Hot water heater tripping circuit breaker

[Ditch_Pickle]

Older cabin purchased last year.... still fixing some things the previous owner neglected. The hot water heater has worked fine until a few weeks ago. Now the breaker trips about every 2-3 days. In between, it works fine. It's an electric model and I believe it says 2006 on it. It's on a 30 amp circuit.

My first thought is that maybe the circuit breaker is weak. This is a weekend getaway and when we're not there, we turn off the water and turn off the breaker on the water heater. Maybe the off-on-off-on weakened the spring in the breaker?

Beyond that, do I have any alternatives other than new water heater?

[motobuffy]

Breakers do wear out. Relatively cheap to go there first. If you have another 30 amp circuit, switch the breakers.

[KP1923]

Older cabin purchased last year.... still fixing some things the previous owner neglected. The hot water heater has worked fine until a few weeks ago. Now the breaker trips about every 2-3 days. In between, it works fine. It's an electric model and I believe it says 2006 on it. It's on a 30 amp circuit.

My first thought is that maybe the circuit breaker is weak. This is a weekend getaway and when we're not there, we turn off the water and turn off the breaker on the water heater. Maybe the off-on-off-on weakened the spring in the breaker?

Beyond that, do I have any alternatives other than new water heater?

• Burnt heating elements – The element that heats the water may have split, exposing the electrical components to the water. That is a 14 year old water heater. If this happens, the short circuit can flip a switch on your water heating, causing the breaker to trip.
• The breaker or wiring – The breaker may be worn out and trip. I'd check that first, as you said. A wire also may be loose in the electrical panel, causing a short circuit.
• Your thermostat – If your thermostat goes bad, it can draw more electricity than the circuit can handle, causing the breaker to trip.