How to Remove a Hot Water Heater Element
- 1). Shut off the power to the water heater.
- 2). Attach a garden hose to the drain fitting at the bottom of the tank, and then rotate the drain fitting's knob in a counterclockwise direction to drain the tank.
- 3). Remove the screws that secure the access panel to the bottom of the tank, using a screwdriver. Next, pull the panel off the tank to expose the heating element.
- 4). Loosen the two screws that secure the heater's wiring to the element, using a screwdriver, and then pull the wires off the element.
- 5). Remove the heater element. Some elements are secured with retaining bolts, while others are threaded into the tank. If the element is secured with bolts, remove the bolts with a wrench and slide the element out of the tank. If no bolts are present, grasp the wrenching surface on the end of the element with a pipe wrench and rotate the element in a counterclockwise direction until the element detaches from the tank. Withdraw the element.
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