The steps for starting up an electric hot water heater are as follows- Close any open faucets or valves. Here's the real story. Step 1: For safety, turn off circuit breaker to your water heater and make sure the power is shut off to your water heater before adjusting the temp. Before checking any electrical parts of a water heater, shut off the power to the heater's circuit by turning off the appropriate breaker in your home's service panel (breaker box). We plugged in Phoenix’s average electric/gas rates and assumed a 60-gallon gas water heater with an EF of .67/60-gallon electric water heater with an EF of .92. Don't attach the hose or open the drain valve, and use the nearby hot water tap to know when the tank is full -- a steady stream of water without sputtering is the sign. One of the most important steps is making sure your water heater is entirely full of water before starting it up. This would, however, not allow much of the hot water to be used out of the tank as this will have now air locked the system. Similar to the gas water heaters, the electric waters heaters also require ignition. REMOVE THE COVERS – using the phillips-head screwdriver. Only the thermostat that controls the upper element features a reset button. Let the cold water flush through the drain valve for 5-10 minutes. Gloves. After checking this, turn the knob on your water heater to the "pilot" setting and, if you have one, press the spark igniter button. Begin by making sure all the faucets in your home are closed. This article has been viewed 78,629 times. http://homeguides.sfgate.com/drain-flush-refill-gas-water-heater-83269.html, http://www.water-heater-repair-guide.com/hotwaterheaterpilotlight.html, http://www.water-heater-repair-guide.com/waterheaterpilotlight.html, http://www.home-repair-central.com/electric-hot-water-heater-startup.html, https://www.homedepot.com/catalog/pdfImages/1a/1a7b364a-791e-42c0-92cf-19f94e284f41.pdf, Menyalakan Pemanas Air untuk Pertama Kali, consider supporting our work with a contribution to wikiHow. In order to actually turn down your water heater you will need to look for a control dial along the outside for gas heaters. Press the button, … To learn how to refill your water tank and turn on an electric water heater, keep reading! This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. By turning your water heater down to 120 degrees, you can save 6% to 10% a year. An electric water heater requires finding the circuit breaker and turning it on, while a gas water heater needs the pilot light to be lit. If any are open, close them right away. Turn it down so that it's below 80 psi. Save the screws in a safe place, since … Whether you have an electric water heater or a gas water heater, you can turn it on without having to call a professional to help you. You may have to press the spark generator down every 10 seconds until it properly lights if it isn't lit after 30 seconds. wikiHow's. There may also be a disconnect switch located near the tank that also be turned on.Should you have a “Tank-less” or “On Demand” heater, you still need to purge the air out of the hot water lines before turning on the power. To do this, first ensure any bypass valves that could cut off the water supply to your tank are open instead of closed. Last Updated: March 28, 2020 We use cookies to make wikiHow great. Shut off the water supply and gas valve or circuit breaker. By doing this, you will shut the gas off to the burner. Almost every checklist of energy-saving tips includes the recommendation that you turn the temperature of your water heater down from 140°F (60°C) to 120°F(49°C), including on TreeHugger … If you don’t get a spark, your system could have an electrode that is bent or carbon grounding. Setting Gas Valve control to Pilot mode: Your water heater’s gas valve should be located just above the burner chamber at the bottom of your water heater. This article was co-authored by our trained team of editors and researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness. Step 2: Remove thermostat/element covers. Leave it in the water until the thermometer stops increasing. This ignition is provided with the help of access panels which are used to heat the water. To learn how to refill your water tank and turn on an electric water heater, keep reading! 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