Testing Electric Furnace Elements

If the water heater is hot run hot water in the building with the water heater electrical power off until water flows lukewarm or colder.

Testing electric furnace elements.

When the thermostat comes on the meter reading will jump from zero to 21 amps as the first element comes on assuming a 5 kilowatt element which is the most common. Check fuses element sequencers thermostats and transformer duration. What you should see assuming a 6 element furnace is the following. After 30 to 90 seconds the current draw should jump to 42 amps.

I show how to test fuses elements s. Inspect the burner element for any damage which can include warping bubbling or damage to the insulation sheath. Turn your oven off and let it cool if necessary. If you find some clean the terminal ends with a fine sandpaper or a piece of steel wool.

In this video i show how to use basic electrical troubleshooting methods to diagnose problems with electrical furnaces. Testing a conventional element 1 know the resistance of the element should be this can be calculated using known values. Turn the oven on and see if the heating elements glow red or orange. Remove the insulation and disconnect the electrical wire at the terminal and use either a multimeter or an ohmeter to test the electrical flow.

Also check the terminal ends for any rust dirt or corrosion. This is a fairly simple test but one that. If the meter needle does not move or remains at infinity the heating element is no longer working and needs to be replaced. Disconnect the electrical wires at the heating element terminals.

Performing basic checks 1. R v x v p where v is the voltage powering the element p is the power the element uses and r is the resistance an example calculation is shown in the tips section. How to diagnose electric furnaces. Heating element testing duration.

Check to see if the element is physically.