# Whirlpool Energy Saver Water Heater Problem



## Thurman

*Note on Whirlpool Energy Smart water heaters*

I bought a Whirlpool Energy Smart water heater two years ago, it has the electronic circuit board to control the heating elements. This unit worked fine until about a month ago. It quit heating the water and was giving a code for "False Start". Turning off the breaker, pressing the reset button got it started as the instructions said to do so. Another two weeks and it went out, completely. No indicator light for power to the unit, although there was. I called the 1-800-Whirlpool number as stated on the papers that came with it. No problem, bad circuit board, new boards are free to the original owner as long as the unit is in the original home it was installed in. A $20 shipping charge applied. Research on the Internet tells me that Whirlpool, actually American Water Heater, has had such a problem with these they now warrant the 6 yr., 9 yr., and lifetime units under a "lifetime" warranty with the above conditions. Would I buy another one-NO. This unit seems too fragile. Just thought I'd share. Thanks, David


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## JT_Home_Improve

Hi. I just joined this site with a problem. Does anyone know of any tricks to the control box on this hot water heater? It seems my Whirlpool Energy Smart Water Heaters' control box went kafooey. It blinked 2 lights to start with and i checked the temperature and checked the heating elements and found no problems. I filled the tank back up and turn the breaker back on and it blinked one light, indicating no water in the tank, ( which there was). Whirlpool says its the control box. Does anyone know of a place to get these at a lower cost than from Whirlpool? I'm gonna have to take out a second mortgage to get one from them . Is there a website i can find cheapish replacement parts for this? Advice?
Thanks.


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## JT_Home_Improve

*Whirlpool Energy Saver Water Heater*

Hi. Does anyone know of any tricks to the control box on this hot water heater? It seems my Whirlpool Energy Smart Water Heaters' control box went kafooey. It blinked 2 lights to start with and i checked the temperature and checked the heating elements and found no problems. I filled the tank back up and turned the breaker back on and it blinked one light, indicating no water in the tank, ( which there was). Whirlpool says its the control box. Does anyone know of a place to get these at a lower cost than from Whirlpool? I'm gonna have to take out a second mortgage to get one from them . Is there a website i can find cheapish replacement parts for this? Advice?
Thanks.


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## Billy_Bob

If it costs a ton of money to fix it, I would just replace it with a regular water heater.

The savings with a water heater is by not using it! Or by heating only warm water most of the time, then only hot water when taking a shower or bath.

For doing that, you can buy a separate water heater timer like this...
(Has manual on/off button too.)
http://www.theenergyconscious.com/pow1036.html

You can save by...
Washing clothes in cold water.
Taking fewer showers/baths.
Set water heater to off when not taking showers/baths, then you have warm water left for a day or so. Turn on about an hour before taking shower/bath.


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## fmp168

*Whirlpool Energy Saver water heater*

I have this heater and it is junk. You should have a 12 year warranty. I am currently trying to get mine back on. I bought it at Lowes but they won,t replace them and do not have parts. i called the number for Whirlpool service and got a foreign woman whom I could hardly understand. We went thru some checkpoints without any conclusion. This happened on this past Fridayso I am without hot water all weekend and will have to call them back on Mondayand see if they will send a control board. 

DO NOT BUY THIS WATER HEATER!!!!!!!


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## Billy_Bob

fmp168 said:


> ...I am without hot water all weekend...


If you have a big pot or pan, you can heat up water in it a bit on the stove, then this makes washing greasy dishes a WHOLE lot easier!

(I do that when camping. Trying to wash greasy dishes in cold water is NASTY!)


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## COLDIRON

I have the same water heater and it's been trouble free since I installed it about 5 years ago.

OH NO why did I say that. It's to good to be true.

You might be hearing from me, I hope not.


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## d scott

*Whirlpool water heater*

Most of these that I've worked on,have been in parts warranty.Most of those units had 10 year part warranties.Look on the I.D.plate,will give model/serial and all info you need,along with Whirlpool 800 number.Usually the part is overnighted to you.Hope this helps


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## Norcal

Those Whirlpool water heaters are lemons & should be avoided at all costs, the gas "Flamelock" ones are the worst there was a class-action lawsuit on them & from what I understand it did not help matters. :furious: Still junk.


