
have peace of mind if the heater switch does not trip again.
Thanks for any insights, tips, comments, etc.



imho:
Sometimes breakers just go bad. You can verify this with a clamp on
amp meter. Which should only be done by safely trained professionals.

later,

tom @ www.FindMeShelter.com



Tom, it appears you missed the entire point of the OPs message, the "red
button" is a THERMAL overload, not an overcurrent one. While your
statement about "breakers" is valid, the only part about it which is
pertinent is that if the OP doesn't have the skills and knowledge to
work on and/or change out a water heater thermostat then he SHOULD call
in a professional.

OH! I thought I DID miss what he said. Thought it was another breaker
going bad story. Atleast I got the suggestion to have it looked at by
'trained professionals' part right.

:-P







The "most likely" cause of it tripping is that either the upper or lower
thermostat got "sticky" and didn't open, and the temperature in the
heater rose to the point where the thermal overload tripped. I've never
seen one "trip by itself" with water in the normal temperature
range.(I'm assuming that since you mentioned opening the "upper panel",
there's a lower one too, so there's two thermostats on your water heater.

Chances are that even if the sticky operating thermostat reopened, it'll
stick again in the near future. (Things which go away by themselves
usually come back by themselves, y'know. G) The safest thing to do is
to replace the sticking if you know enough to be able to circuit trace
and catch which one is stuck, otherwise change out BOTH thermostats,
they're cheap enough.

You may very well be able to get a replacement thermostat at no cost
under warranty if you know which one it is. But, since they're
relatively cheap and available at Home Cheepo, waiting for the factory
to exchange one under warranty isn't much of an option.

HTH, and Happy Holidays,

Jeff


later,

tom @ www.CarFleaMarket.com