Chosen Solution
I can’t seem to get power to the lower element of my electric hot water heater the top one reads fine but the bottom one does not
Check the wires running power from the top element to the bottom one. They sometimes burn out. Be sure to check the reset button/limit switch located above or near the upper element. I use this webpage to test my water heater: http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-test-…
The upper and lower elements take turns heating the water, you will never have power to both at the same time. The upper one heats the water in the upper part of the tank first. Once it reaches the set temperature, it will shut off and then send power to the lower element. So, give the upper one time to heat up before checking the lower one. To check the lower one, I set the upper to the lowest setting (so it would shut off quickly) and then had power to the lower one. Once I knew it was working I re-set the upper one to the desired temperature.
If each element is on a separate thermostat the one connected to that element may be bad or the element itself may be.
If your hot water tank is only producing lukewarm water and both the elements read right and you set the temp to the hottest it can get you probably have a leak somewhere. Make sure you have no running water in your or outside of your house and go check the meter and see if its spinning and if it is you need to go into your crawl and find your leak.
