The wiring is as you describe. Go to Home Depot and get a replacement
element for $10.

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(WbSearch) writes:

By mistake I turned the power on to my water heater before the tank was full of
water and burned the upper element. I thought the lower element would provide
heat, but obviously at a lower rate. I found no power at the element. It
appears from the limited wiring diagram I have, that the upper thermostat
switch provides power to the upper element until it reaches the set
temperature, then provides power to the lower thermostat and element. Is that
correct? I needed to wire the lower thermostat to the upper element to get
heat last night until stores opened today and I could get a replacement.
I thought both elements were powered at once, but appears that is not the case.
The heater has what the supplier calls typical 2 element wiring.
My questions are 1) are indeed the elements powered as I described or am I
missing something?, and 2) is there a suggested temp. setting for the elements
if that is true, i.e. should the lower element be set at a higher temp then the
upper?
Thanks in advance.