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## Thurman

I have information on this one: I have the Whirlpool Energy Smart Electric water heater, purchased at a Lowe's store January 2006, and installed then. I did have a problem of no hot water in February 2009. The green light was "ON" the control board as it should be, but no hot water. I have a business repairing/installing electric water heaters so I started trouble shooting this one. No luck, everything goes back to the control board. I go back to Lowe's where the employee of this area is a friend of mine. He informs me that there has been a problem with these units, particularly the control board and that Lowe's store has removed them from the shelves. I call the 1-877-817-6750 (I'm looking at my paperwork) for the tech center to ask what to do. All they asked was if I was _the original consumer purchaser, _which I am. The tech guy asked a few more questions, then stated he was shipping out a new control board ASAP. This was under the terms of the original warranty, BUT-the warranty has changed so that the _original consumer purchaser_ would now have life-time warranty on the control board. That is why he needed more info. Also, under the original warranty, the customer pays shipping-Blah! In Feb. '09 I paid $15.36 shipping to get the new control board. I replaced it when it came in and have had no other problems with it since. NOW--I'm this type person: since they did not want the old control board back, I decided to see what may be wrong with it. I'm not an electronics person, but I took each component of that board out, checked it as I learned how and found---nothing! I'm sure I didn't do something right but it doesn't matter, I had fun. SO-I'm saying to you: Whirlpool is giving you the run-a-round as far as the control board according to what the techy told me. They should replace the board FREE of charge to you, you pay shipping. I would call the number I gave you, be polite but firm about them having problems with these boards and see what you can work out with them. Good Luck, David


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## Scuba_Dave

Thanks for the info, good to know
I have the Whirlpool electric too, 12 year warranty
Purchased in '-05 I think


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## Thurman

The OP was answered at the "Appliances" forum. New info: According to someone I know at a Lowe's store (Dec. 07) when I stated that I had seen the original post, he informed me that there was a "class-action lawsuit" against Whirlpool on these Energy Smart water heaters. It does seem the gas version was more of a problem than the electric, but the electric version had it's own unique problems. _My understand from him: _As long as the water heater is owned by the original purchase/consumer, the water heater will be under a life-time warranty. IF this is true, I'll bet Whirlpool will not won't to admit it. As I stated in my post in the Appliances section: The Whirlpool tech did tell me that the circuit boards of these units would be covered under a life-time warranty to the original purchaser/consumer and would be replaced free-of-charge, YOU pay shipping under the warranty terms. I will say that IF you are having a problem with a Whirlpool Energy Smart water heater, call the 1-877 number (I did not get a foreign person) and complain firmly but politely. Ask for someone higher up if necessary, be persistent. Good Luck, David


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## jboswald

hotwaterhelp said:


> You can see if the water heater is still under warranty by calling the manufacturer. Normally you can order replacement parts quickly. Their number is 1-877-817-6750. If you still have warranty then it should cover the cost of the part.


I had the same problem with mine. Called the warranty number - gave them the model/serial number and they replaced it free (probably paid shipping?)..
It took about a week to get the part, but it's been working fine since (a couple years now).


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## JT_Home_Improve

Thanks so much for your posts. Your info was very helpful. However, Whirlpool's Indian customer service rep would not give me the satisfaction of giving me any kind of warranty on the control box. He said because i wasnt the original owner, the warranty was void, which this is the house the original owner installed it in. Its so frustrating when you call with a problem and you get this foreign person on the other line that can barely speak a lick of english. Somtimes i wish i could reach my hand through the phone and grab a neck or something. I searched online for a control box and had no luck. Whirlpool wants $75 plus $20 overnite shipping and their defective piece of crap.. I haven't had water in a week and i'm tired of showering at my in-laws all the time. They have me where they want me and there isn't much I can do about it it seems. Needless to say, i would NEVER buy a Whirlpool product.


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## Scuba_Dave

My WH was only $270 w/10% discount
What warranty do they give on the replacement ?


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## COLDIRON

JT
I posted the other day after reading your dilemma.

I tryed to find the part on line even though I do not need one just to see how difficult it was and the costs associated with it.

I could not find it anywhere, how ridiculous is that you can find parts for every thing under the sun on line with the exception of the Whirlpool control box.

