Electric Water Heater Not Working - Any Help is Appreciated

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I think you have go step by step thru all the tests in the video.

Understanding the power is easy enough. Power comes in, in two legs, each supply 120 volts when they have a white or neutral wire or if they go to ground.
When you have both the red and black together, that should give you 240.
If you have other equipment, stove or dryer working well on 240, then you know both supplies are good from the road.
 
You need to understand that you have to have 240 volts coming into the heater at the j-box. Each stat works with 120v. You need to either stick the meter leads into the wirenuts in the j-box, or take the wirenuts off and check that you have 240 volts at the heater. Read across both connections for 240 volts or each one individually to ground for 120v each. If you're only getting 120v out of one leg and 0 from the other then you can just check at the load side of the breaker and ground in the panel as it might be a bad breaker.
Obviously you'll be doing it with the power on so be careful.
 
Okay, thanks for the help. I went ahead and took off the cover to the j-box and saw that it was really rusty in there. I've attached photos for you to see. I then stuck the leads into each wire nut and was unable to get any reading. I then took off the wire nuts, tested across the wires, and most of the time I got a reading that would fluctuate between -1 and 1, but sometimes I would get readings that would fluctuate between 200 and 450 volts, very weird.

So then I decided to test each wire individually by putting one lead on one wire, and then the other lead on the metal of the water heater for ground. On wire 1 (as you can see from the photos), I got 0 volts. On wire 2 I got 123 volts (fluctuated a bit), on wire 3 I got 40 volts (would fluctuate between 20 and 45 volts), on wire 4 I got 0 volts.

This is my first time ever doing anything, and I mean anything, related to electrical stuff so bear with me. But is my next step to redo the wiring in the j-box due to the rust? Or should I start testing stuff at the breaker? Or something else?

Thanks again

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Turn off the breakers and clean the ends of the wire with steel wool or something and the test again. the two wires coming in from that cable should give you 240 volts.
The wires should have been twisted together with pliers before the wire nuts were installed so you may have just had a bad connection.
 
Okay, just cleaned off the ends with steel wool and re-tested. I kind of twisted the black wires together at their ends, and the red wires the same, then tested across them... and got basically -1 to 1 volts. I then separated them, and tested each wire by placing one lead on the wire and one lead on the metal part of the tank, and basically got 0 volts for each wire except wire 2 (from the photos in the previous post you can see what wire 2 was). Wire 2 still gives 120 volts, but wire 3 no longer gives the 40 volts it was giving before. Weird.
 
So if you never got 240, you have to check the breaker at the panel. At the screws where the wires hook in you should get 240 between the two screws.

Not sure but I think the 40 was from the same 120 you found but it was going thru the heating element. But that is just a guess.
 
You should have 3 wires coming out of the flex and into the j-box. 2 hot wires, probably a white and a black and also a ground wire. That's where you need to check for voltage, separated from the leads feeding the tank stats. Each should read 120v to ground and measuring between the white and black should give you 240v.
If you're only getting 120v from 1 wire out of the flex then you need to check at your 2 pole breaker in the panel that feeds your heater. You may find that one side of the breaker doesn't work.
Just looking at the mess of rust your connections I'm a bit surprised that just cleaning them wasn't the issue.
 
Make sure the breaker is off.

With the "J" box open you should be able to lift the wirenut connections above the heater.

Label the wires, if they are not already distinctive. There should be a pair of reds, blacks, or whites and green. Masking tape, numbered, on two pair should be fine.

Remove the wire nuts and separate the conductors, turn the breaker on and test between the other conductors and ground. Two of them should read 120V and if they do not, you have a faulty breaker.

If two do, then between them you should read 240V.

If not , post a picture of your electric service panel, before you attempt to enter.
 
(Some of my photos are posting sideways, I'm not sure why, but hope you guys can make things out)

Hey guys, thanks again for your replies. I am finally getting somewhere I think. I took off the panel at my breaker, I was wearing Salisbury elecrtrical gloves rated at 500 volts for added protection since I'm new to this. Anyways, from the pictures you can see my panel. I don't believe it has a main panel switch, or at least I don't see one here.

