You just changed the heating element in your water heater and hours later it is still cold you checked the breaker and that's ok Is there something else you need to check or can do?

Answer 1

When a heating element or a light bulb "goes bang" it often causes a fuse to blow somewhere in the circuit. A fuse can blow even if a breaker on the main panel trips, which often happens because when an element or bulb goes it can cause what both a fuse and a circuit breaker "see" as a short circuit. So first of all check the main supply panel to see if a fuse for the circuit has blown. If it has blown it needs to be replaced with a good one the same size and Amps (current) rating. If the panel fuses are all ok then check if there is a fuse in the appliance itself.

In the UK every power appliance has to have its own fuse, either in the plug or, if there is no plug, in a dedicated power supply box fixed on the wall local to the appliance. If there is such a fuse you can take it out to test it. Anywhere, including the UK, there may also be a fuse inside the water heater itself. Make sure the heater is unplugged or the power to it is switched off, then access the fuse to test it. Such fuses are sometimes accessible by removing a protective flap. If there is no such flap then you may have to search for a fuse inside the heater's casing. (You must have removed the casing to be able to replace the element.) You can easily check if any fuse has blown by taking it out to test it using a flashlight bulb and a battery the same voltage as the bulb. Just include the fuse in a little test circuit you can make using some short wires from battery "+" to the bulb then to the fuse then back to the battery "-". If the bulb lights up the fuse has not blown. If the bulb doesn't light up with the fuse in the circuit but does light up without the fuse in the circuit, then the fuse has blown and must be replaced with another one the same size and Amps (current) rating. Another possibility is that the water heater is in a mains power circuit that is protected by a Ground Fault Circuit Interruptor (GFCI) or a Residual Current Device (RCD), in which case the GFCI or RCD must be reset by pressing its 'RESET' button. <><><>

As always, if you are in doubt about what to do, the best advice anyone should give you is to call a licensed electrician to advise what work is needed.

Before you do any work yourself,

on electrical circuits, equipment or appliances,

always use a test meter to ensure the circuit is, in fact, de-energized.

IF YOU ARE NOT ALREADY SURE YOU CAN DO THIS JOB

SAFELY AND COMPETENTLY

REFER THIS WORK TO QUALIFIED PROFESSIONALS.