Bradford White ERE240 Service Manual page 11

Most common cause for improper electric water heater operation can be linked to heating element
failure.
When troubleshooting an electric water heater with the incidence of "No Hot Water" or "Insufficient Amount of
Hot Water," It's always a good idea to check the heating elements first by following the procedure on page 12.
Common Heating Element Failures:
1. Dry Firing. Heating elements must be fully submerged in water before operating at full power. If a heating
element is left partially submerged or completely unsubmerged and allowed is run at full power, the
heating element will be subject to excessive temperatures that will damage or destroy the heating
elements. ICON E™ Electronic Control has smart control features to protect heating elements on initial
installation, when a heating element is replaced, or if the tank is periodically drained for service.
2. Grounded Element. An element with a short circuit to ground will in most cases cause the circuit breaker in
the service panel to open or shut off. In some cases, there may not be enough current draw for the circuit
breaker to open. This will allow the heating element to be in continuous operation resulting in over heated
water, limited only by the ECO or Energy Cut Out. Repeated actuation of the ECO is usually the result of a
grounded element.
3. Sediment build-up. Slow hot water recovery can usually be traced back to sediment or lime build up around
heating element. Sediment build up can also over time cause a dry fired element.
Figure 1 below shows a common "Screw-In" type heating element identifying certain features commonly referred
to throughout this manual.
Typical Direct Immersion "Screw-In" Type Heating Element
Figure 1
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TROUBLESHOOTING
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