Replacing Hot Water Heater Elements

Have you ever started to take a shower, gotten all lathered up, then suddenly there's no more hot water. You have to rinse the suds off, so there's nothing to do but endure the icy water as you rush through the rinsing off portion of your morning routine.

Whether you have noticed there isn't as much hot water as there once was, or the water just doesn't get as hot as it once did, the problem is likely that a heating element in your hot water heater has burned out. Fortunately, these are easy to replace so you can save a lot of money by not calling the plumber and doing it yourself by following these simple steps:

1. Turn off the power to the hot water heater.
Locate your fuse box and trip the circuit breaker for the hot water heater before doing anything else.

2. Turn off water.
You're going to be draining the hot water heater, so you do not want water to be filling it up as you try to do so.

3. Drain the hot water heater.
You may have to first remove any insulation that covers the heater. At the foot of the hot water heater is a water spigot. Attach a garden hose to the spigot, with the other end of the hose as down-hill as possible. Turn the knob to open the spigot, open a tap inside, and let gravity do the rest.

4. Remove heater element panels.
Most hot water heaters have two (2) heater elements, each with their own cover panel. They are usually about 6" x 8" and held in place with a single screw at the top, and tabs in slots at the bottom. Remove the screws and set the panels aside.

5. Remove the heater elements.
Heater elements are either secured by screws, or thread in like a spark plug. If under the panels you see what wires leading to 2" x2" boxes held in place by 4 screws, you will need to detach the wires and remove the screws to extract the elements. Otherwise, you will need a heater element wrench, which looks like an over-sized spark plug tool. Detach the wires and use the wrench, turning the elements counter-clockwise to remove. The elements themselves are usually about 10" long U shaped coils, either with a single coil or a pair.

6. Get replacements.
Water heater elements come in all shapes and sizes, so take one with you to the hardware store to make sure you get the right ones. While only one element may be burned out, they are relatively inexpensive so it is a good idea to replace them both at this time.

7. Install your new elements.
Pretty much the reverse of what you did to remove them. You want there to be a good seal, so tighten until firmly secure, but not over-tighten as to strip the screws or threads. Don't forget to reattach the wiring.

8. Flush the water heater.
Sediment and scale is sure to have built up in your hot water heater since it was last serviced, so now is the perfect time to perform a little maintenance. Turn the water back on while leaving the drain open to help flush out as much sediment and scale as possible. You can turn off the inside tap at this point as the pressure release valve will allow air to escape as the water heater fills.

9. Allow to fill.
Once you're confident you've flushed out as much of the sediment and scale as possible, close the drain spigot, remove the garden hose, and allow the water heater to fill up. Inspect the elements for leaks that may indicate cross-threading or needing to be tightened.

10. Finish up.
All that's left to do now is replace the heater element panels, replace the insulation cover, and re-set the circuit breaker.

You should notice an immediate improvement not only in the water being hotter, but also lasting longer. Best of all you did it yourself and saved some money in the process!