When it comes to testing your water element, it can be broken into two parts, accessing your elements and using your multimeter. These are panels attached with screws on the tank of the water heater. Accessing the elements. Test Water Heater Elements for an Electrical Short. Let’s start listing them one by one. How to Test a Heating Element in a Water Heater. All the electrical heaters run on the electricity that given by the electric panel of the water heater. Or set your multimeter on ohm testing or diodes testing. The water heater element is what heats the water up in electric water heaters. Note: If the wires are covered by metal conduit, the tester won’t read voltage. The upper heating element simply raises the already hot water temperature further by heating the top portion of water in the tank. Water heater element testing can be risky for first timers. It is very important to make sure the power is off. Measuring resistance in a water heater element using a multimeter. Test the Wires. Now remove the water heater element form the water heater thermostat and then set your multi meter knob on connectivity testing. Make sure you are wearing the necessary safety gear and have all of the equipment in advance of starting this task. Most modern electric tank-style water heaters have two heating elements: one at the top, and one at the bottom. Once you get your values, you will be able to tell if your heating elements are faulty or in good condition. See the article on 'Shutting Down an Electric Water Heater' for more information. This power is described as wattage or watts. All water heater electrical elements are rated by the amount of power they can emit. IMPORTANT: Turn off the electrical power to your water heater at the main electrical panel. Apart from this, the two other things i.e., tripped circuit or fuse is what trip off the heating element. The element works on exactly the same principle as the element in your kettle. Water heater elements have … When testing whether the heater elements are working well, the most important thing you need to measure is the resistance. Step no 1: First of all disconnect the water heater from its main breaker. You’ll have to remove the metal thermostat cover on the side of the water heater, pull out the insulation and hold the tester near the wires leading into the top of the high-temperature cutoff switch. How to test the water element. Test the wires leading into the water heater. Hot water also gets a loss when the heating element breaks from the inside of the tank. Then connect your testing leads to water heater element terminals or connection points as is shown in the below diagram. A typical value for a 220 VAC hot water heater would be an element … Old or small electric water heaters may only have one heating element. To test the water heater elements there are few steps that should require completing the whole procedure. Either the element burns down, or the water slowly gets cold. But, if the water is somewhat cold, it means the second element is failed. Water heater element testing should only be done when the power is off. If you elements do turn out to be bad, you are … Step 1--Diagnosing the Problem If you still have hot water available but it runs out more quickly, this usually means that the lower heating element has failed causing only the top of the water to get hot. To begin testing your water heater element, you will need to turn off the breaker which powers the water heater. Remove the water heater’s access cover panel and insulation from the upper water heater element. If you are handy and want to save some money, this may be a great test for you to try, otherwise, you may want to hire a professional. This is the most important part of your water heater and it's a good idea to check it's working from time to time. Displayed on the elements packaging is a number followed by the word "watts".