Official Kenmore electric water heater parts

Common Kenmore electric water heater replacement parts

• Electric heating element. The electric heating element is the heat source inside an electric water heater. It extends directly into the tank, where it heats the water around it. Most electric water heaters have two heating elements, one at the bottom of the tank and one at the top. The bottom element handles most of the load, heating cold water as it enters at the bottom of the tank. The top element only operates to give water at the top of the tank a quick water-heating boost when needed.
• Drain valve. The drain valve fits at the bottom of the tank and allows you to drain water from the tank.
• Dip tube. The dip tube is a high-temperature plastic tube that is inserted into the tank through the cold-water inlet port. The dip tube extends far down into the tank to distribute incoming cold water at the bottom of the tank for efficient heating.
• Thermostat. The thermostat monitors water temperature in the tank. When water temperature drops beneath the desired setting, the thermostat turns on the heating element to heat the water. When the water temperature in the tank reaches the set temperature, the thermostat shuts off the heating element.

How to troubleshoot your Kenmore electric water heater when you're getting no hot water

Check both house circuit breakers for the water heater. Reset the circuit breakers by shutting them off and then flipping them back on. A gas water heater will have a single circuit breaker. Reset that circuit breaker the same way-shut it off and flip it back on.

If the electric water heater doesn't begin to heat after resetting the circuit breakers, shut the breakers off and press the reset button for the high-temperature limit switch on the upper thermostat of the water heater. If the water heater works for a while and then trips the high-temperature limit switch again, you'll likely need to replace a failed thermostat that's causing the element to heat constantly. If an electric water heater element doesn't heat when activated, replace the heating element. Replace the thermostat if it doesn't activate the heating element. Our no-hot-water troubleshooting video can help you figure out which part to replace in an electric water heater that's not heating.