All water heaters should have at least three microcontrollers and two digital readouts. All electronic components should be in potted enclosures. There should be no wiring diagrams available. The instructions should be written in Urdu and encrypted. All screws should have heads with tamperproof security heads. There should be a big sticker on the outside that says "#12, you can't fix this!"

Fix, maybe not. Replace the OEM garbage between the power cord and heating elements - very easy. Just a strip board, a transformer and a little bit of silicon and a fat relay (contractor). Edit: contactor.

 

@GopherT: said: Fix, maybe not. Replace the OEM garbage between the power cord and heating elements - very easy. Just a strip board, a transformer and a little bit of silicon and a fat relay (contractor).
What have you got against fat contractors?

 

There should be a big sticker on the outside that says "#12, you can't fix this!"

I'll still bet that he would try - I know that I would.

 

@GopherT: said: Fix, maybe not. Replace the OEM garbage between the power cord and heating elements - very easy. Just a strip board, a transformer and a little bit of silicon and a fat relay (contractor).
What have you got against fat contractors?

Fat relay, normal sized contractor.

 

I'll still bet that he would try - I know that I would.

I wouldn't hesitate to go get a set of thermostatic switches out of my parts bin and rip out all the transistors, but only for myself. You can't do that for retail customers without them blaming you for everything that ever goes wrong, including the death rattle known as water on the floor.

 

What have you got against fat contractors?

Watch it there! I'm beginning to resemble that remark.