Like I said the other day I have had mine in now for 7 years(looked at the file) and it's been trouble free. but when it breaks I think I will just replace it with a non electronic controlled HWH.

It paid for itself $238 I installed.


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## JT_Home_Improve

They never gave me any info about a warranty on a new part, though i didnt ask either. I just wanted to get off the qhone cause he had me on hold 3 times when i was talking to him. 

The WH we have is 7 years old and we didnt have many problems til now, so i would say ur about due Sultini :laughing: just kidding... i hope you dont have problems like ours lol


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## COLDIRON

JT_Home_Improve said:


> They never gave me any info about a warranty on a new part, though i didnt ask either. I just wanted to get off the qhone cause he had me on hold 3 times when i was talking to him.
> 
> The WH we have is 7 years old and we didnt have many problems til now, so i would say ur about due Sultini :laughing: just kidding... i hope you dont have problems like ours lol


 
Your right I am about due, what I should do is purchase a control box now because the elements are probably easy to find and that's about the only other thing on it that could go bad besides a leak in the main tank or TP valve.:whistling2:


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## JT_Home_Improve

Don't be so sure on the elements either, ours has 5500 watt elements and the hardware around me says they only stock 4500's cause those are the common ones. I have to find a plumbing store ( or I assume Lowes would have them too). And if you order something and get overnite shipping from Whirlpool (which i had no other option besides the $20 overnite shipping), don't count on it.. still waiting:furious:. I'm thinking about calling and canceling it and just buying a new one.. this is BULL!! I hope i never deal with them again..


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## Scuba_Dave

There are different types of overnite delivery
by 9a.....by 10a....and just the next day...no specific time
If there was a guaranteed time & they fail then usually shipping is free


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## The 7 Raven

*Free circuit board*

You can get a circuit board for free, :thumbsup: just go to Loews hot water heater section and tell them you are the original owner and your circuit board is bad...They'll give you a replacement FREE!!!!!!! Seems there is a factory defect they neglected to tell anyone about... Call before you go they may be out and direct you to a store that has them. I just got another one, think this one is defective too.


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## Frustrated2

*Control Box Fire*

I've had one of these for 5 years now. Yesterday the control box caught on fire. Good thing I happened to go into the garage for something or my house probably would have burned down. I've already replaced a heating element and the control box board in the past. India had me on hold for a long time yesterday, but they did overnight a new board via UPS for $20. Another problem: they forgot to send a new box as mine melted. I figured out the cause of the fire (I think). The main wires on the board are ALUMINUM! Major fire hazard to connect copper and aluminum. Be careful everyone!


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## Scuba_Dave

_Multiple threads on the same problem have been merged_


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## jhowd

*energy saver*



Thurman said:


> I bought a Whirlpool Energy Smart water heater two years ago, it has the electronic circuit board to control the heating elements. This unit worked fine until about a month ago. It quit heating the water and was giving a code for "False Start". Turning off the breaker, pressing the reset button got it started as the instructions said to do so. Another two weeks and it went out, completely. No indicator light for power to the unit, although there was. I called the 1-800-Whirlpool number as stated on the papers that came with it. No problem, bad circuit board, new boards are free to the original owner as long as the unit is in the original home it was installed in. A $20 shipping charge applied. Research on the Internet tells me that Whirlpool, actually American Water Heater, has had such a problem with these they now warrant the 6 yr., 9 yr., and lifetime units under a "lifetime" warranty with the above conditions. Would I buy another one-NO. This unit seems too fragile. Just thought I'd share. Thanks, David


 Hey Thurman, friend of mine had same prob a year old Whirlpool heater, The wires on his unit were fried, melted together, I had no wire diagram or schematic, could not find anything on line about it or even where to find another one. Thanks for the post, I will pass it on. You would think there would be no shipping charge at all considering not everyone can do the repairs and would have to hire an electrcian to replace this faulty design. I agree Whirlpool folks wake up!!! C ya Thurman an thanks again james


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## Fishwayguy

I had the same problem. I got mine working again at least for now. I shut the power off at the breaker and then pushed the re-set button switch on the tank then turned the breaker back on and it seemed to fix the problem. When I turned the breaker back on you could hear the elements heating up. and so far so good.


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## Pistol Pete

I bought my Whirlpool Energy Smart Electric water heater in January of 2005. It has failed twice, in the fall of '06, and in Feb of '10. Both times they sent me a new board for free, with no shipping charge.


