Water Heaters - A O Smith waterheater wont heat!!!

Ok, we have a 50-60gal electric 220v heater and we have no hot water at all. I have 123v on each line coming into the heater and also have 123v coming into each thermostat. We have turned the tstat all the way up to 160* and with a VOM get 123v on each side of the element. This is on both the upper and lower element. However if we turn the tstat all the way down to 90* we still have 123v. So my thinking is if there is proper voltage to the Tstat then it should be heating right? But if we turn the Tstat all the way down then there should be no voltage to the elements at all right? But either way we have no hot water at all.

Can someone please help me out????

that 123V is to ground make sure you have 220V when you hit both terminals of the power coming in(not to ground)the water is cold and turning the stat to its lowest point won't open it up till the water heats above that temp.right now the heater is looking to heat check that line in must be a solid 220V before anything.

Measuring points to ground does not tell the whole story. If you have an open or a bad stat, you would measure that number. What is important is that you must measure 240 ACROSS the two terminals of the element. If not...no heat!~

Lemme ask a Q here, when you say measure across the two terminals, which and where are you referring to. I was over there helping him last night so Im trying to get an understanding also. While we didnt take the VOM and go across the two voltage legs itself we did test each one to ground (at the top entry point of the heater) and each one tested 120+/- so I think it would be safe to assume we have 220 coming into the heater. The element has two terminals on them obviously so my thought was one side is from the hot side which passed V through the element and the other side goes to ground or completes the circuit is some fashion. So should we test for V on each of the two terminals on each element and have 220 on each element or 120? During this testing should the Tstats be turned all the way up or down?

Here's a question back..lol. Was this a replacement or a new install?

The reason the measurement across the 2 hot leads is important is, you could be connected to the same leg of the 220. Both would read 120 to ground, but would read 0across both hot legs. This could happen by using the wrong type of breaker.

Not normally a problem with a replacement, but I have seen it happen on here multiple times on DIY new installs of 220 appliances.

Here's a question back..lol. Was this a replacement or a new install?

The reason the measurement across the 2 hot leads is important is, you could be connected to the same leg of the 220. Both would read 120 to ground, but would read 0across both hot legs. This could happen by using the wrong type of breaker.

Not normally a problem with a replacement, but I have seen it happen on here multiple times on DIY new installs of 220 appliances.

This was a replacement. The OEM was a pancake heater and was 110 so this unit was rewired somewhat and here is what I mean. Now I know what Im about to say wont fly by NEC standards but it works. Originally there was the black to the breaker, the white to the neutral terminal bar in the panel and the ground to the opposite terminal bar on the other side of the panel. So we took the single breaker out and put in a double and wired the black to one side and the white to the other and left the ground in the terminal bar.

So from this we now have 120 on the black from one side of the breaker and 120 on the white from the other side of the breaker. So thats that. Coming out of the top of the hot water heater there is a bare ground, a black and a red. So the ground goes to ground, the black goes to black and the white goes to red. This should power the unit. Now this heater had been sitting in my shop for quite some time as it was working when pulled but no longer needed and so we stored it. I needed to clean out my shop and he needed a heater so you can guess the rest.

Well, yer right..thats prob against code...I'm not a plumber or an electrician..but the wire is prob not sized correctly now.

Anyway..you said " So from this we now have 120 on the black from one side of the breaker and 120 on the white from the other side of the breaker. So thats that."

That doesn't mean that 220 is going to the heater.

It is what it is, but if you didn't use the right TYPE of breaker, you are only pulling 120 on each wire from the same leg of the 220 service.

As I said, I'm not a Pro, and I can't give you any technical advice.

I'd say you probably have the wrong breaker, and the wrong wire for your application. There are rules about re-marking wires..and maybe that would work, maybe not, I dunno.

If you give info on the gauge and type of wire, and the markings on the breaker the experts might be able to help you do it the right way. But they won't tell you how to jerry rig it to work. Its just part of the rules of these forums.

Well were running #6 on a double pole 30amp breaker.

Sounds (non-pro remember!) like your wire is more than enough. In fact way more than enough, I think.

As to re-marking the wires so the color code is right, still can't answer that. Looked at some other things, but can't give a good answer.

Did you change the breaker or is it the original? Whats the part number on it? Might want to give the main panel model number as well, it'll help the experts.

Just trying to help. Cold showers suck!

Well the breakers isnt the original because the original heater was only 110 and not 220 therefore only having a single pole style breaker. The wire were upgraded because thats what I had laying around when I re-wired my heater/AC in my house. I think proper wire size is 10 for a water heater. I do some more testing this weekend if I get the chance but should I be reading 110 on the element of 220?