Kind of a half oopsie to replace an existing oopsie. I didn't open up the wall. The wall was opened when I hired a plumber in 2008 to install the previous WH. He opened up the wall to do the piping. Once the WH was installed, I didn't have access to close the wall because the WH was in the way. The WH is in a corner in my garage. There is a raised 20"X20" concrete pad at the corner for the WH. I had a 20" diameter Rheem previously. The plumber roughed in the T&P drain connection TOO LOW, lower than the top of the water heater, at about 10" from the corner. So when it comes time to connect the WH, he couldn't push the 20" WH close to the wall to sit entirely on the 20X20 pad because he had to leave 2"-3" so the flex copper hose has room to reach down there and make the bent connection. To compensate he put a piece of 2X4 and some shim to support the part of the WH that's sticking out of the pad. That was two things I wanted to take care of. One was to finally close the wall up when the WH is not in the way, and the other was to raised the T&P connection so I can push the WH all the way to the wall so the 20" WH sits nicely on the 20X20 pad. I made a miscalculation when I raised the connection. As it turned out about an inch too high.

If your electric water heater is not heating the water, you should first determine if a house fuse has blown or a circuit breaker has tripped. If you’ve confirmed the water heater is receiving sufficient voltage, shut off the power to the water heater and check to see if the reset button on the unit’s high-limit thermostat has tripped. This button will trip if the water in the tank has been overheated. This can be caused by the thermostat contacts fusing closed, the thermostat is out of calibration, or by a shorted heating element. If the reset button has tripped, you should press the button and restore power to the water heater to see if that corrects the problem.

Yes I used the term "flex" liberally. The previous plumber used a corrugated "flex" copper line. He kind of bent and twisted it to make the wall connection. For me it's hardly to manipulate it so now I use the stainless steel ones.

As your repair partner, Repair Clinic can assist you in repairing the water heater yourself. Check out the “Videos & Articles” or “Repair Help” website sections to find troubleshooting and part installation videos, step-by-step guides, schematics, diagrams, and articles to help you keep the hot water flowing.

Did your electric water heater thermostat troubleshooting reveal a faulty thermostat or heating element? Then you’ll need to find the right thermostat or element that matches your water heater. The Repair Clinic.com website has already correlated all the data to keep this part of the repair process simple. All you have to do is type the full model number of the water heater in the website’s search bar, then use the “Part Category” and “Part Title” navigation filters to select the appropriate water heater part to display the exact genuine OEM component that works with your unit.

While this DIY Repair blog has devoted articles to identify the reasons a gas water heater won’t heat and the proper way to vent a gas water heater, we haven’t spent much time addressing how to repair an electric water heater. This week, we’re taking care of that! Learn how to test an electric water heater thermostat today.

What do you mean by "oopsie"? The new heater may be lower than the old one and a "taller" relief valve will cure it THAT IS WHY THEY MAKE THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Testing a heating element is pretty basic. Shut off the power to the unit, remove the appropriate access panel, detach the power wires from the element, then touch one of the meters leads to one of the element’s terminals and the other lead to the second terminal. The meter display should indicate 10 to 30 Ohms of resistance if the element has electrical continuity. To determine if an element has shorted, touch one meter lead to an element terminal, and the second lead to the element nut or the tank itself. If the meter display indicates Ohms of resistance then the element has shorted. Testing an electric water heater thermostat is a little more involved.

Lines from the Pressure Relief Valve should have a minimum of changes of direction. When you must change direction, using 45 degree fittings is better and this line should never be capped off as it creates a bomb inside the structure.

Let’s start with how electric water heaters heat the water. We’ll then show you, step-by-step, how to test a crucial component that determines how successful that heating process will be.

His ONLY "oopsie" was not putting bricks under the heater to raise it. The pipe in the wall was there LONG before he installed the new heater or valve.

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Most electric water heaters use two heating elements to warm the water in the tank. When electric water heater thermostats installed in the tank detect the water temperature has dropped below a designated setting, the heating elements will cycle on, then cycle back off after the water temperature returns to the designated setting. Lower temperature settings will cause the elements to cycle on less frequently whereas higher settings will require the elements to cycle on more frequently. While the highest available temperature setting on electric water heaters is usually 150° Fahrenheit (66° Celsius), most manufacturers, including Rheem, A.O. Smith, Bradford White, Bryant, Carrier, Coleman, Honeywell, and Lennox, recommend the water temperature be set no higher than 120° Fahrenheit (49° Celsius).

BOTH of those types are illegal under the strict interpretation of the code, since both are less than "FULL SIZED" either because of the liner or the corrugations.

Is the water heater still failing to heat the water or does that reset button continue to trip? Then your next step is to use a multimeter to test each element and its accompanying thermostat for “continuity” – a continuous electrical path present in the components – or to determine if one of the elements has shorted. If an element or thermostat lacks electrical continuity or an element has shorted, the part is defective and will need to be replaced.

Just as you would when testing a heating element, your first step is to shut off the power to the water heater. Now here’s how you should go about testing both of the unit’s thermostats:

I am a bit perplexed by this. Why would a long shank T&P valve come with a short dip stick, and a short shank one with a long dip stick?

Sum, I believe the length of the PRV is determined by the thickness of the insulation around the WH. That being said, it is better to go with the manufacturer's recommendations and buy their products if at all possible. Save yourself time and grief. Good luck

never knew they made one like that.. that would be perfect for your problem.. the white probe must be immersed in the hottest part of the water. if you used a regular T&P valve that you extended upwards with a nipple and coupling, the probe would not sense temperature correctly.

As long as the sensing rod is in water, within 6" of the top of the tank, there is no reason Sum can't use a taller T&P.

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I need to replace my standard T&P valve on my new water heater in order to raise the elevation of the valve outlet by an inch so it is higher in relation to the wall connection height. I plan to obtain a new long shank T&P valve. Are all 3/4" T&P valve similar? My WH is Rheem. I wanted to get a Rheem T&P valve assuming it would be more compatible (but does it really matter?) because the Rheem long shank one has to be shipped and it takes a few days while I could pick up a CASH ACME long shank one at the store. Would that work or better to stick with same brand as WH? Also any idea what the "shank length" means? When it says it's a "3/4 in. Bronze NCLX-5LX Temperature and Pressure Relief Valve with 3-1/2 in. Shank MNPT Inlet x FNPT Outlet" I know what everything means except the "3-1/2 in shank". How is that measured? Is it from the end of the vertical male inlet connection to the center of the horizontal female outlet connection? or is it only the round neck portion or something else? Is it brand dependent with no standard? or alternatively, if the top of the water heater tank is just a hair less than 3" lower than the center of the T&P drain line connection at the wall, what shank length valve should I get? Edited 2 times.

they make them because of insulation thickness ... no other reason sum may, or may not, be able to cure the oopsie by their use

each has the same 'stick' each has the same 'mechanism' only the body is different both bodies will fill with hot water sheesh ...... install the 'long body' and be done with it

NO he does not. That is for a heater which uses a nipple and coupling to raise the valve, but you have to make sure you do NOT use too long of a nipple. The extended shank T&P keeps the probe in the water at the top of the tank, but raises the outlet higher.

Most electric water heaters use 240 volts of alternating current to operate both the upper heating element, located near the middle of the tank, and the lower heating element, located near the tank’s bottom. Each element is controlled by its own thermostat. The thermostats maintain the water temperature inside the tank by opening and closing contacts that allow voltage to flow to the heating elements. The elements are designed to cycle one at a time and, as noted above, the frequency of these cycles is determined by how much heat is needed.