Hot water tank: the electric water heater heats up permanently
Does your hot water tank never stop? To say goodbye to continuous power consumption, let’s review the elements to be controlled to find a resolution.
POTENTIAL CAUSES FOR THIS FAILURE :
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Unsuitable water heater capacity
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Mineral deposits
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Incorrect temperature setting
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Thermostat malfunction
WARNING
Before you do anything to your appliance, make sure you disconnect it from the power supply.
There is a risk of electric shock.
The capacity of the water heater is unsuitable
First, check the capacity of your hot water tank. Maybe it’s undersized compared to your needs? For example, for a single person, a 50 to 75 liter cylinder is sufficient. For a couple without children, a tank with a capacity of 100 to 150 liters will be necessary. On the other hand, for a household of 5 people, the necessary hot water production will be between 175 to 300 liters. A hot water tank that is too large will heat too large a volume of water. Conversely, a tank that is too small will turn on more often to meet your hot water needs.
Limescale buildup on the coil
Limescale, or mineral deposits, is the sworn enemy of hot water tanks! Did you know that heated water promotes the development of limescale? Also, if you live in an area with hard or very hard water, the immersion coil (heating element) can get covered with scale quite quickly. In this case, it will be forced to run more often to successfully heat the water to the desired temperature. We advise you to descale your equipment or replace the faulty coil if living in a hard water area.
Purchase a coil for my water heater
The set temperature is incorrect
Now, check the hot water temperature setting. Most tanks are set to a temperature of around 60°C. It is important to know that the higher the temperature required, the more the equipment will have to work to reach that goal. We recommend maintaining a temperature of around 55°C to reduce energy consumption while ensuring the sanitary quality of the hot water.
Never set the temperature of a water heater below 50 °C., this can promote the development of legionella, which is harmful to health!
Damaged thermostat
A malfunction of the thermostat can cause your heating to run continuously. On the one hand, it may simply have disconnected and plugging it back in should solve the problem. On the other hand, if the part turns out to be defective, you will have no choice but to replace it.