Water Heater Keeps Tripping The Breaker

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Keywords: breaker for water heater keeps tripping, water heater keeps tripping the breaker, water heater keeps popping breaker, water heater not heating, how to repair a water heater, how to fix a water heater, how to fix a water heater that's not heating water, electric water heater repair, maintenance technician training videos, plumbing videos, water heater repair videos, apartment maintenance technician, dewalt tools, plumbing tools, craftsman tools, milwaukee tools, klein tools, home depot, lowe's, ace hardware, stihl, maintenance man blog, maintenance technician vlog

[@LexVance]

If you'd like to support the channel, you can do so by shopping for tools or whatever you need on AMAZON through this link, amzn.to/2uATUvo Water Heater element kit link - amzn.to/2uCd0ky Element breaker bar (socket not included) link - amzn.to/2uCdqr8 Water Heater Element Socket link - amzn.to/2Lhfuw8 The volt meter that I use to check continuity link - amzn.to/2uxWmCX Shirts, Stickers, and Mugs link - teespring.com/stores/dirty-maintenance-swag This page contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on the link and make a purchase, I’ll receive a small commission. Lex Vance is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon. com

[@cameronstrong20]

Hey new guys, if you are working on an old tank or in a place with hard water, calcium rock can build up in that tank and cause the element to over heat as well so also keep an eye out for that. That being said, Love waking up to one of your videos lex. I used to dred everyday of work and you have this work order=new adventure attitude that really helped my Outlook on my work life.

[@LexVance]

The Hound Awesome! Thank you for the kind words man. And Thank you so much for watching The Hound! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@notoriouselwood9253]

Thanx, Lance. Once upon a time I worked as an engineer on tugboats. But, this kinda thing faded away. I appreciate your expertise.

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching Eddie!

[@notoriouselwood9253]

It’s always a pleasure to watch a true expert exemplify his craft. I’m tuning in.

[@mike31958]

Good video Lex. Quick fix. Sometimes they can be a pain as I'm sure you know. I worked at some older apartments. The water heaters for all four units where in a closet under the stairs in the foyer. No room to work. If the one in the back was leaking you had to take two or three out to get the leaker out. She's a leaker Mama lol

[@LexVance]

Mike Williams Geeez that would be a pain. 👍😂👍 Thank you so much for watching Mike! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@InsanitykkillsX]

"I was excited" 😂 Good work man !

[@LexVance]

NooseNoob 👍😂👍 Thank you so much for watching NooseNoob! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@InsanitykkillsX]

Lex Vance I never miss a video ! See you next time Lex !

[@PaulPeck]

Nice job Maintenance Master!💥✌🏻

[@LexVance]

Paul Peck Thank you so much for watching Paul! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@Sawdust45205]

To properly do a resistance test on the element itself you have to disconnect the wires.

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching Sawdust! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@emmantoast310]

At the property where I work at, we would of replaced the whole water heater. It’s good when you have the expertise to do these jobs. Thanks Lex

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching Emman! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@texasproud3332]

Good video Skid looks like classic case poor joint when i run across that kind of issue as a suggestion when putting it back together like that I would wrap the joint with rubber tape considering it sort compressed into that area with metal around it . Just my two cents

[@LexVance]

K D I dig it. Thank you so much for watching K D! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@throttlebottle5906]

someone didn't crank it on good, if you don't twist the bare wires "tight" with lineman pliers, you need to have strong fingers/hands to keep twisting after the wire-nut bites to make a good solid connection. you can put regular pliers over the wire nut and twist also, the "winged" nuts are best

[@throttlebottle5906]

nice to see you have a "real" socket and breaker bar for element, vs those store sold chinesium "element sockets" even though it looked to be horrible fright chinesium yet, still way better for such work :))

[@aircooledtx]

Pop- hot water side can change element with /out draining tank. Good repair,Lex

[@LexVance]

Michael Lee 👍😂👍 I've been known to do it like that too. For the new guys, I recommend draining until they get comfortable. Thank you so much for watching Michael! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@throttlebottle5906]

yeah, relieve pressure, drain some if not old. jam 5 gallon shopvac on outlet or a faucet on hot only and change them. almost 0 water loss. or be braver and just give it the ole wham bam with a big blanket to catch the gusher.

[@mattphillips1810]

Love your videos man! You probably know this, make sure when your testing the resistance of the elements to test from each element to the water heater tank. Make sure there not shorted to the tank.

