You wake up a little late and need to take a quick shower. Cranking up the hot-water tap, all you get is tepid water. It doesn’t even warm up as it runs. EEEK. So you take a really quick shower because the water is so cool.
What happened? Your home is fairly new, and the electric water heater has always worked well. No one else took a shower this morning, so there should be plenty of hot water.
First, check the electrical breaker panel in the basement. Look for a breaker marked “water heater.” Make sure it’s in the ON position. If it is tripped, it may be in the center position, and you must turn it OFF, then ON. If it clicks into the ON position and stays there, you have fixed the problem. (Now you remember that the teenagers had a little party in the basement last night. Maybe they turned it off.)
Sometimes there’s a reset control on the side of the water heater; try to reset it there. If neither of these steps does the trick, you might need to call a plumber, who will remove the access covers and check the thermostat, wiring and heating elements.