Electric Water Heaters
Twenty years of CPSC NEISS emergency-room records for this consumer product category, combined with demographic breakdowns, multi-year injury trends, and matching recall notices.
Laundry & Household Appliances · CPSC Code 119
Down 73% over 5 years
The verdict
Electric Water Heaters carry a danger score of 25/100 (low risk), driven by roughly 132 ER-treated injuries a year that are declining by about 73% over the last five years.
- 25/100
- danger score (low risk)
- 132
- ER visits per year (avg)
- 9.0%
- end in hospital admission
- 45-54
- most-injured age group
Every figure is rendered from the CPSC NEISS record for product code 119 - last data year 2024.
PlainSafety danger score
How this 25/100 score is built
The score is computed from four CPSC-derived factors for electric water heaters - no opinion, no editorializing:
- Injury volume132 ER visits/yr
- Severity (hospitalization rate)9.0%
- Fatality rate0.00%
- 5-year trend-73%
See the full methodology for the exact weighting of each factor.
What the CPSC Data Shows
Electric Water Heaters (CPSC product code 119, in the Laundry & Household Appliances category) generate an estimated 132 emergency-room visits every year in the United States, adding up to roughly 2,384 ER-treated injuries across the 20-year span from 2005 to 2024. PlainSafety derives a danger score of 25/100 for this category (low risk), combining raw injury volume, demographic reach, severity of outcome, and multi-year trend. The five-year trajectory shows that injury counts are declining by about 73% over the last five years, with the busiest year on record being 2019 (311 estimated ER visits) and the quietest 2021 (32 estimated visits).
The single most common ER diagnosis for electric water heaters is electric shock to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 885 visits across the 20-year NEISS window, followed by burn, electrical to the face (115 cases). The 45-54 age group absorbs the largest share of injuries, about 755 cases over the NEISS window, and males appear slightly more often than the opposite sex in that cohort. Severity outcomes from the NEISS disposition field show that 9.0% of ER visits involving this product end in hospital admission or transfer.
Beyond the hospital-sampled NEISS projections, this page also aggregates 130 consumer incident reports filed directly on SaferProducts.gov, plus 20 anonymized ER narratives - together forming a layered picture of how electric water heaters fail in real households. Every figure on this page comes from CPSC-published data: NEISS projects national estimates from a probability sample of about 100 U.S. hospital emergency departments, while SaferProducts.gov collects voluntary reports from consumers, manufacturers, and clinicians. The danger score, trend indicators, and demographic breakdowns update automatically when CPSC releases a new yearly NEISS file, which is why this page is dated 2024-12-31. For regulatory context, consult CPSC recall notices and the SaferProducts.gov public database linked below.
Annual Injury Estimates (2005–2024)
Source: CPSC NEISS national estimates CPSC NEISS national estimates Injuries represent ER-treated cases only
Who Gets Injured?
| Age Group | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0-4 | 52 | 0 | |
| 15-24 | 71 | 88 | |
| 25-34 | 308 | 131 | |
| 35-44 | 303 | 154 | |
| 45-54 | 566 | 189 | |
| 55-64 | 379 | 15 | |
| 65-74 | 79 | 0 | |
| 75+ | 46 | 0 |
Most Common Injuries
| Body Part | Diagnosis | Est. Injuries |
|---|---|---|
| All Parts Body | Electric Shock | |
| Face | Burn, Electrical | |
| Finger | Burn, Electrical | |
| Lower Arm | Burn, Scald | |
| Hand | Crushing | |
| Hand | Other | |
| Head | Other | |
| Lower Leg | Laceration | |
| Eyeball | Other | |
| Face | Laceration | |
| Finger | Laceration | |
| Lower Arm | Contusions, Abr. | |
| Lower Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Upper Trunk | Strain, Sprain | |
| Eyeball | Contusions, Abr. |
Severity Breakdown
ER Visit Narratives
Real anonymized emergency room reports from the CPSC NEISS database.
53YOM WAS WORKING ON A WATER HEATER AT HOME AND THE ELECTRICAL CONNECTION CABLE HIT HIM ON THE LEFT SIDE OF HIS FACE CAUSING HIM TO FALL 3 FEET FROM A LADDER AND RECEIVING A SHOCK DX: ELECTRICAL INJURY IN ADULT; HEMATOMA OF TONGUE
55YOM - PATIENT PRESENT FOR BURN AND BLURRED VISION. PT WAS WORKING ON A WATER HEATER AND IT EXPLODED. DX: SECOND DEGREE BURN OF HAND.
34YOM PT PUTTING IN A NEW HOT WATER HEATER ELECTRIC WHEN HE GRABBED A WIRE CAUSING HIS RT FOREARM TO EXPLODE SEVERE PAIN DX ELECTRICAL BURN R TFOREARM
63 YOF WAS BURNED AFTER HER ELECTRIC WATER HEATER CAUGHT FIRE AND MELTED HER BATHROOM SEAT COVER WHICH MELTED ON HER HAND. FD NS. DX: LEFT HAND PALMAR ASPECT SUPERFICIAL SECOND DEGREE BURN.
