I need some advice with my water heater, it is a 5 year old Sears Power Miser 12, which I think are made by State. It only heats the water to warm, at best. I checked both elements with an ohm meter and visually. Both measured about 12 and 15 ohms across their terminals and both looked good, too.
I tested the thermostats per the instructions on this page, http://www.water-heater-repair-guide.com/hotwaterheaterthermostat.html
The one thing that did not checkout was I got 0 volts across the lower element terminal thats with the upper thermostat set to the coldest setting, and the lower thermostat set to its hottest setting. That should have kicked power to the lower element. Correct?
I then replaced the upper thermostat, but same thing. I want to replace the lower thermostat but I can't find an exact match. Does the replacement thermostat need to match the top exactly? Or can I use a different brand, but same volt/watt/current rating.
Sorry for the long winded post. Thanks for any replies.
I tested the thermostats per the instructions on this page, http://www.water-heater-repair-guide.com/hotwaterheaterthermostat.html
The one thing that did not checkout was I got 0 volts across the lower element terminal thats with the upper thermostat set to the coldest setting, and the lower thermostat set to its hottest setting. That should have kicked power to the lower element. Correct?
I then replaced the upper thermostat, but same thing. I want to replace the lower thermostat but I can't find an exact match. Does the replacement thermostat need to match the top exactly? Or can I use a different brand, but same volt/watt/current rating.
Sorry for the long winded post. Thanks for any replies.