After a long exhausting trip, a hot shower definitely sounds like it can wash off all your aches. But before you can enjoy that relaxing feeling, you have to turn on the electric hot water heater as you may turn it off while you are away. It’s too late to call someone over for help. It can be quite intimidating at first, especially for non-handy people, but we can’t rely on others always, right?
Learning how to turn on electric hot water heaters is an important life skill that not everybody realizes until they’re put on the spot. But don’t worry, it’s not as complicated as it looks! So stay with me and I’ll show you how to operate it like a pro even if you have zero mechanical skills, to begin with!
Table of Contents
What You Will Need to Follow This Tutorial
Rubber gloves
- As with any device connected to electricity, there is always a risk of electrocution. For safety purposes, wearing rubber gloves is recommended especially for beginners to lower the risk of accidents.
Fortunately, you will not need many tools for this procedure. Electric hot water heaters are simple modern devices that do not need any additional materials to start heating.
Step 1: Close All Open Valves And Faucets
Before turning on the power for your electric water heater, make sure to check if all the faucets connected to the heater are open. You would need to close them to let the tank fill up with water. Any open valve connected to the heater should also be closed to prevent any pressure build-up inside which may damage the components.
Step 2: Eliminate Air in Pipes And Fill Water Tank
Next, you would need to fill up the tank with water by opening the water source and letting the cold water flow into the tank. Open the hot water tap or faucet in order to flush out the pipe and eliminate air packets. You will know if the air is completely out of the system when your tap pours out a steady stream of water and then, you can turn off your faucet and let the tank fill up. Turning on the electric water heater with an empty tank may damage your heater or tank.
Step 3: Take Off the Safety Tag
Electric hot water heaters may have safety tags to prevent anyone from accidentally turning it on. Remove the tag to proceed to the next step.
Step 4: Turn On the Power Source
Locate the circuit breaker and find the switch that corresponds to the hot water heater and turn it on. In case there is no label, choose the switch that has the same amp rating as your heater which can be found on its tank. Make sure that your hand is completely dry or you may wear rubber gloves to avoid getting electrocuted.
You may hear a noise indicating that it is running for some heaters, but newer and sleeker models may be more silent.
Step 5: Heat the Water In the Tank
Let the tank heat up. This may take several hours which depends on your heater model and size. Large tanks can take overnight to heat. You can check your water temperature by letting the tap run every now and then to feel if it is to your liking. If the water turns out too hot, check your heater’s thermostat and adjust it to your desired temperature.
Conclusion
And there you have it! You can finally enjoy that relaxing hot bath you waited for all day! Now you’re learning about how to turn on electric hot water heater? Wasn’t that tutorial very easy to follow and stress-free? You certainly did not have to be mechanically inclined just to operate that machine. Let me know what you think in the comments below.
Personally, I feel really empowered doing things on my own that most people would expect me to seek help for. You can certainly do your friends and family a favor by sharing this article to let them have a taste of independence too!
My work as a freelance copywriter allows me to work with Stephen later join Usawaterquality as a content producer. Our team works together to produce high-quality contents that cater to the needs of large companies and households.