Posted: 5/23/2007 5:43:27 AM EDT
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I am pretty sure one of the elements in my water heater is bad. It is a basic 40gal tall off brand of RUDD The label says upper = 4500W, lower 4500W, total 4500W  How does 4500+4500=4500 ? There is no part number listed for them. They are screw in type elements, are they all generally the same? |
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4500 is pretty much the same. They are pretty universal. To check which is bad get a tester that checks continuity and making sure the power is of remove one of the power wires attached and see if there is continuity. No cont then its bad. If it is the top one drain enough water from it and unscrew it and pull it out and replace. if its the bottom then you got to drain it all out. after replacing the bad one MAKE sure there is water in the tank before you turn on the power. No water and the new ones fry real quick. That all there is to it. |
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The elements normally only run one at a time. The upper element heats the top of the tank until it reaches the set point, then it goes off and the lower element is turned on. With the power OFF the resistance of the element should be around 12.8 ohms or a little higher. If it is open it is broken. Find a 4500 W element and replace it. If the unit has not been drained routinely it can be a real PITA since the drain is often clogged with scale. If you have a floor drain nearby just remove the element and let it flood. |
The first time I had one go bad I paid a guy $50+parts to do it for me and I watched so I'd know what to do the next time it happened. He was able to do it this way and had no problems. I tried it a few years later and ended up with a lot of water all over the floor and a tank that still had a lot of sediment in the bottom. The couple times since then I've just taken the time to drain it. BTW, a plastic zip-tie works well to keep the water flowing when the sediment starts to clog it. |
