Yahoo Answers is shutting down on May 4th, 2021 (Eastern Time) and the Yahoo Answers website is now in read-only mode. There will be no changes to other Yahoo properties or services, or your Yahoo account. You can find more information about the Yahoo Answers shutdown and how to download your data on this help page.
Trending News
Will a malfunctioning electric water heater cause my electric bill to soar out of sight?
Our bill was around 170.00 a month when we moved in. I replaced every light bulb in the house with CFL's and LED's, and that helped. Recently, the bill has jumped to 350, and we have less people here, and no one is home during the daytime for 3 days a week. I have smart strips on the tv's, and all of the appliances I have checked are drawing normal amounts of electricity. The water is hot enough at the start, but seems to go away faster and takes longer to recover than it used to. I'm thinking that if it is malfunctioning, and running constantly to heat that 80 gallon tank...it will eat voltage like there is no tomorrow. Any thoughts?
We own the home, and it was finished in 2010 when we moved in. Problem after problem has popped up from shady contractors using sub par materials and I have been chasing them down and correcting them one at a time. I think this heater is just the latest one. I'll check the thermostats and heating elements and will check in. Thanks guys!
3 Answers
- tom7railwayLv 77 years ago
One thing which can cause higher bills is limescale, if the heating element and the thermostat tube are scaled up, this is effectively a layer of heat insulation, so the element is less efficient, and the themostat is slower to respond. If you descale the tank you may see a big improvement. Or the thermostat may be shorted. If you have a big tank the element/s may not be powerful enough to boil the water especially in wintertime.
You might also consider tripping the power breakers for different areas of the home while you are away, and reading the meter, to establish for sure which item is using the power. Once you know which circuit it is you can turn off items within that circuit.
For fridges and freezers you will have to do it overnight as they can't be left off for days at a time.
Are you SURE you're actually using the energy for which you have been charged ? Power companies are not famous for their honesty....
- Anonymous7 years ago
Both Tom and Mitch have a good handle on the problem ! You don't say if this is your home or you are renting. If, for say, you are renting, the landlord may be running all of the hot water on your meter. If this is your home, than a 80 gallon hot water is bigger than you need. Most homes have a 40-50 gallon heater. If there is a model and serial number on your heater, along with the brand name, you should be able to find out just how old the unit is. If this is your own home, you should flush out the heater every year. Let us know..Tom and Mitch and I would like to know. We don't know each other, however, their answers were right on !
- ?Lv 57 years ago
Yes it can. I have seen elements rotted through and it will leak current to ground.Have it checked sounds like that is the problem.Most likely the bottom element that is the one that works the hardest.
