Water Heater Thermostat Location

An electric water heater has one or two thermostats depending on the gallon size of the tank.

Water heater thermostat location.

2 remove the access cover panels located on the side of the tank. An upper and a lower located under two control panels. Both of them control their respective heating elements. The majority of electric water heaters have two thermostats.

On most gas water heaters the gas control valve which includes both a thermostat and a heat limiting device are located on the outside of the unit near the bottom. Turn off the circuit breaker to the water heater. Don t worry we are here to explain to you one of the most important components of the water heater that is none other than the thermostat. Adjusting an electric hot water heater temperature thermostat setting is a little more involved but still relatively easy.

Gas water heaters use a different type of thermostat system. You can test them with the power off using an ohmmeter to measure resistance or with the power on using a voltmeter to measure voltage. An electric water heater has two thermostats located under access panels on the side of the tank. You will find two thermostats in your water heater.

Each thermostat has two wires attached to it. One is at the top and the other is at the bottom. An electric hot water heater has two thermostats controlling two separate heating elements one in the upper half of the tank one in the lower half. The thermostats regulate the temperature of the water by turning off and on the heating elements.

It can be identified as the component with the controls for temperature and the pilot light. Electric water heaters have one or two elements and each is controlled by a thermostat. The exact location is different with each manufacturer or model but it probably. When you open the door to your water heater you should see a rectangular black section of insulation like the one in the photo below.