Replacing Electric Water Heater Heating Element

A typical electric water heater uses two heating elements to heat and maintain hot water.

Replacing electric water heater heating element.

In an electric water heater the bottom heating element is the workhorse since it is at the bottom of the tank where cold water enters from a dip tube that extends down through the tank. Follow the steps in this repair guide. Electric water heaters have one or more heating elements that look very much like one of those heaters you put in a cup of cold water to make an instant cup of hot tea. The lower element is typically the one that needs to be replaced.

Replace a broken heating element with the manufacturer approved replacement part. The upper heating element really only contributes when there is a high hot water demand and only serves to heat water in the upper portion of the tank. There s an upper element which is located behind the upper access panel and a lower element. Replacing a hot water heater element is probably faster and easier than you thought and is only a fraction of what a new water heater costs the steps required are nearly identical for the flange and screw in models but screw in types are more common and will require the use of a special tool called a water heater element wrench.