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching Matt! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@semmes5342]

since water is a conductor of electricity you can get a false reading on your heating element while in the tank, I believe you need to remove the wires

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching SEM!

[@blakebilly7739]

Reset button keeps tripping , I can push reset reset button and get hot water why does rest button kick off?

[@emmantoast310]

You’re the silent bad ass Lex 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽💯

[@LexVance]

👍😂👍 Thank you so much for watching Emman! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@josel.dominguez6747]

Thanks for sharing and the good tip about the wires, regards.

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching Jose!

[@Eddy63]

Dang Sir Lex -A-lot that, was a fry job like no other ... Good vid and good fix ...

[@LexVance]

Eddy Thank you so much for watching Eddy! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@dossen2620]

Had the exact same problem last Tuesday.

[@LexVance]

TechFive 👍😂👍 Thank you so much for watching TechFive! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@throttlebottle5906]

as other comment said,, wire nut not cranked down until the wires twisted together or they didn't pre-twist them tightly pliers.

[@LexVance]

throttle bottle yep! Thank you so much for watching throttle! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@pennmccullough6359]

Thanks for making this video. Very helpful.

[@LexVance]

You're welcome! Thank you so much for watching Penn! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@ferminrosa9620]

Thanks 🙏

[@LexVance]

You're welcome Fermin! Thank you so much for watching!

[@done1733]

Keep up the good work...skid

[@LexVance]

Joaquin Ventura Thank you so much for watching Joaquin! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@justin0957]

Burnt nuts ya'll!! Next time take the wire off the element before testing skid!

[@LexVance]

Justin Hernandez Right on Justin! Thank you so much for watching man! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@mikef6706]

Some of the wires still look burnt; I would replace all of them in question! Testing elements, you remove the wires first!

[@LexVance]

Right on. This video's a year & a half old & I haven't been back since then. So they're still good. Thank you so much for watching Mike!

[@jimmywarden6320]

Would a bad tstat throw the breaker

[@stacyjdotson5732]

I have a brand new water heater and since day one it has been tripping the breaker, then quit for a while. So it's back at it. so freaking annoying!!!! The maintenance men are so bad I usually have to fix it myself if I want it done! I say its the breaker box bc when I flip it back on I can hear like a surge. Help

[@LexVance]

Yep, if you hear a crackling when you flip the breaker back on, then that break needs to be replaced. Call an electrician & have them fix it. Then, give your office/landlord the bill. Sorry to hear your maintenance guys suck. They're giving all us maintenance guys a bad name. Thank you so much for watching Stacy!

[@stacyjdotson5732]

I KNEW IT! THEY THINK I DON'T KNOW WHAT I TALKING ABOUT BC I'M A WOMAN!!!! LOL THANKS FOR INFO!!

[@anthonysandoval965]

When I test the elements I isolate them by taking 1 wire off and that's only so I'm not testing the continuity of the wires attached to the elements. I usually wrap my wires and nuts with black tape to prevent that from happening. Remember safety 1st always wrap your nuts 🤣 #DMN4L!!! 😉

[@LexVance]

😆😂😆😂😆😂😆 Thank you so much for watching Anthony!

[@jason-ge5nr]

I've seen that before where the wires were not twisted before they were nutted.

[@LexVance]

jason So crazy! Thank you so much for watching Jason! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@throttlebottle5906]

whose the whimp that twisted the nuts on? it takes big finger power to make them wrap once the wire nut grabs at the small end, which also makes it bite into the copper hard ;)

[@jeffgrant6914]

Something fried like a crispy critter

[@LexVance]

👍😆👍 Thank you so much for watching Jeff!

[@MrMultitool]

Good Job skid!

[@LexVance]

TP Services Thank you so much for watching TP Services! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@dennisqwertyuiop]

you tested elements, you should check each elements terminals to ground or tank

[@LexVance]

DENNIS N Right on Dennis. I chalk the first one up to fluke burned wire. If it happens again, ill dig deeper. Thank you so much for watching man! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@throttlebottle5906]

regular DVOM wont show a hill of beans that way, you'd have to meg-ohm/hi-pot test the elements for leakage to earth/through water and they very rarely do unless sediment/mineral build-up caused overheating and the element burnt open, which means no heating. unless you meant for safety t make sure the breaker/disconnect was wired /working right ;)

[@SquadJuiced]

I've had that happen to me. Brand new water heater, but someone reused the old wirenuts so one of the wire nuts fried just like that.

