The water heater does not turn on: causes, failure detection

Damage to the water heater can cause a headache for its owners, if the device is installed in the country, and calling the master is difficult or very expensive. Dismantling and transporting the device, especially if it is a large-capacity drive, also seems to be a difficult task. In addition, the reason that the water heater does not turn on may lie in external factors that are not related to it.

Why the water heater does not turn on

In case of an unsuccessful attempt to turn on, it is advisable to make an independent diagnosis of the heater and try to fix the malfunction on your own. In total, this household appliance has 4 main types of breakdowns associated with malfunctions:

• Power grids
• Thermal protection (typical for boilers);
• TENA;
• Pressure sensor (typical for flow devices).

Mains Diagnostics

First you need to make sure that the electrical network is working. Perhaps there is no tension in the whole house. If this is not the problem, you need to diagnose the outlet into which the device is connected.

The indicator screwdriver should show the presence of voltage on one of the contacts. The second option to check the operability is to plug in a known working device into this outlet. If it does not work, the circuit breaker in the switchboard may have tripped. When it is turned on, the heater may also work.

The next step is to check the operation of the RCD, which in many drive models is located directly on the electric wire to turn on the device. It is necessary to verify its operability by pressing the “test” button and returning it to its original state.

Attention! Before disassembling the heater, it is necessary to disconnect it from electricity, shut off and drain the water from the tank.

The next step is to diagnose the internal connections of the device, for which you need to remove the housing cover. A visual inspection of the wires and contacts will tell you which part has failed or which wire you need to return to the terminal and fix it with a screw. A characteristic smell will also help determine the place of failure.

The weak link in the electrical circuit may be the power button. Using a tester, make sure that the device switch is working. Otherwise, you must replace it with a similar one.

For a deeper diagnosis, you will need to study the electrical circuit of the device.

Thermal Protection Issues

Another common reason that the water heater does not work is the failure of thermal protection. It works when the heater is heated above 900 degrees. This may be due to the fact that the thermostat for some reason did not work in a timely manner, but more often all this is due to the fact that the electric heater is overheating due to accumulated on it scum.

In this case, you need to carefully disconnect the heater, remove it from the device and place it in a container with a solution from the scale for 1-2 days. For these purposes, you can use citric acid.

On thermal protection, you must press the button that closes the electrical circuit. After cleaning the heater, assembly, water supply and inclusion, the device should work.

TEN does not work

If the problem is not thermal protection, the heater itself may have burned out. To diagnose it, you will have to use the tester again. If the tester does not emit an audible signal when trying to ring, and in the resistance measurement mode the indicator shows a gap or infinity, there is a gap inside the heater, it must be replaced. And this is much easier to do than to change the entire device.

The pressure sensor has broken

For flowing models of water heaters, there is another common malfunction - the pressure sensor does not work. The principle of its operation is based on the use of an elastic membrane, which stretches under the influence of water pressure and mechanically closes the contact supplying current to the heater. If worn, the membrane may tear or stretch. In this case, it is advisable to replace it with a more durable, silicone.