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## bobelectric

I guess it saves you energy by working ½ the time!


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## emolatur

Okay, now y'all have me curious.

If someone would like to send me a fried/broken board, I'd be quite interested to see what ails it.

If it's something I can fix, you get it back and have a spare - and if not, you've lost nothing.


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## Fishwayguy

emolatur said:


> Okay, now y'all have me curious.
> 
> If someone would like to send me a fried/broken board, I'd be quite interested to see what ails it.
> 
> If it's something I can fix, you get it back and have a spare - and if not, you've lost nothing.



It seems mine gave out after a couple days. Id be glad to send you the circuit board when my new one arrives. I called whirlpool and the gal on the other end was more then happy to help. since its the weekend I have to wait till Tuesday to get the new board.
the water heater works off and on as long as I push the reset button and turn the breaker off and on. I think the board is trying to run both elements at once, cause after a few minutes of running it kicks the breaker. hmmm . I did check the ohms on the elements and continuity and all is well on that end I was getting a High Temp warning flashes but now only get fail to start Flash. I hope Whirlpool has upgraded the circuit board. If it fails again after installing the new board I think Ill go back the old style water heater.


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## earcuffs

*"Who" sent a free new control board w/ free shipping?*



Pistol Pete said:


> I bought my Whirlpool Energy Smart Electric water heater in January of 2005. It has failed twice, in the fall of '06, and in Feb of '10. Both times they sent me a new board for free, with no shipping charge.


"They" sent a free new control board w/ free shipping? 
Who, Lowes or Whirlpool? I'll be searching the Lowes stores for a replacement as mine failed. Curious if the new policy is a free board + free shipping. Seems like I would need a backup control board if the replacement can be expected to fail as well. Horrible service history on the electronics for this unit.


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## HVAC_NW

There are two types of boards.
http://www.americanwaterheater.com/support/guides/es.pdf
Both types use four N.O. relays. 



Each incoming line has its own relay. One of the relay switches common side.

Other side powers the switched side of heaters. 


The two line side relays must be closed for heater to work. 
Switched side of each heating element has its own relay. 

Relay 1 & 2 are always closed.
Relay 1 connects one of the poles to common side of heating elements.
Relay 2 powers switched side.
Relay 3 controls upper
Relay 4 controls lower

So, for proper operation it's always 1,2 and 3 OR 1,2 and 4.
Each element must go through three relays in series so if a relay becomes stuck on, it won't go into run-away conditions.

If 3 or 4 welds closed and control calls for other element to activate, it should cause the board to see both elements energized and trip on error. 

The line side relays serve no purpose other than safety redundancy. 

The relays are electronically controlled by computerized circuits based on feedback from elements(which is how it detects failed element) and thermistors. 

The electronics is covered, but not completely potted in epoxy so it won't be easy to replace parts even if you could locate problems at component level.


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## Pistol Pete

earcuffs said:


> "They" sent a free new control board w/ free shipping?
> Who, Lowes or Whirlpool? I'll be searching the Lowes stores for a replacement as mine failed. Curious if the new policy is a free board + free shipping. Seems like I would need a backup control board if the replacement can be expected to fail as well. Horrible service history on the electronics for this unit.


Whirlpool sent it to me. I called the 800 number in the book and spoke to a nice, Indian guy, and a few days later the new board came.


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## hidden1

I have one also.But the lights are all out yet i get hot water daily.Is this the circuit board or what?


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## water2coldorHot

*Whirlpool Energy Smart Water Heater*

My water heater worked well for several years (lifetime warranty) but now has begun to either produce lukewarm water or dangerously hot water! The control box on top the heater had wires that burned the paper wiring diagram off the inside of the cover and even partially melted the cover. Whirlpool quickly sent me a new control circuit board but it has been installed and is right now overheating and I am catching the scalding water in a 5-gallon bucket. (Actually, this is the 2nd one they sent me in a week but still no improvement). There doesn't seem to be anything wrong--it just continues to overheat and does the 2-flash high temperature warning. In its defense, it worked fine for about 10 years--still no leaky tank, but seems to be unfixable.:furious:


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## slcullen

We have the Energy Smart electric heater, lifetime warranty. The heater is nine years old and the control board is on the fritz. I called the 800 number, answered a few questions and they're overnighting a new board today. The tech was most helpful and couldn't have been more pleasant. And they comped the overnight charges. I'm a satisfied owner! Now to go heat some water on the stove to shave.


