cetmanhd@verizon.net Report post Posted June 27, 2010 I accidentally forgot to switch my bypass valve to normal operation during our first camping trip this past weekend. So I ran the water heater with very little or no water in it on the first day (Friday). My wife was washing dishes and says hey the water heater is sounding strange and she had no hot water, seems to be starting and stopping multiple times. I discovered that I had failed to turn the bypass valve to normal operation. I switched the valve to normal and the tank filled with water. The heater turned on and ran for quite a while to get the water up to temp. Then at a point later that day we noticed it was cycling again. It starts up and runs for 15 to 30 secs. Goes from a roaring flame to a slow trickle down then off. It repeats this multiple times when the water is already warm to hot. If I wait overnight, the water cools and the next morning it ran beautiful from the water being cold overnight to get it hot. Seems to cycle often when the water is already hot, like it is sensing a drop in water temp, then ignites, senses the water is still hot, then shuts down. I am mostly wondering what does running a water heater with little to no water actually do to the water heater? Does it burn some out? A sensor or something that I can replace? We used it this morning for two showers and it seemed to work OK. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tbutler Report post Posted June 28, 2010 Running a water heater without water in it will damage the heating element. Both electric and gas heating elements are susceptible to this damage. The heating element is designed to be "water cooled." Water is a tremendous heat absorber and will keep the element near the final hot water temperature (105 to 140 degrees F). If there is no water in the water heater, the element becomes very hot, is warped, partially melted or cracked. This is a "fatal" kind of damage that can only be repaired by replacing the heating element if possible. I don't think this is dangerous but it will shorten the life of your heating element. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
cetmanhd@verizon.net Report post Posted July 6, 2010 Running a water heater without water in it will damage the heating element. Both electric and gas heating elements are susceptible to this damage. The heating element is designed to be "water cooled." Water is a tremendous heat absorber and will keep the element near the final hot water temperature (105 to 140 degrees F). If there is no water in the water heater, the element becomes very hot, is warped, partially melted or cracked. This is a "fatal" kind of damage that can only be repaired by replacing the heating element if possible. I don't think this is dangerous but it will shorten the life of your heating element. TY. Let me see if I understand this. When using the Propane to heat the water, what element are we talking about? I have not used the electric heating at all, always propane. Does the Propane method use a heating element? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
