State Select Water Heater Reset Button
The Short Answer: The red reset on a State Select is an electric high-limit (ECO) on the upper thermostat — not a gas-valve ritual. Tank full, double-pole breaker off, one firm press. If it trips again, a grounded element, dry fire, or welded thermostat is still there. Never jumper it. Gas State Selects often have no customer reset button.
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Search Intent & The Real Problem
You pulled the upper access door on a Lowe’s State Select and hunted a button. On ES-series electrics it is there: red (sometimes black) ECO on the back of the upper thermostat. On GS-series gas it is usually a lighting knob and an LED, not a residential “reset.” People mash the ECO every morning. That loop is how thermostats burn up. Same physics as keep resetting — this page is the State Select button itself.
Gas no-heat: State Select gas troubleshooting. Family electric lights: Craftmaster, 5 flashes.
What other guides get wrong
They give one reset for every State Select ever hung at Lowe’s. Standing-pilot gas tanks do not have that red ECO. They tell you to reset monthly. They skip fill-first, so a drained tank gets a dry-fire and a 1-flash or a cooked element. And they mix Rheem-family 3-flash ECO language onto an AO Smith-family ET without reading the door sticker.
Step-by-Step Troubleshooting
Step 1: Decide which “reset” you actually have
| What you have | What reset exists |
|---|---|
| Electric ES-series, two access doors, thermostats | Red ECO on the upper thermostat |
| Electric with a status LED in the door | Count flashes first — sticker wins |
| Gas GS-series, PILOT knob | Lighting card. No monthly ECO |
| Gas electronic LED on the valve | One knob cycle per the card — gas troubleshooting |
| Floor wet, panel wet | No reset. Breaker off. Bottom leak |
- What to look for: Rating plate (E / ES electric vs G / GS gas). Photo of the door sticker.
- Required tools: Flashlight. If the floor is wet, do not open the panel — shut it down from a dry location.
Step 2: Fill the tank before any ECO press
- What to look for: Open a hot faucet; you want a steady stream, not sputter. A recently drained tank that was powered is a dry fire: elements open, ECO popped. Same failure as turned on without water.
- Required tools: Faucet, then breaker off before you touch the ECO.
Fill, then power. Power, then fill is how you buy two elements and an ECO.
Step 3: One ECO reset — power dead, tank full
- What to look for: Upper access, insulation set aside, plastic thermostat cover. Red high-limit on the upper control. One firm press until it clicks. Restore the double-pole only after covers are on and the tank is full.
- Required tools: Finger. Breaker locked out while the cover is off.
If it will not latch, the button is carbonized or the thermostat is finished. If it latches and opens again in minutes, stop pressing it.
Step 4: Test both elements to ground before you blame the thermostat
- What to look for: Wires lifted. A healthy 4500 W / 240 V element is about 12–13 Ω across the screws (~18.8 A). Any continuity from a screw to the tank is a dead short. That short popped the ECO and cooked the last thermostat. Upper fails first on most two-thermostat tanks; lower-element grounds still cascade into an upper ECO trip.
- Required tools: Meter, breaker locked out.
AO Smith-family electric ETs use their own flash chart — not Rheem’s. Green heartbeat with hot water is often normal — flashing green. Red counted faults live on the door sticker.
Step 5: Wiring, water in the bucket, and gas units you should not “reset”
- What to look for: Loose lugs, nicked insulation, rust streaks into the access. Water plus 240 V carbonizes plastic. Resetting into that is a fire. Gas State Select: follow the jacket lighting sticker once. Multi-flash on the valve is not this red button — electronic fault.
- Required tools: Dry paper towel after 20 minutes with power off. No paperclip in the control.
If the plastic is already brown, replace the thermostat and the bad element. A “universal” thermostat with loose spade adapters is how it burns again in 90 days.
When DIY Ends: Calling a Licensed Pro
Stop if the ECO will not latch, the breaker will not hold, water is in the compartment, the thermostat is charcoal, or this is the second reset in a week. Element swaps on a proven-dead circuit are legitimate with a meter. Burnt wiring, a leaking flange, gas lockouts, and any jumper “fix” are licensed. One reset is a procedure. A reset schedule is a missed diagnosis.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Where is the reset button on a State Select water heater? A: On electric models, on the upper thermostat behind the upper access door. Press once with the breaker off and the tank full. Many gas State Selects have no customer ECO — use the lighting card or the valve LED.
Q: Why does my State Select keep tripping the reset? A: Grounded element, dry fire, failed thermostat, loose 240-volt lugs, or water in the bucket. The button is not the repair. Stop repeating it.
Q: Is it safe to hold the State Select reset in? A: No. Never tape it, jumper it, or hold it. That bypasses the high-limit. One click after you fix the cause. Daily clicks are a fire wait.