Our water heater wasn't supplying enough hot water this past week. No puddle of water on the floor though so I knew it wasn't shot. Not having enough money I started searchinginternett sites for trouble shooting the problem and then fixing the dang thing. Wheres Jim Woodworker when you need him?Loll.
Any ways searching Internett sites you get everyone diagnosing the problem as something different so I had to search deeper and find ,ore reliable sources.DIYY was lame and Good Old Boy Bob Villa's site was geared towards one going out and buying a book and RichardTatouii off this old has wasn'tsharring any information. There is a handyman site for appliance repair that gave pretty good information but no links for how to do certain aspects of how to test elements with a multimeter.
Eventually I had to combine information from three sites, It was like cramming for a college exam with a whole pile of legal books out at once searching for case facts. I went to work testing electrical components and found that the lower element in the Sears Kenmore Elctricic water heater was the problem and not the dip tube as I suspected cause durringg the manufacturing years of our water heater all electric water heater dip tubes were manufactured by the same company and they were all deffective.
The lower element on the water heater tested good but the outer plastic piece that actually surrounded the electrical conectionss was by the looks of it fried off. I found this after removing the insulation from over it that had actually melted around it. I started making calls to plumbing supply stores looking for an element but was told that I would have to get it from Sears. Hey, has anyone used a phone book lately? What ever happend to a phone book where you opened it to the alphabetical order for plumbing supplies or to building supplies or suppliers and you found what you wanted? Thank God for the Internetnet and finding phone numbers. I called Sears and had to give them my life history before I could ask any questions regarding water heater elements that they had on thier Internet site. After being transfered several times my questions were answered and I was told that the parts I needed could be found at my local Sears department store. I drained the water heater, removed the element just to be sure that the new one I was going to buy would match up and headed to Sears. I entered Sears and one of the store employees came up to sell me something and I waved the element at him and asked where I could find one and was informed that the store did not sell them but I could get them from The Sears parts store a few towns away. Is anyone finding this humorous yet? The salesman told me that the parts store wasn't open on the weekends.
Being the male that I am I headed for the Home Depot. I bought some epoxy putty that dries in 5 minutes. When I got home I shoved the old element back into the water heater. Screwed it back in. Filled the tank regreting not having a new gasket. Noticed a small drip but what the heck. I took my epoxy putty and filled in around all the electrical conectionsections on the element. 5 minutes later it was as hard as a rock. I hoped the rock wouldn't conduct electricity and hooked the electrical wires back up and turned circut circuit breaker and nothing went pop, boom or band and no sparks where a flying so I guess the epoxy worked.
I Checked the water a half hour later and it was hot. Now whether I did right or not I do not know but My wife and 2 teenage daughters have to get their showers so I have my fingers crossed. I will order the parts that I need to fix the wateronliner online, if my putty works then I'll just get a 40 cent gasket.
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