SOURCE: no hot water
If the water does not heat, then you have to troubleshoot to find the problem. With a voltmeter determine if 240VAC is actually getting to the water heater. Take care here - a defective circuit breaker can give a false 240 volt reading - check for the 240 volts across the upper element (i.e. when the 240 volts has a live load on it, not just an open circuit test).
Also, remember, the upper element has priority over the lower element, and if the water is cold, the upper element will try to turn on and this locks out the lower element (only one element is allowed to heat at any given time). The lower element comes on ONLY after the upper thermostat is satisfied. Therefore if the upper heating element is burned out you will never get any hot water. If you suspect this, TURN OFF THE POWER TO THE HEATER and take a resistance check of the upper element.
SOURCE: limited hot water
Some checks are surely possible but PLEASE make sure that the 220VAC is absolutely shut down.
In a home we built in 1977, circuit breakers were improperly marked and I, with decades of experience, believed I had turned off the power to our water heater only to find that it was still 'hot' and blew away a screwdriver tip before thinking to check across terminals to see if the voltage was in fact OFF.
You may have the same problem I had twice over ~30 years; that the lower heating element is open/failed.
These typically will gather a coating of mineral deposits and eventually be unable to transfer their heat to water fast enough to avoid overheating and failing.
The limited hot water comes from the fact that the thermostat is checking for temperature at the exit point of the heater; the top.
The thermostat turns on both elements but with only the top one still working it heats 10-15% of the tank capacity and then shuts off.
With your meter set to the lowest Ohms scale (typically 200 Ohms), measure across the element terminals.
You should measure pretty much a short since the elements have an extremely low resistance; on the order of 10-20 ohms, if you measure anything that goes 'off-scale' on the 200 ohm range (normally blinking), the element is shot.
Don't forget to drain the tank before pulling out the element!
If you are in the US, near any city, check your white pages for: Johnstone Supply or check their website to see if one is near you.You will pay 1/3-1/2 hardware store prices for the replacement element - buy two, store the second one.
They are 'wholesale' to the trade but have never been refused.
If you don't feel like wading through their extensive website, you can take the element with you and they can give you what you need.
SOURCE: I have an Attwood GE 16TE hot water tank with what a bad element,
this is not a typical unit, you might want to consider calling the company for directions, go to there web site if they have one and look for elements and where they are located
SOURCE: warm water only
You can eliminate the shower control knob possibility by turning on your hot water anywhere else in the house. If you get hot water in other places, then it could be the knob causing it. A substantial lime buildup in the tank can also cause poor heat transfer from the elements to the water.
SOURCE: we have a reliance 606 50 gallon electric water
I wrote a page on leaking water heaters.
With a checklist.
It sounds like you've done quite a bit already.
The element can leak around the gasket.
The TP valve can leak where it screws into side of tank.
Otherwise a leak on side of tank sounds like the tank is rusted through and needs to be replaced.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Water-heater-leaking.html
You should turn off electricity and water to the tank, and open tub valve on hot side to relieve pressure so the tank will not rupture.
Then you can limp along with a failed water heater by turning the water and electricity on only when hot water is needed.
This will buy you time until a new heater is installed.
A typical electric water heater produces 21 gallons of hot water per hour.
A shower uses 6-9 gallon of hot water, so heater only needs to be turned on 20-30 minutes for a shower, more if the incoming water is very cold.
To economize with your next heater, you might read the following two pages:
http://waterheatertimer.org/9-ways-to-save-with-water-heater.html
http://waterheatertimer.org/Replace-anode-rod.html
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