The electric water heater isn't heating

What it means

An electric water heater heats the water in the tank with a heating element, controlled by a thermostat. It also has a safety thermostat: if it detects overheating, it cuts off the element and the water heater stops heating.

Heating the whole tank takes time. In an 80-litre water heater it can take around three hours, depending on the element's power and the temperature of the incoming water.

And in Mallorca, with such hard water, limescale builds up on the element and at the bottom of the tank: the water heater heats less efficiently and has less usable capacity.

Most likely causes

1. No power: a tripped circuit breaker or a socket with no power.
2. Thermostat at minimum or knocked by accident.
3. Safety thermostat tripped. Before resetting it, you need to know why it tripped.
4. Heating element faulty or covered in limescale.

What you can check yourself

Without tools and without opening the unit.

1. Check that it's getting power: if it's plugged in, test the socket with another appliance, and check the fuse box.
2. Check the water heater's thermostat. If it's at minimum, turn it up and give it a few hours.
3. Look at the indicator light or display. If it's on but not heating, the fault is most likely inside the water heater.

If it's getting power, the thermostat is set correctly and it still won't heat, or if the circuit breaker trips when you switch it on, book an engineer. What's left is inside the water heater and means working on live electrical parts.