83YOM HAD HIS ELECTRIC HOT WATER HEATER CATCH FIRE IN THE BASEMENT WHICH CAUSED A HOUSE FIRE INHALED THE SMOKE COUGHING WHEEZING FD WAS ON SCENE DX: SMOKE INHALATION NO COHGB DONE
59 YOM HURT HAND INSTALLING WATER HEATER AT HOME 2 DAYS AGO. DX HAND HAND CELLULITIS
54YOM COMPLAINED OF BEING TREMULUS IN FINGERS OF LEFT HAND AFTER ELECTRICLAL SHOCK WHILE REPAIRING A WATER HEATER. DX ELECTRICAL SHOCK OF HAND
X 51YOM WAS WORKING ON ELECTRIC WATER HEATER AND BECAME LIGHTHEADED DX LIGHTHEADED
27YOF S/P ELECTRIC SHOCK, GRABBED BROKEN HOT WATER HEATER IN BASEMENT & SUSTAINED ELECTRIC SHOCK W/ LOC & FALLING INTO FOOT OF WATER +SMALL AREA OF BURNS TO R PALMAR SURFACE, SMALL BLACK 1CM LESION TO L PALMAR SURFACE DX ELECTRIC SHOCK
38YOM CRUSH HAND AND ABR FINGER, MOVING WATER HEATER & IT FELL ON HAND
66 YOM WAS INSTALLING WATER HEATER AT HOME AND DROPPED IT. DX: LACERATION OF LT LEG
60YOM WHO LIFTED A WATER HEATER AT HOME AND NOW HAS LOWER BACK PAIN DX MYOFASCIAL STRAIN
Consumer Incident Reports
Reports filed by consumers on SaferProducts.gov.
The consumer says the pressure vessel failed causing a leak around the top. He says that it caused the unit to short out,and start a fire in the tank insulation. The consumer says that the circuit breaker shorted out by itself. The consumer says the pressure vessel of a water heater should never fail. He had his first water heater for 22 years with no issues. He wrote a letter to the manufacturer via regular mail over a week ago and is awaiting a response. He says one whole side of the heater was blackened. His plumbing contractor took it away and replaced it.
Control panel overheated, burning wires and plastic panel on 2019 Rheem Performance Plus 40 Gallon electric hot water heater. Already replaced unit once, three months after install in October 2019. Happened again this week.
On August 18, 2019 my Rheem XE50M12EC55U1 electric water heater purchased in July 2018 at Home Depot tripped the circuit breaker. On inspection, the wires inside had completely melted and caught fire. I have spent the past two weeks trimming and re-connecting the wiring, but after about a week of use the wires melt again. I have a 30 di-pole breaker installed with 10 gauge wire, which should provide enough capacity to power the 5500 amp unit. It is simply unsafe, and it appears Rheem has not corrected the issues that caused the XE50M12EC55U0 recall on May 26, 2016.
The electric water heater failed. Consumer reported smelling an odor coming from the basement that was coming from under the heater. There was a lot of smoke. Upon seeing the smoke consumer tripped the circuit breaker, then used a dry powder fire extinguisher.
At 3am(cst) this morning I heard a crackling noise from my bathroom, when I ran in there to check it out the upper element's wiring was on fire. I threw the breaker to cut off all electricity and it fizzled out on it's own. No one was close by or messing with the water heater and no hot water was in use.
The emergency cut-off circuit tripped due to overheating of the water. The water was hot enough that even after being off all night, the water was still scalding hot the next morning, eight hours later. Rheem has agreed to provide warranty/recall service. Thanks to the CPSC highlighting this issue and making a contact number for Rheem available. Without this information, I likely would have just reset the device or replaced parts that weren't the true issue, unwittingly risking a house fire or serious burn.
We have had numerous issues with our water heater making noise and preciously tripping our breakers off due to poor design in the upper wiring for which we paid to have it repaired. Lasy night we came home and the home was full of an electrical smoke. We discovered it was the front panel of our Water Heater by Rheem. It as totally blackened around the panel. We called the company as as soon as they heard the model # the rep said to take it back immediately for a new one.
We moved into our condo in June of 2019. Yesterday, August 24th, 2020, our water heater caught on fire. Luckily, we were able to put out the fire and contain it to the closet it was in before the fire department arrived.
Showing 8 of 130 reports.
Product Recalls
Search for active and past recalls related to electric water heaters on the CPSC website.
Frequently Asked Questions
How dangerous are electric water heaters?
Based on 20 years of CPSC data, electric water heaters have a danger score of 25/100 (low risk). An estimated 132 ER-treated injuries occur annually in the U.S. related to this product category.
What are the most common injuries from electric water heaters?
The most common injury is electric shock to the all parts body, accounting for approximately 885 injuries over 20 years.
Are injuries from electric water heaters increasing or decreasing?
Down 73% over 5 years.
Who is most at risk for electric water heaters injuries?
The 45-54 age group accounts for the most injuries, with approximately 755 cases recorded over 20 years. Males are more frequently injured in this age group.
What happens when someone is injured by electric water heaters?
Of all ER visits involving electric water heaters, approximately 9.0% result in hospital admission. The majority of patients (91.0%) are treated and released from the emergency department.
How can I report a safety problem with electric water heaters?
You can file a consumer incident report at SaferProducts.gov, the official CPSC reporting portal. Reports help the CPSC identify emerging hazards and trigger investigations or recalls. You can also call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772.
Related Products in Laundry & Household Appliances
Safety Guides
What this means for you
Treat the 25/100 score as relative risk between products, not your personal odds of injury.
- See where this category ranks against every other tracked product. Full rankings
- Injuries cluster in the 45-54 age group, take extra care if that describes your household.
- Check for active recalls on this product before you assume it is safe. CPSC recalls
NEISS estimates ER-treated injuries from a national probability sample of hospitals; they do not capture injuries treated elsewhere or not treated at all.
Data: CPSC National Electronic Injury Surveillance System (NEISS) 2005–2024 and SaferProducts.gov consumer incident reports. Injury estimates are based on a nationally representative probability sample of U.S. hospital emergency departments. This page is for informational purposes only and is not affiliated with the CPSC.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, scored, and verified.
