State Select Water Heater No Hot Water

The Short Answer: A cold State Select is not one part. Electric: double-pole breaker, ECO, dead upper element. Gas: igniter, FVIR lockout, or a gas control that will not open. Lukewarm with a hot jacket is a mixing valve or dip tube. Read the rating plate and the status LED. Do not crank it to 140°F as a diagnosis.

Search Intent & The Real Problem

Lowe’s sold you a State Select. Showers died. State Select is State / A.O. Smith builder iron — GS6 gas FVIR tanks and ES-series electrics — not a mystery brand. The internet mixes a standing-pilot relight with a 240-volt element swap. That is how you hold a match on an electric tank. Split fuel first. Igniter-only failures live here: State Select igniter. Rheem-family cold tanks are a different sticker: Rheem not heating.

What other guides get wrong

They start with “turn it up” and “flush with vinegar.” Raising a working tank to 140°F scalds and hides a dip tube. Vinegar does not close an open ECO. They also skip the gas-control LED, so a six-flash igniter circuit gets a new anode. And they treat State Select as orphan hardware — it uses the A.O. Smith / State flash chart.

Step-by-Step Troubleshooting

Step 1: Fuel, then the exact symptom

• What to look for: Rating plate (GS vs ES, 40 vs 50). Status LED on the gas control or behind the electric access door.
• Required tools: Flashlight, contact thermometer, phone photo of the plate and the sticker.

A tankless State / A.O. Smith with digits on a remote is not this page.

Step 2: Electric — breaker, ECO, then ohms

• What to look for: Both halves of a 30-amp double-pole on. Red ECO on the upper thermostat popped after a dry-fire or overheat. A 4500 W / 240 V element is ~18.8 A and reads ~12–13 Ω with power verified dead; any screw-to-tank continuity is a grounded element.
• Required tools: Breaker lock, meter. Never energize an empty tank.

One ECO reset after the tank is full and the cause is fixed. Daily resets are a different failure. Thermostat plastic brown: stop swapping parts — thermostats burn for a reason.

Step 3: Gas — LED first, not a bigger tank

• What to look for: Appliance cock parallel to the pipe (open). Other gas appliances lighting. On many State / A.O. Smith electronic controls a green LED that blinks once every few seconds is normal if water is hot — flashing green. Typical sticker (verify yours): 4 = TCO/ECO, 6 = igniter circuit, 7 = gas-valve circuit, 8 = flame sense. Standing-pilot Select tanks still exist — dark port with a piezo is piezo will not spark.
• Required tools: Jacket lighting card. No union wrenches.

Air after a meter relight is a licensed purge — do not open gas fittings. Manifold pressure is licensed (NG often ~3.5–7 in. w.c. / LP ~10–11 in. w.c. — confirm the rating plate).

Step 4: Lukewarm is often not the heater

• What to look for: 120°F at the tank outlet, 104°F at the shower = mixing valve or a failed cartridge dumping cold into hot. Hot for two minutes then cold with plastic bits in aerators = dip tube.
• Required tools: Thermometer at the nipple vs the fixture.

Do not “fix” that by raising the Select to 140°F.

Step 5: Sediment, leaks, and a tank that is actually dead

• What to look for: Popping on recovery, rusty flush water, a wet jacket, water in the burner tray. A 10–12 year tank that is also leaking is a replacement, not an element. Paper-towel the source: bottom leak.
• Required tools: Paper towel. Gas off if the combustion chamber is wet — that tank is done.

When DIY Ends: Calling a Licensed Pro

Stop if you cannot prove 240 V dead, the thermostat is charcoal, the gas valve will not latch, the burner bangs, or the tank is weeping. You may read the LED, test an element on a locked-out circuit, and follow a standing-pilot sticker once. Gas-control replacement, FVIR burner service, and any leak are licensed. A Select that is cold with a tripped ECO and water in the bucket is a fire wait — not a third reset.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why does my State Select water heater have no hot water? A: Electric: breaker, ECO, element, or thermostat. Gas: igniter, FVIR lockout, or gas control. Lukewarm with a hot tank: mixing valve or dip tube. Read the rating plate before you buy a part.

Q: How do I reset a State Select water heater? A: Electric: breaker off, then the red ECO on the upper thermostat once after you know why it tripped. Gas: follow the jacket card — photograph the LED first. There is often no consumer ECO button on the gas control.

Q: Should I turn a State Select up to 140°F to get hot water? A: No. That scalds and hides dip-tube and mixing-valve failures. If the tank cannot make 120°F at the outlet, fix the part.