Water heater reset

[heat checker]

Hot water heater has been tripping the reset the last couple of days. It's easily got to be 10 yrs old. Haven't been very good at maintainance on it as we have rural water. Flushed it last night and minimal rusty water came out. Thinking the element needs to be replaced. Maybe check wire connections to make sure they are tight before replacing element. Any other ideas? How many "resets" can you get on the heater itself before that becomes a problem? It's a Kenmore.

Thanks

[Surface Tension]

The reset button on the high temp limit? Most likely a t-state that is not opening and it should be replaced.

[WallEYES]

I agree...need new stat... just replaced one for a customer the other day, same problem.