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## Sy Tj

*Whirlpool 50 gl Energy Smart water heater*

We have a Whirlpool 50 gallon Energy Smart water heater which is almost 12 years old. It has been working great until recently. We were getting 5 blinking lights on the controller box indicating a problem with the lower heating element. We called customer service and were connected to an American service tech immediately. She was extremely helpful and told us the parts we needed were under lifetime warranty. She shipped the control board, junction box cover and both heating elements and we received them in 2 days. Our only charge was $10 for shipping. We couldn't believe their excellent service after reading so many negative posts. I say without hesitation that they have wonderful service now and I would certainly not hesitate to buy another Whirlpool hot water heater.
Sy T.J.


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## BobR7867

*Satified customer*

I have the 80 gallon Energy smart electric water heater. The water one day became excessively hot. I reset the switch to no avail. First I replaced both elements. Two weeks later I experienced the same problem. I contacted the Whirlpool technical support line and they were polite and helpful. They told me I needed to replace the control board. Yes I had to replace both elements and a control board but they sent the board to me overnight for free. To replace the elements I had to take the old ones to Lowes and they gave me free replacements. I have a lifetime warranty so why would I change water heaters or complain. For the person who is not the original owner stop whining and pay the $75.00.


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## Lpa42933

I have a Whirlpool Energy Smart electric water heater. I received a 3 flash signal for the heating elements. I replaced both heating elements. After power was restored, the signal flash changed to 2 flashes immediately for high temperature. Impossible since it was just turned back on and filled with cold water. I replaced the board with a new one that was overnighted to me. Now it either flashed 2 or 3 times depending on its mood. Tech support has been very nice about giving me free parts. I have no money for a technician to look at it though. Any suggestions on what it could be now? Please help!


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## agtnew7

Just to add to this situation/I just called the # and the board is on the way. I spoke to a nice lady named Amanda. Thanks DIYers.


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## oldbiker16

ok I have this water heater. Mine keeps kicking the breaker. Is it still the board that is causing the problem?


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## agtnew7

*agtnew7*

Just went through the same issue, My problem was the bottom element was bad. This was indicated by two flashes. The previous issue I had was similar but the board was bad. I called the # and they replaced it the next day.


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## agtnew7

R you getting any diagnostic flashes?


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## CassyD

*Energy Smart water heater*

We have been having issues with our Whirlpool energy efficient water heater. Light would flash 5 times indicating bottom element was out. Replaced it two weeks ago and the light continued to flash and a constant clicking sound coming from the control box. This clicking has been on going for over a year.
Located the paperwork where we purchase the water heater and called their phone number for assistance.

Could not have been a more pleasant experience. The lady was very helpful and said we had never activated our lifetime warranty so she would enter it now for us. Then she said from what we told her it was the control module that was out and was fairly common problem. A new control board would be mailed over night to us at no cost. She even gave a brief but informative explanation of how to disconnect the old board and install the new one.

The part arrived the following day at 1130 a.m. We followed the steps and had in installed in 30 minutes or less. Been 3 days now and it has resolved the problem completely....very happy with Whirlpool and the manner in which the problem was addressed.:thumbsup:


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## krmnelson

*Lifetime Warranty on Control Panel Not True*

The first post in this thread regarding all control panels being given a lifetime warranty is not true. Our water heater is going through periods of extremely hot water and then periods of not hot enough water. Our neighbor is a plumber and said it is more than likely the control panel. The control panel was replaced the first year we moved in to our home and the water heater was new. I called Whirlpool and was told our water heater has a 9 year warranty and the control is not under warranty any longer. I mentioned what I read on this thread and they said they have never heard of this. Only water heaters with a lifetime warranty will have a lifetime warranty on the control panel. Beware! They are not covering the control panels on all water heaters unless there is a lifetime warranty.


