Water Heater Electrical Problem Found With Thermal Imaging in Surgoinsville, TN
I was out on a job over the weekend in Surgoinsville, here in Hawkins County, involving a water heater. Part of tracking down the problem was looking at the electrical supply feeding the heater, and that is where thermal imaging earned its keep.
Using the thermal camera, I found a bad electrical cable feeding the water heater. The cable showed up warm relative to its surroundings in the clips below, which told me where to look closer. From what I could see, the cable had been stretched too tight during the original installation.
I want to be careful about what the camera does and does not tell us. A thermal image shows temperature differences. It does not see through walls, and it does not prove a diagnosis by itself. What it does well is help locate spots worth a closer electrical assessment. The warmth on this cable pointed me in the right direction; the electrical evaluation after that is what confirmed the cable was bad.
What the thermal camera actually showed
In these clips, the cable feeding the heater reads warmer than the surfaces around it. That is worth stating carefully: warm relative to its surroundings is what the camera shows. I am not going to call it dangerously hot based on the temperatures on the screen, and I am not going to claim to know exactly what was happening inside the cable. The internal cause of the heating is not something I can verify from a thermal image.
What I can say is that the cable was bad, and that it had been stretched too tight when it was originally installed. A cable under that kind of tension is not installed the way it should be, and it was part of the problem with the electrical supply to this heater.
The cable and the heater were two separate issues
Alongside the electrical problem, the water heater itself was in rough shape. Water contaminants had also contributed to the condition of the heater. I want to keep those two things separate, because they are separate: the contaminants affected the heater, and the cable was an electrical installation problem. I am not saying the water contamination caused the cable to heat up, and the thermal camera is not what established the contamination—that was part of assessing the heater itself.
Based on what I found, my determination was that the water heater needs replacement. That is where the job stands as of this writing; I am not going to claim the replacement is completed.
What homeowners can take from this
A few practical takeaways. First, a water heater problem is not always just a plumbing problem. These heaters draw a lot of power, and the electrical supply feeding them deserves a look when something is off.
Second, installation quality matters. A cable stretched too tight when it went in can turn into a problem later. If your heater or its wiring was installed in a hurry, that work is worth having checked.
Third, thermal imaging is a tool for finding where to look, not a magic answer. It helps locate temperature differences so the electrical assessment can focus on the right spot. The diagnosis still comes from the electrical work that follows.
And one thing I will not do here is walk anyone through testing energized equipment themselves. If you suspect an electrical problem with your water heater, that is a job to call about—not a weekend experiment.
Water heater electrical work in Surgoinsville and Hawkins County
I handle electrical troubleshooting in Surgoinsville and throughout Hawkins County, including the electrical side of water heater problems. If your heater is acting up and you are not sure whether the problem is the appliance or the power feeding it, that is exactly the kind of call I can help sort out.
Trent Electrical was established in 2013. Call or text Ryan at (423) 754-4353.