Question regarding electric hot water heater. For about a week now we have had luke warm water. Yesterday I replaced both upper and lower heating elements which were both corroded and covered in lime. Turned everything back on and waited several hours and had ice cold water. My first thought was bad circuit breaker (it have previously been tripping the circuit breaker). This morning we had luke warm water for about 10min, the ice cold again. Could this be a thermostat issue?

Yes, it could be. It also could be with the elements, wiring, breaker, etc. Did you get an ohm reading on the old elements? The new elements ? Did you take a amp draw or voltage test to and from the thermostat ?

Unless you test EVERYTHING to determine WHAT the problem is, you should NOT start replacing ANYTHING.

Here's what I would recommend. If you go to this website here [www.buildingcenter.org] and click on the brand of your water heater it will illustrate what the serial numbers mean and how to spot the month and year of manufacture. You'll be surprised that some of these water heaters will come with 10 year manufacturers warranty. Once you find out the year I would either contact Manufacturer to see if it's still under Warranty or google the model number and find the owners manual. They'll advise how long the warranty period is. If you have one of the common brands like a Bradford White. You can check here to check for Warranty information.

[www.bradfordwhite.com]

just been thru this with bradford white and their bogus warranty program.
they offer a standard 6 year warranty. the homeowner has the option of another 4 years at an additional cost. this homeowner had purchased the additional warranty. but they failed to mail the documentation back to bradford white. the homeowner had all the necessary documentation including the sales reciept for the heater and the sales reciept for the extended warranty. there is also a sticker to go onto the tank.
well, bradford white told them that because they didn't mail in the documentation (even though they had all the paperwork etc) that the were denying the claim. if a heater fails in the 6 year period all you need is the sticker from the tank to get a replacement. why such a fuss over the extended policy?
i talked to the supply house and they contacted the area rep but it made no difference. i felt bad for the people but they had to pay for a new heater..
i'm sure this is not the first time this has happened with bradford white and it won't be the last but it seems to me that given the documentation the people had (they did pay for the coverage) an exception could be made..

How did they get a new tag without contacting BW? It is specific to THAT heater and had to come from them.

when purchasing an extended warranty the customer is given a packet of information. in that packet is a sticky tag that says '10 year warranty' along with other propaganda.
the serial number is written on the original invoice as well as on the invoice for the extended warranty.
this eliminates any flim flam on the part of the customer or installer.