The short answer
On an electric water heater, the reset button is a red button behind the upper access panel on the side of the tank, under the insulation. It pops when the water gets too hot, around 170 to 180°F, and cuts the power. In Northern Virginia, it’s the first thing to check when an electric tank goes cold. Turn the breaker off before you open the panel. If it trips again, something’s wrong, and pressing it again won’t fix that. Gas tanks and tankless heaters don’t have one; they tell you with a light or a code instead.
How to reset an electric water heater
- Turn off the water heater’s breaker. It’s a double breaker, 240 volts, and that can kill you. Don’t skip this.
- Take off the upper access panel on the side of the tank. A screw or two holds it.
- Fold back the insulation. You’ll see a plastic guard over the thermostat.
- Press the red button firmly. If it clicks, it had tripped.
- Put the guard, the insulation and the cover back.
- Turn the breaker back on.
Hot water comes back over the next couple of hours as the tank reheats. If it clicked and you have hot water by evening, keep an eye on it for a few days.
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If it trips again
The button is the safety, not the problem. It tripped because the water got too hot, and the usual reasons are:
- A thermostat stuck on, so the element never shuts off.
- A heating element shorted to the tank, so it heats whether it’s told to or not.
- A loose or burned wire at the thermostat, which runs hot.
- The reset switch itself has worn out and trips early.
Never tape it down, wire around it or keep pressing it. It’s the part that stops an overheating tank. Call, and we’ll test the thermostats and elements and give you the price before we change anything.
Gas water heaters don’t have one
A gas tank’s overheat safety lives inside the gas control. When it trips, there’s no button: the status light flashes 4 times between pauses, and the control gets replaced. A gas tank with no light at all usually has a pilot that’s out; here’s how to relight it. The full flash chart is in our blinking light guide.
A few gas tanks have a small reset button near the burner door. That one trips when heat or flame shows up where it shouldn’t, so press it once at most. If it trips again, leave it off and call.
Power vent tanks
A power vent tank has a fan on top that pushes exhaust out through a plastic pipe. Some have a reset on the blower, or a switch that trips when the vent is blocked. Check the plug and the outlet first, then look outside: a vent pipe blocked by leaves, a nest or snow shuts the whole thing down.
Tankless heaters show a code
A tankless has no reset button to hunt for; it tells you on the screen. Turning the power off for a minute and back on clears most codes once. If the code comes back, the code itself is the answer. On a Navien, Error 003 means it tried to light and couldn’t, and it points you at the gas supply valve and the igniter; our Navien error code guide has the rest. Rinnai codes are numbers like 11 and 12; here’s what the Rinnai codes mean.
Electric tanks have two elements and two thermostats. Lukewarm water that runs out fast usually means the lower element is dead; no hot water at all points at the upper one, or the reset. Our no hot water checklist goes through it in order, and water heater repair covers the common fixes. If the tank is past 10 years, here’s how to read its age before you spend on parts, and if it’s time, the water heater estimator shows your installed price first, and $500 comes off it.
Book it
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, 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 access panel on the side of the tank, under the insulation and a plastic guard. It’s a red button on the upper thermostat. Turn the breaker off before you open it.
Something is overheating the water: a stuck thermostat, a shorted element, a loose wire, or a worn reset switch. Pressing it again won’t fix that; call.
Most don’t. The overheat safety is inside the gas control, and when it trips the status light flashes 4 times. A few models have a small reset by the burner door.
How long after a reset does hot water come back?
A couple of hours for a full tank on an electric heater. You’ll get some warm water sooner.
How do you reset a tankless water heater?
Turn the power off for a minute and back on. That clears most codes once. If the same code comes back, the code tells you what’s wrong.
