I had noticed my hot water could barely fill up my bathtub, even though the tank was 65 gallons. The hot water heater was installed in 2009 so I was worried I would have to replace it. Instead I borrowed a multimeter and went to work. I replaced the lower heating element and thought the problem was fixed. Next day, we had some warm water and then freezing cold. Went down hoping there was some other problem to fix that didn't require replacement. Found that the upper heating element was short circuited and grounded (which was not a problem the day before). Pulled it out, and as you can see in the picture link, I found the problem. The upper heating element must have split open maybe during the flushing of the water tank or working to heat up the whole tank of cold water. And today I have so much hot water that multiple people can shower while washing clothes and dishes! All I need to do is replace the anode rod and I should have more useful years before I have yup replace (probably to a tankless heater).Photo process via /r/DIY https://ift.tt/3da2KEG
