Electric hot water heater will not start after draining. Any advice?

drained water out of heater because of really nasty rotten egg smell and now heater will not kick on. need help, plz.Electric hot water heater will not start after draining. Any advice?
Nasty rotten egg smell is from you gas line. Your pilot lite is out. You should have turned off the gas input at the heater first. Your leaking gas into your living area, do not try to lite the pilot. Turn the gas off at the heater and air out the area around it. Then turn the gas back on and lite the pilot.Electric hot water heater will not start after draining. Any advice?
The last couple of answers are fairly close, but they have a couple things wrong. First, far and away the most likely reason for an electric water heater not working just after draining and refilling is that the electricity was either left on during the process or turned on before all the air was bled out of the top of the tank when it was being refilled. That burns out THE TOP ELEMENT ONLY. These double element heaters have a non-simultaneous top thermostat that controls the whole operation. It heats the top first, with the top element, then when the water in the top half is hot it switches to the bottom element and heats that part. You'd need at least a 50 amp breaker to hold the circuit if both elements worked at the same time. And the horrible rotten egg smell is from the anode rod which is installed in all water heating tanks to take out some of the impurities and bad things floating around in the water. When they wear out they start to smell, really bad, like rotten eggs. Remove it and flush the tank really well and most of the smell will go away immediately, the rest will take a little time. I believe it's under the 13/16'; hex bolt head in the top of the unit. The smell has nothing to do with the dip tube.
corkey hit it on the head the elements don't fire up a the same time and the lower element doesn't kick in till the upper is satisfied. if you didn't turn off power before draining the top burnt out while it drained. if you did turn off the power but didn't bleed the air before turning back on the upper is out...either way the top element is probably toast.
Make sure there is power to the water heater, and make


sure it is filled up (there maybe some safety


switches there). (open up a faucet while you fill the tank with water). Make sure thermostat is set to about 120 degrees.





check the mfg website, they usually have instructions or


a contact number that they will help you for free.





It may be better to replace the water heater, as your smell indicates worn rod...





Newer water heaters are usually more efficient.





If you replace, also get a new TPR valve!
you did fill it back up before turning the breaker back on?if so then you may have to reset the thermostats on the elements,if they are set then turn the temp setting up til you hear it kick in after it starts heating the water then set them back where they were,but if you turned the breaker on before filling the tank then you blew both of the elements and you know what that means
If you left the power on when you drained it, you burned out the elements. If they are on without water in it, they burn out immediately. You will need to replace both of the elements, and from now on when you drain it, be sure to turn the power off first.
corky has this figured out,the only thing I might add, is your electric water heater on a certain time for usage?If its the time of the day for your cut rate pricing its not going to work.What you need is to switch from a aluminum anode rod to a magnesium one or vice verse
rotten egg smell is because your dip tube is gone eroded water gets stagnet in tank then smells get a new one thats your best bet other wize you have to let tank fill and run thru water line to fill all the way before you turn on electric otherwize you dry fire and burn up elements then change elements gl
Did you turn the power off before draining it? If not, you have burned both elements out.


If yes, Take the top cover off, and push the red reset button. That should (?) take care of it.