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## hankdewald

Wow, scary stuff here. I noticed a smell of burning insulation in my house that I finally tracked down to this electric water heater and specifically to the control box located on top of the unit. There is a definite 'hot spot' when I place my hand on it. I called the number posted here and spoke with an American named Jesse, who was very helpful and after giving him my model and serial numbers, he wrote up an order and said he would have the part to me tomorrow, at no charge. I guess lawsuits and consumer complaints got their attention. I was pleased and should have my hot water back by tomorrow! If this should happen to you or someone you know, turn off the power to the unit until it is fixed! Good Luck!:biggrin2:


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## vol96

Called 800 number today, new control unit should arrive tomorrow.

No charge, not even shipping!

Thanks diychatroom.


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## kbock

I have the exact same water heater. Previous owner of the home I just bought had it installed a little over a year ago. I haven't had any issues with it until this morning. I work HVAC and I've had quite a bit of experience with gas water heaters but, this electric one is driving me insane. The lights on the indicator says that it operating at normal operation. So, I reset the water heater and I have the normal operation indicator light on still. But, no hot water. Can someone please help me out with this issue?


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## vol96

Wait about 30 min and check the light again. Mine took a while to start flashing, indicating a problem which was lower element bad even tho I just replaced both elements.....thats when I new the control board was bad.


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## Senior Engineer

I had the same problem today on my Mother-in-laws Whirlpool Electric Water Heater that was bought at Lowes too. She said that the water was cold and after checking the 220v wall breaker and the then the heating elements I traced the problem to the ESM Module on the water heater. This is the LCD Control Module on the side at the top of the water heater. It was set all the way down to 80F and trying to adjust the temp using the arrows proved very difficult! Even unlocking the unit seemed flaky! Then once I got it unlocked and as soon as I tried to adjust the temp to a higher setting it went all the way to 150! Then when I hit the arrow down it went all the way to 80F, it would not stop on any temp in between! The normal setting should be around 120F. After about an hour of screwing around it finally worked but that is not the normal way it should have worked! So I called the Customer Service # 1-877-817-6750 and they sent me a new one for free! You must be the original owner and give then the address of where it is installed, and the serial # of the water heater. This water heater was only 6 years old too, but I heard the warranty on this ESM unit is lifetime! :biggrin2:


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## COLDIRON

Good information for an old thread that started many years ago. Just because it's old don't mean it's not important. I have had my Whirlpool energy saving water heater for 15 years and it has been flawless in operation. I have changed the anode rod twice. I probably blew it. Now I am sure it's going to break.


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## Senior Engineer

COLDIRON said:


> Good information for an old thread that started many years ago. Just because it's old don't mean it's not important. I have had my Whirlpool energy saving water heater for 15 years and it has been flawless in operation. I have changed the anode rod twice. I probably blew it. Now I am sure it's going to break.


Yes, your precise information helped me a lot and saved me time also. I'm a retired Applications Engineer (Electronics), I repair almost everything these days that is repairable, and is cheaply repaired. Everything is repairable but at a certain point, the cost may exceed the price of a new one. That is the case for a lot of things these days! And it was nice to see that there are still some companies that honor their warranties. I had no trouble at all at getting them to send me a new module, and they did it cheerfully too!


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## Drabec

I, too, had problems with the Whirlpool Energy Smart water heater. I have the lifetime (as long as I am original owner) guarantee. Problem was a little hot water and then turning luke warm or cool after a couple minutes. Whirlpool tech suppport were very helpful and I wanted to replace the elements, control board and upper and lower thermistors. Tech support sent the parts and after removal and replacement, still no continous hot water, still same problem. Heater has worked flawless for almost 9 years. Tech support, (Jim) was very kind, informative, and very good at explaining what could cause the problem, even when the control box still showed green light. We discussed "MIXING PROBLEMS" where the hot water is bypassed through the cold water line back to the inlet of the hot water heater and causes the heater to sense the lower 2/3 of the tank is still hot, due to the return hot water from the top of the tank flowing through a cold water valve back through the cold water line and into the cold water inlet of the tank and down the dip tube into the bottom of the tank and giving the false sense the bottom of tank is still hot water and the heater will not turn on, and ends up keeping the bottom 2/3 of the heater from receiving cold water from the inlet... Anyway, is not complicated, and after checking all my interior valves for leakage and tell tale warm temperatures (indicating bypass leaking and mixing of hot and cold line water returning back to inlet of heater) and finding none. I went outside where our custom home has a hot water valve and a cold water valve, side by side, used for washing cars and having hot water available along with the cold water line. _*Eureka! That was the problem!*_ Both the hot water valve and the cold water valve were open and the hose was shut off. But there was a path for the hot water to enter the cold water valve and flow backwards to the cold water line inlet to the hot water heater causing the mixing of the hot water with the cold water line and keeping the Energy Smart heater from heating the bottom 2/3 of the tank..... Mixing was my problem, and _*thanks to Tech Support*_, problem solved and heater continues to work great.... hope this helps.... I am very happy with the Whirlpool Energy Smart Water Heater, and I have placed a note card on the heater, in case the problem happens to someone else. I saved several hundred dollars by doing this myself, and learned a lot about the Energy Smart Heater.... I am a happy camper with a good hot water heater... and very satisfied with the professionalism of the tech support, especially with home owners who are not plumbers.