[@throttlebottle5906]

A. never reuse wire nuts, B. crank them very tight to twist the copper wires together or twist them with lineman pliers before putting nut on tight....

[@LexVance]

Covfefe Dreams Crazy! Thank you so much for watching Covfefe! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@51-FS]

That was from a wire nut being lose...

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching Bart!

[@Morganthebandgeek]

My circuit breaker is NOT labeled I wanted to know how to identify which switch controls my Water heater!!!! Stupid maintenance in my complex won't do shit!

[@DemBone]

I had the good ol tripper last week man. Both elements were beepers too. I did a quick test by disconnecting the bottom elements for shits and giggles and it stopped tripping. Pulled it out after and it was busted. Still gave me continuity even outside of the tank. Can't always trust the beeps man.

[@throttlebottle5906]

the beepers are very low power, if in doubt, amp clamp the wire and look at current through said element or unhook and load test them. for said "high power" load test, series connect a shop vac or other high power device through element in question and power it from a standard outlet, unless you want to drag a 240V motor/device with you ;)

[@LexVance]

dembone Yep, if the top wasn't fried, I was ready to start pulling elements. Thank you so much for watching dembone! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@jmanuel423]

Hey Lex quick question. What would you do if a management company doesnt appreciate your work and dedication..... would you stay or move on?

[@LexVance]

JOSE HERNANDEZ Yep. I go down the road & be a rock star for their competition. 👍😂👍 They'll feel it too when the work orders start piling up. Thank you so much for watching Jose! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@jmanuel423]

Lex Vance thanks Man, I got an offer from another Management company and yeah better pay and a lot more updated...... Just dont know how to break it to my Manager 😂

[@martinez4hako]

Me gusto compa

[@LexVance]

Gracias para mirando Jesus! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@richardcruz2630]

I thought you needed to take the wires off the heating elements to check for continuity I'm I wrong ?

[@shy92folly23]

I wanna see the pump you use for the water heater ....we have to use a hose pipe and that suck with all that settlement inside

[@LexVance]

Gecko 92 Yea the pump we have will suck a cheap hose closed. We have to use a thick hose that won't close up. Thank you so much for watching Gecko! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@olds842]

On my new property the top elements are all rusted out have just been replacing em

[@LexVance]

Crazy! Thank you so much for watching Cheney! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@michaelsimon6275]

I have a ge electric water heater have replaced both elements, thermostats and the high limit switch. The heater will run fine sometimes for days or sometimes for hours before the high limit switch trips. I have checked all my wiring connections honestly as shown on different you tune videos and all seems to check out. Any other suggestions on what could cause this?

[@LexVance]

Werid! I'd need to be there for this one with my volt meter. You've a head scratcher there.

[@Dishsoapdirt1976]

Best video. Thanks!

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching pinetar! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@ratonlocoeg]

Thanks - gracias

[@warn3535]

my grandma has the exact same water heater and it did the same thing

[@LexVance]

Awesome! Thank you so much for watching jibble! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@ratonlocoeg]

Nice job. Buen trabajo

[@LexVance]

Elmer Gutierrez Muchas gracias para mirando Elmer! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@davejohnsonnola2758]

Lex Vance ¡y hablas español tambien! ¡QUE BUENO HOMBRE!

[@LexVance]

dave johnsonnola Si, pero tengo que mirar telenovelas asi que puedo practicar. 😂 Nuestro secreto.

[@jorgechavez226]

Our breaker Tripp’s but there’s like a spark going on is there any idea what the issue might be ?

[@LexVance]

See if there's a burned wire on water heater some where. Also, breaker could be bad. Thank you so much for watching Jorge!

[@jeffvenable3845]

Nice one

[@LexVance]

Jeff Venable Thank you so much for watching Jeff! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@amyrutledge5094]

Yes mine the same way. Let me do what you did. My wire is fired

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@ivanandmeli5116]

I just replaced my old one with a brand new one and the breaker keeps tripping? Its a 15 amp breaker is it enough for a 40 gallon water heater ?

