Over the Side Immersion Heater Facts
Most people are familiar with the immersion electric heater because of its heavy use in home water heating. Also, our over the side immersion heaters have practical applications in the heating of solvents, oils, viscous fluid, caustic solutions, salts and paraffin.
Immersion electric heater element testing
Before going to the time and expense of replacing an element – or worse, buying an entirely new hot water heater when the old one is still perfectly functional – commercial and industrial engineers would be well advised to verify all connections especially with over the side immersion heaters to make sure this is the problem. Here’s how:
- Cut power and water to tank.
- Clip tester to element terminal and touch tester probe to other terminal. No light means faulty element.
- Drain tank through nearby hot water spigot and drain valve.
- Replace immersion electric heater, along with wires bracket, bolts and gasket.
- Turn water back on to fill tank; when tank is completely full, restore power.
IIf a short in the element is suspected, follow steps 1 through 3 before conducting the test.
Then, clip the continuity tester to one of the element’s terminals and hold the probe to a one of the bolts on the mounting bracket. The tester will light up to indicate a short circuit. Replace the element and continue on to step 5.
This small extra effort could save big bucks in the short term. And, to save money over the long haul, replace any nonfunctioning elements with a high-quality, energy efficient replacement part from WATTCO™.