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Test Element Resistance — Heating Element Test: Diagnosing the Problem

Beginner3 hours

Part of project

Fix a Water Heater: No Hot Water Troubleshooting · Step 2 of 4

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In this video

Switch your multimeter to the resistance setting, indicated by the Ohm (Ω) or horseshoe symbol. Touch one probe to each of the two screw terminals on the now-disconnected heating element. A good element will show a resistance reading between approximately 9.6 and 11.5 Ohms. If the reading is OL (open loop) or significantly outside this range, the element is bad and needs to be replaced.

Goal: Measure Element Ohms

Used in this video

  • Multimeter (brand: Fluke, Tool Type: Diagnostic Tools, Multimeter: Digital) — Measuring the electrical resistance of the heating element.
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FAQs

What are the most critical safety precautions I need to take before starting this water heater troubleshooting project?

The absolute first steps are to turn off the power to the water heater at your electrical panel and shut off the cold water supply valve to the tank. Always use a non-contact voltage tester to confirm the power is off at the element terminals before touching any wires to prevent electrical shock. This prioritization of safety prevents serious injury or property damage.

Do I really need a multimeter for this project, and how does it help diagnose the problem?

Yes, a multimeter is essential for accurately diagnosing if the heating element is faulty. You'll set it to measure resistance (ohms) and touch the leads to the element's screw terminals. A reading between 10-30 ohms indicates the element is likely good, while an "OL" (Open Line) reading means it's broken and needs replacement.

When do I need to drain the entire water heater tank, and when is it not necessary?

You only need to drain the water heater tank if you determine the heating element is faulty and you plan to replace it. If you are just performing the diagnostic test on the element and it proves to be functional, there is no need to drain the tank. Draining can add significant time to the project, so avoid it if not necessary.

My multimeter displayed "OL" when I tested the heating element; what does this signify, and what's my next step?

An "OL" (Open Line) reading on your multimeter indicates that the heating element has an open circuit, meaning it's faulty and needs to be replaced. Your next step is to proceed with draining the tank, disconnecting the old element, and installing a new one. Be sure to purchase a replacement element that matches your water heater's specifications.

Transcript
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to see the resistance on the actual heating element and check that all by itself. Once you have the wires off you want to go back to your multimeter and you want to look for this little horseshoe looking symbol here. That is where your arms are. You want to switch it to that. That is what you want to set it to so that you can check resistance and by switching it to that little horseshoe symbol that is for arms that's what we're going to use to check resistance. All right once you have your wires off and your multimeter set up correctly you're going to take your leads and touch them onto the tips of those screws. On this it doesn't matter which lead coming off the multimeter you use. You have a red one in the black one. It doesn't matter which side of the heating element you put it on but nevertheless we're going to touch one screw and the other and we're going to check our resistance and here you can see that we're around 10 on resistance so we are good to go. For an example of checking resistance by doing these little leads here and checking the multimeter. An example of that is like if you take a wire and cut it in half it's no longer connected. Therefore there's no resistance between one end and the other. So what we're doing here is checking the resistance of the heating element to make sure there's no breaks that when you turn the power on it's going to heat up. When you're checking the resistance on the heating element you want somewhere around 9.6 to somewhere around 11 11 and a half something like that on your multimeter. That will tell you that it's good. If you have any number outside of that range then most likely you need to change that heating element. If by chance that your heating element is bad then there is a special tool

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