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## Tpaw

My electrical board caught on fire !!!! Glad I was at home.. Called 1 800 number. They sent me a link to email them back proof of purchase... Hope I can find it.. With all the problems I've seen posted these should have been recalled. I will update with more info about out come


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## Tpaw

Tpaw said:


> My electrical board caught on fire !!!! Glad I was at home.. Called 1 800 number. They sent me a link to email them back proof of purchase... Hope I can find it.. With all the problems I've seen posted these should have been recalled. I will update with more info about out come


 Whirlpool did me right . Paid for replacement . Different name brand . Only came with 6 yr warranty, but saved me $450.00 . Overall satisfied with out come.


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## David N

Senior Engineer said:


> I had the same problem today on my Mother-in-laws Whirlpool Electric Water Heater that was bought at Lowes too. She said that the water was cold and after checking the 220v wall breaker and the then the heating elements I traced the problem to the ESM Module on the water heater. This is the LCD Control Module on the side at the top of the water heater. It was set all the way down to 80F and trying to adjust the temp using the arrows proved very difficult! Even unlocking the unit seemed flaky! Then once I got it unlocked and as soon as I tried to adjust the temp to a higher setting it went all the way to 150! Then when I hit the arrow down it went all the way to 80F, it would not stop on any temp in between! The normal setting should be around 120F. After about an hour of screwing around it finally worked but that is not the normal way it should have worked! So I called the Customer Service # 1-877-817-6750 and they sent me a new one for free! You must be the original owner and give then the address of where it is installed, and the serial # of the water heater. This water heater was only 6 years old too, but I heard the warranty on this ESM unit is lifetime! :biggrin2:



I ordered a new control board from the customer service number you list, but when I tried to install it I found the red power line from the new control module not long enough to reach the original house power connection inside the plastic box on top of the W/H. Did you have this problem? I'm a little concerned about extending this wire with wire nuts to make it work. Not sure if the electric code would allow this???


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## SDtownhouse

Thurman said:


> *Note on Whirlpool Energy Smart water heaters*
> 
> I bought a Whirlpool Energy Smart water heater two years ago, it has the electronic circuit board to control the heating elements. This unit worked fine until about a month ago. It quit heating the water and was giving a code for "False Start". Turning off the breaker, pressing the reset button got it started as the instructions said to do so. Another two weeks and it went out, completely. No indicator light for power to the unit, although there was. I called the 1-800-Whirlpool number as stated on the papers that came with it. No problem, bad circuit board, new boards are free to the original owner as long as the unit is in the original home it was installed in. A $20 shipping charge applied. Research on the Internet tells me that Whirlpool, actually American Water Heater, has had such a problem with these they now warrant the 6 yr., 9 yr., and lifetime units under a "lifetime" warranty with the above conditions. Would I buy another one-NO. This unit seems too fragile. Just thought I'd share. Thanks, David


12+ years later, I appreciate the comments. My Universal ES Module just died, my tenants are w/o hot water, and I will spend more on rent reimbursement than if I'd just gone to buy a new water heater, by the time the "overnight" module arrives. And that might not even fix the problem. Whirlpool told me that if I unplug the control module it will just work fine using the thermostat behind it. But, although everything is getting power, the thermostat won't tell the element(s) to heat the water.


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## Chris616

See this new thread created by @SDtownhouse if you want to respond.