I did some tests on the panel. I first tested across the two nuts on the dryer's breaker (a breaker I know is working) and could get like 245 volts or something (which is correct). I then did the same test across the water heater's nuts, and was getting like 149 volts. I then tested the nut with the black wire on the breaker for the water heater across it and the neutral bar on the far right of the panel, and got like 120 volts. I then tested the nut with the white wire on the breaker for the water heater across it and the neutral bar on the far right of the panel, and got like 10 volts or something.

So it looks like I have an issue with the breaker. My first concern is, do I have to work on this without being able to shut off power? I don't see a breaker panel switch for the whole panel. If so, I will have to wear my 500 volt rated electrical gloves the whole time.

Another issue I realized is when I remove the wires from the actual water heater breaker, and then test across them (see last photos), I also get 0 volts. If I then test each wire to the neutral bar, I also get 0 volts. If I put the wires back in the breaker, I can get 120 volts from the black wire to the neutral bar. So I'm worried, if I can't get 240 volts across the wires themselves when they are taken out of the breaker, does that mean I have another power issue besides the breaker?

My next question is, do I just buy a new breaker and pop it in? Or is there something else I should do? Thanks, I'm finally getting somewhere now with this due to your guys' help.

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The only other panel in my place is a panel for the telephone. I live in condominiums and we are attached to several other uinits. So maybe my unit does not have a main panel? I can't find a panel anywhere else in my place besides the panel for the telephone.
 
There will be a main feed coming into the building somewhere, when you find that you will find a breaker or switch for your unit.
 
Okay, I walked around my building, I think I found the only things that looked like they could be related to that. I've attached photos of them. Do any of these look like they could be what you are talking about?

Also, if I'm careful, and wear electrical gloves, shouldn't I be able to be okay without having to shut off all power to my unit?

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You can change the breaker with the power still on. You won't get any voltage on the wires at the breaker because the power comes out of the breaker to the wires. You should also turn the breaker on and off to make sure one pole of the breaker is not tripped.
If you're going to change the breaker yourself...make sure you use the same brand, style and amperage of the existing....make sure the new breaker is off and you've securely attached the wires to it before you install it. To remove the breaker it just pivots out from the center and then unclips from the tab that's right under the wire lugs and connects to the buss with slots on the other side of the breaker.
To install it, just clip it into the tab and push the breaker in until it's flush with the other breakers.
Make sure your heater is re-wired before you turn the power at the breaker back on.


The black covers near the meters are your mains but you'll need to figure which is yours.
 
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Okay, thanks beachguy. But one concern before I change the breaker is this:

I realized when I remove the wires from the actual water heater breaker, and then test across the wires themselves, I also get 0 volts. If I then test each wire to the neutral bar, I also get 0 volts. If I put the wires back in the breaker, I can get 120 volts from the black wire to the neutral bar. So I'm worried, if I can't get 240 volts across the wires themselves when they are taken out of the breaker, does that mean I have another power issue besides the breaker?

I think you may have answered that question in your previous post though, that power is coming into the breakers and then into the wires, so the wires themselves shouldn't be showing any voltage unless plugged into the breaker with the breaker switched on, but I could be wrong.
 
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Once you take the wires out of the breaker you'll never get voltage to them. The power comes out of the breaker and to the wire not the other way around. With the breaker in and turned on did you measure between the two lugs on the breaker? Did you check each lug individually between the lug and ground?
 
Okay that makes sense then, then it is most likely a bad breaker. To answer your question, with the breaker in and turned on, when I measure between the two screws (or lugs or whatever they are called) that are on the water heater breaker, I get like 149 volts. When I touch each screw to the bar off to the far right that has white wires coming out of it, I get 120 volts for the one lug that has the black wire going into it, and I get 0 to 10 volts for the lug with the white wire.
 
Yes...bad breaker. As I noted, you want an exact replacement. There should be a brand and part on the breaker.

They're called screw lugs...
 
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Okay, I'll remove it right now and see if I can find an exact replacement locally. Hope I don't have to order it online as I want to have it fixed as soon as possible and don't want to wait for it in the mail. I miss my hot showers lol. Thanks so much for your help thus far, much appreciated.
 
Shut the breaker off.

Remove the two conductors from the breaker and lift the breaker out by the switch and you will notice that the breaker also hooks or is captured in the panel, at the conductor end.

Insert the new breaker as a reverse action to removal.
 
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