Vent, Valve & Volt
No hot water from the water heater

This one needs a licensed pro

Call a pro: the breaker will not stay on

A water heater breaker that trips again right away points to a fault in the heater or its circuit. Leave it off and call.

Why this happens

Bob Vila says a breaker that will not hold after a reset is a job for a professional. The fault can be in the heater or in its wiring, and finding it means working inside live panels. Resetting it again and again does not fix the cause.

What to do right now

  1. Leave the breaker off.
  2. Do not open the heater's access panels.
  3. If the floor around the heater is wet, stay out of the water and keep the breaker off.
  4. Call a licensed plumber or electrician.

What to tell the plumber

  • The water heater breaker trips again after a reset.
  • Whether there is water around the heater.
  • The make, model and age from the data plate.

Build the full list: what to tell the plumber.

Start this troubleshooter over

References (every fact above comes from one of these pages)
  1. Bob Vila: No hot water? Here's what to do
  2. PlumbingQuotes: What to do before the plumber arrives

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