Whirlpool (A.O. Smith) electric water heater fail


Model # ES 40R 123-45D, 12 yr. warranty, purchased 2015. My nice renters, a young couple, are w/o hot water since yesterday. I guess I am going to have to refund their rent for each day they are w/o hot water. The Universal ES Module display went blank and Whirlpool said unplug it and the hot...




www.diychatroom.com


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## Thin & Crispy

I know this thread is old but I'm hoping someone will see it. I have an electric whirlpool hot water heater with an "Energy Smart" control mounted on the top. It has a "Smart" mode and an "Energy Smart" mode. Can someone tell me what the difference is?


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## RAL238

Thin & Crispy said:


> I know this thread is old but I'm hoping someone will see it. I have an electric whirlpool hot water heater with an "Energy Smart" control mounted on the top. It has a "Smart" mode and an "Energy Smart" mode. Can someone tell me what the difference is?


I haven''t seen a Whirlpool water heater with both "smart" and "energy smart" modes. Just "standard" and "energy smart."

According to Whirlpool:

ENERGY SMART - This mode is used to save energy by monitoring usage and adjusting the set point to match the water draw usage pattern.


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## Thin & Crispy

RAL238 said:


> I haven''t seen a Whirlpool water heater with both "smart" and "energy smart" modes. Just "standard" and "energy smart."
> 
> According to Whirlpool:
> 
> ENERGY SMART - This mode is used to save energy by monitoring usage and adjusting the set point to match the water draw usage pattern.


I spent a lot of time researching on the net but never found what you found. Was that on the Whilrpool site?


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## RAL238

Thin & Crispy said:


> I spent a lot of time researching on the net but never found what you found. Was that on the Whilrpool site?


There have been a number of Whirlpool models over the years that used the Energy Smart label. Not sure how similar they all are. 

Here's the manual for one of them. See page 11 for the description of the Energy Smart mode.


http://www.whirlpoolwaterheaters.com/media/48024/6510306.pdf


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## Thin & Crispy

RAL238 said:


> There have been a number of Whirlpool models over the years that used the Energy Smart label. Not sure how similar they all are.
> 
> Here's the manual for one of them. See page 11 for the description of the Energy Smart mode.
> 
> 
> http://www.whirlpoolwaterheaters.com/media/48024/6510306.pdf


Thanks for your response, RAL. My hot water heater was installed in 2008, so I seem to have a control that is 14 years old. Mine has four modes, #1 Smart; #2 Energy Smart, #3 Low Temperature, #4 Vacation/Cabin. What you've shared with me seems to be for newer models. I guess I'll have to call Whirlpool and ask them for help. I bought this house in 2014, so the hot water heater was already here which is why I don't have an instruction manual for it.


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## RAL238

Thin & Crispy said:


> Thanks for your response, RAL. My hot water heater was installed in 2008, so I seem to have a control that is 14 years old. Mine has four modes, #1 Smart; #2 Energy Smart, #3 Low Temperature, #4 Vacation/Cabin. What you've shared with me seems to be for newer models. I guess I'll have to call Whirlpool and ask them for help. I bought this house in 2014, so the hot water heater was already here which is why I don't have an instruction manual for it.


Do you have the model number of the water heater? It should be on the name plate.


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## circuitman

JT_Home_Improve said:


> Thanks so much for your posts. Your info was very helpful. However, Whirlpool's Indian customer service rep would not give me the satisfaction of giving me any kind of warranty on the control box. He said because i wasnt the original owner, the warranty was void, which this is the house the original owner installed it in. Its so frustrating when you call with a problem and you get this foreign person on the other line that can barely speak a lick of english. Somtimes i wish i could reach my hand through the phone and grab a neck or something. I searched online for a control box and had no luck. Whirlpool wants $75 plus $20 overnite shipping and their defective piece of crap.. I haven't had water in a week and i'm tired of showering at my in-laws all the time. They have me where they want me and there isn't much I can do about it it seems. Needless to say, i would NEVER buy a Whirlpool product.


did you check ebay or amazon?


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## Thin & Crispy

RAL238 said:


> Do you have the model number of the water heater? It should be on the name plate.


Sorry, I overlooked your message. I know the model # and serial # are on the name plate. I'll look and write them down. I should probably just call Whirlpool and talk to a customer service rep. I'll post what I learned on this thread.


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