Shower heater problem

[megapix]

Hi,

 

I was having a shower tonight with a water heater turned on and everything was perfectly fine until my wife turned on her water heater and shower as well.

 

Both of the heaters stopped working so I finished the shower and went to check the fuse box. The circuit breaker was in off position so I switched it back on. After that the both of heaters worked (had a ELCB light on) for a minute. I told my wife to continue shower and when she turned on the heater it went off again. But this time the circuit breaker stayed on.

 

So now both of the heaters are not working but the circuit breaker is on. I tried to turn it off and on and nothing happened.

 

Any ideas what to do ? 

 

Thank you in advance for help.

[lopburi3]

Did you reset the ELCB on the heater(s)?  It that trips it requires a manual reset to get heater working again.  Normally a plastic lever near bottom that has to be pushed up.

 

In longer term you may want to be sure each heater is on its own circuit breaker.

[megapix]

30 minutes ago, lopburi3 said:

Did you reset the ELCB on the heater(s)?  It that trips it requires a manual reset to get heater working again.  Normally a plastic lever near bottom that has to be pushed up.

 

In longer term you may want to be sure each heater is on its own circuit breaker.

One of them have a plastic lever and the other one just two buttons (reset and test).

 

I tried to push the lever (up and down few times) and nothing happened. On the second one I tried to push the reset and test buttons and nothing happened as well.

 

It seems that other appliances and electric plugs in house are working fine. 

 

[lopburi3]

Do you perhaps have separate breakers for the water heaters that may have tripped?  At this time there are no lights on water heaters and they are not working?

[owl sees all]

There is usually a amall push button at the top of the unit. Use a tooth brush (hold the brush end), or a chop-stick (do not use screwdriver) to insert into the top and press it down. This will reset the electrics and away ya go.

[sometimewoodworker]

1 hour ago, owl sees all said:

There is usually a amall push button at the top of the unit. Use a tooth brush (hold the brush end), or a chop-stick (do not use screwdriver) to insert into the top and press it down. This will reset the electrics and away ya go.

It very much depends on the water heater you have, our Sharpe ones have nothing like that.
 

They have a mechanical button on the front marked ELB “test” and a mechanical drop down plunger at the bottom to reset the internal ECLB.

 

different makes, different models = different reset layout  

[owl sees all]

2 hours ago, sometimewoodworker said:

It very much depends on the water heater you have, our Sharpe ones have nothing like that.
 

They have a mechanical button on the front marked ELB “test” and a mechanical drop down plunger at the bottom to reset the internal ECLB.

 

different makes, different models = different reset layout  

Ours has a plunger also. The plunger works with the 'on/off' switch. But there is also a button for reset (see pic). Most modern units have one. If there is no hole in the case, or access, then the cover has to be removed.

 

 

 

 

 

[sometimewoodworker]

28 minutes ago, owl sees all said:

Ours has a plunger also. The plunger works with the 'on/off' switch. But there is also a button for reset (see pic). Most modern units have one. If there is no hole in the case, or access, then the cover has to be removed.

 

 

 

 

 

As I mentioned our units do not have that internally, the reset is at the bottom and nothing to do with the on off switch.

[damascase]

3 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Ours has a plunger also. The plunger works with the 'on/off' switch. But there is also a button for reset (see pic). Most modern units have one. If there is no hole in the case, or access, then the cover has to be removed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[damascase]

double, sorry.

[Fruit Trader]

Post 7 and 9 show over-temperature switches. Most showers will have some kind of protection on the heat exchanger, some are auto reset others manual.

[Metropolitian]

10 hours ago, owl sees all said:

Ours has a plunger also. The plunger works with the 'on/off' switch. But there is also a button for reset (see pic). Most modern units have one. If there is no hole in the case, or access, then the cover has to be removed.

 

 

 

That's is a safety switch working on temperature. If that switch is triggered, then the heating went too hot.

Some recovers and some need switched back. Ovens and microwaves have this too (automatic recovery)

 

If the OP has such safety thing in his heater, and was indeed triggered. Then I would think at low pressure of the water when both showers are used at the same time. Maybe different floor too, pulling air in the heater trough the open shower head at the second floor will overheat the element.

 

There are more other plausible causes for the problem which OP encounters.

Without more information it is all guessing from us.

Op: tell us the brand/type of the heaters and location and if they are passing any breakers or sharing wires.

Photos helps a lot.

 

 

[megapix]

Already in found solution. The problem was in circuit breaker box. One of the electricity wires was not screwed properly inside the circuit breaker so there was no electricity coming in. Im surprised that this happened because electrician was at my home 1 month ago everything looked alright.

 

It was a 2 minute fix. 

 

Thanks for all the help.