The short answer
When a Rheem electric water heater in Northern Virginia stops heating, it’s usually one of three things: the breaker tripped, the red reset button on the upper thermostat tripped, or an element burned out. Electric tanks have two elements. When the top one quits you get no hot water at all; when the bottom one quits you get a short burst of hot, then cold.
Match the symptom
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| What you’re getting | Usual cause |
|---|---|
| No hot water at all | The breaker, the reset button or the upper element |
| Hot for a few minutes, then cold | The lower element or its thermostat |
| Lukewarm all the time | A thermostat set low, or one element out |
| Water too hot | A thermostat stuck on. Call. |
| The breaker trips again | A shorted element or wire. Call. |
$99 Water Heater Flush
We drain and flush the tank, check the anode rod and test the relief valve, then go through the house's plumbing with photos, included. See the flush
Want your own number before anyone comes out? The water heater estimator prices your house in a few questions.
Start at the breaker
The water heater has its own double breaker in the panel. If it tripped, reset it once. If it trips again, leave it off: something is shorted, and resetting it again is how wires get hot.
Rheem calls it the ECO, the high temperature limit. It sits behind the top panel, against the tank in the upper element cavity, and it cuts power to the elements if the water gets too hot. It stays off until someone presses it. Rheem’s steps:
- Turn the power off at the breaker.
- Take off the upper cover and push the insulation aside.
- Press the red RESET button. A click means it had tripped.
- Put the insulation and cover back.
- Turn the power back on.
Rheem also says a technician has to find out why it tripped, because it only trips when something overheated: a thermostat stuck on, an element shorted to the tank, or a loose wire. If it trips again within days, that’s the answer. There are 240 volts at those terminals, so the breaker goes off first, every time. Our water heater reset button guide covers every brand.
Tanks with a red service light
Rheem’s electric tanks with an electronic control have a red SERVICE light. Solid red is an alert and the heater keeps running. Blinks are alarms and it stops:
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| Red blinks | What it means | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Solid | An alert: leak sensor, valve, Wi-Fi or a setting | Check the EcoNet app for which |
| 1 | Lower temperature sensor | Call |
| 2 | Leak detected or shutoff valve problem | Look for water; only on tanks with a leak kit |
| 3 | Dry fire: heating without water | Fill the tank, then turn the power off and on |
| 4 | Element or high limit wiring, or the ECO tripped | Reset the ECO once, then call |
| 5 | Control or power board, or the upper sensor | Call |
Dry fire: the expensive mistake
An element has to be under water. Turn the power on to an empty or half-full tank, after a drain or a new install, and the top element burns out in seconds. Before the breaker goes back on, open a hot faucet until it runs water with no sputtering air.
Sediment and the lower element
Northern Virginia’s hard water drops scale to the bottom of the tank, and the lower element ends up buried in it. It runs hot, fails early, and you hear the popping. A flush keeps it clear: the water heater flush is $99 (normally $199): we drain and flush the tank, check the anode rod and test the relief valve. Our noisy water heater guide explains the sounds.
What not to do
Don’t hold the reset button in or tape it down, don’t turn the power on to an empty tank, and don’t take the covers off with the breaker on. Don’t keep resetting a breaker that trips, either.
What a technician does
We test both elements and both thermostats with a meter, look for burned wires and loose connections, and check for an element shorted to the tank. A failed element or thermostat is a repair; you get the price before we start. If the tank is past ten years old, putting money into a new control rarely pays back: the water heater estimator shows the installed price of a new tank, and $500 comes off it. If you’re thinking about a hybrid, our heat pump water heater guide covers the Dominion rebate.
Related: how old is my Rheem, how long a water heater lasts, no hot water, Rheem water heater troubleshooting, what not to do to your water heater and our error codes guide.
Every code meaning here comes from Rheem’s own documents: electric water heater with electronic control manual and electric water heater manual.
Call or book
A plumbing diagnosis visit is $49, or $250 after hours, and you get the price of the fix before we start. Call (703) 997-9757, day or night, and tell us the code, or book the water heater flush from goswiftpro.com/cookiesoffer by November 30 and a box of warm MOLTN cookies comes with it. Every current deal is on our offers page. Rated 5.0 stars across 1,138 reviews on Google, Angi, Yelp, the BBB and Facebook, Virginia Class A license 2705192276.
Questions people ask
Behind the upper panel, in the upper element cavity. Turn the breaker off, take off the cover, move the insulation aside and press the red button.
Why does my Rheem electric water heater keep tripping the reset?
Something is overheating: a thermostat stuck on, an element shorted to the tank or a loose wire. Rheem says a technician has to find the cause.
What does 3 blinks mean on a Rheem electric water heater?
Dry fire: the control sensed heating without water. Fill the tank, then turn the power off and back on.
Why does my hot water run out so fast?
On an electric tank, the lower element or its thermostat has usually failed, so only the top of the tank heats.