[@LexVance]

Check the wiring coming into the water heater on top of it. I have a video where the breaker is tripping because of a burned wire where the wires come in at the top. We use 20 amp breakers but if you've never had a problem until now then I'd say you got wiring issues. Thank you so much for watching perro! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@donnierobertson3088]

Bad connection / lose wires

[@chriscurrie7754]

What kind of pump do you use skid I have a lot of trouble with sediments building up in water heaters

[@LexVance]

chris currie I don't recall the brand. Its the property's pump and Its been so long since I've looked at it that I don't remember. Got it from HD though. Hook a hose to it & turn it on. You'll need a thick hose though because it sucks so hard it'll squeeze a skinny hose closed. Thank you so much for watching Chris! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@chriscurrie7754]

Lex Vance Thanks Man

[@DemBone]

When i have a blockage issue from the sediments, I hook up the end of a hose to another hose connected to an outside faucet. Make them connect with a washer machine hose. Turn the water on for a short blast to push the sediments back to clear the drain. This method never failed me yet.

[@throttlebottle5906]

many times, hooking the hose up and turnign water back on is enough to blow the drain open, just let it flush for a while to stir up and flush the rest out. unless it's leaking all over

[@miker6503]

Free Multimeters from Harbor Freight don't beep!! haha

[@LexVance]

👍🤣👍 Thank you so much for watching Mike!

[@JuanMartinez-df1lc]

My boss got after me for not changing the breaker. He told me too replace a 30 amp breaker with a 100 amp breaker. I told hes crazy I won't do that. Casue we didn't have any others breakers and it was the end of the day he couldn't get any. I just ended up pulling from a vacant apartment. So he got upset. It was some bs

[@LexVance]

😂 Thank you so much for watching Daniel! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@keithhoward8651]

Nice 👍🏻

[@LexVance]

Keith Howard Thank you so much for watching Keith! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@tenguestay]

What size socket is for the elements?

[@LexVance]

Its been so long since I've done one I don't remember the size. I'm sure you can Google it though. Thank you so much for watching Juan! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@coloradomemorialfinishing]

👍

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@michaelnelson2493]

Can anyone help me. I replaced both thermostats and elements and it still tripping the breaker after a few minutes but the weird part is that it’s tripping the breaker on the service pole so the whole house goes out and I gotta go outside and turn it back on. I can’t figure out the issue.

[@LexVance]

Take the panel off the breaker box & check the actual breaker. Could be a burned wire touching something. Also, check where the wires come in at the top of the water heater. I've seen those burn. Thank you so much for watching Michael! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@michaelnelson2493]

Got it fixed I think. The wires on the top of heater was loose and not properly secured together. The people before me must have done it.

[@barronkb45]

Cool vid

[@LexVance]

Barron Blake Thank you so much for watching Barron! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@jeffgrant6914]

Holy crap

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching Jeff! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@victoraguilar159]

Ez fix 👍

[@LexVance]

Viktor Thank you so much for watching Viktor! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@deadreck024]

My water heater trips the breaker about every 10 minutes. i changed the element it still trips the breaker. maybe i need to look at the wires.

[@LexVance]

Yep. Could be a bad breaker too. Thank you so much for watching Josh! www.DirtyMaintenanceNation.com

[@deadreck024]

@@LexVance I changed the breaker just now so far so good. when i checked with my meter the old one wouldn't register anything except on the top black wire the other black wire and red wire was 0.

[@deadreck024]

@@LexVance thanks for the video man I learn easy when i can watch someone else do it. Reading instructions is my weak spot.

[@blakebilly7739]

Reset button keeps tripping giving no hot water ,I can push reset button and get hot water any Idears?

[@LexVance]

Hmmm, try installing a new upper tstat.

[@LexVance]

Or just replace both tstats while you got it open.

[@allrock1238]

looks like the connection made by the wire nut was not tight.. Try and pass high current through a loose connection and heats, oxidizes and becomes a progressively worse high resistance bad connection growing worse with time. eventually it got extremely hot and burned up the wire nut and the insulation off the wire eventually shorting it to the heater case , a loose connection wont trip a normal breaker even if bad connection gets red hot , "until" it manages to melt the insulation of the wire and causes it to short to the electrical box or appliance case . case point example but remember much higher current with a water heater then the 1500 Watt space heater,, kzbin.info/www/bejne/goPXnKR7bJ5rkNE

[@LexVance]

Thank you so much for watching Allrock!

[@harrydickson4575]

👍👍