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Remove Lower Element — Refill the Tank and Check for Leaks

Beginner3 hours

Part of project

How to Replace an Electric Water Heater Heating Element · Step 6 of 7

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In this video

Remove the lower heating element. If you've fully drained the water heater, the element can be removed immediately with an element wrench. If not, partially drain the tank via the pressure relief valve, then carefully loosen and remove the element by hand, pushing in to maintain a seal to minimize water leakage.

Goal: Replace the heating element

  • When using the quick method of partially draining the tank and removing the element by hand, make sure the old gasket remains in place on the element being removed, and replace it quickly with the new element.

Used in this video

  • Element wrench (Tool Type: Pipe wrench, Power Source: Manual, Material Compatibility: N/A) — Removing the lower element
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FAQs

What are the most critical safety precautions I must take when replacing a water heater heating element?

The most critical step is ensuring the power to the water heater is completely OFF at your home's main electrical panel or breaker box before touching any wires. Also, turn off the cold water supply valve to the heater. Safely draining the tank of hot water is also essential to prevent burns.

Is a special tool required for removing the heating element, or can I use a standard wrench?

While some might attempt it with a large socket or pipe wrench, a specialized heating element wrench (like the 'Rheem PROTECH Dual Head Element Wrench' mentioned) is highly recommended. This tool is designed to fit the element's hex head perfectly, minimizing the risk of stripping it and making removal and tightening much easier.

How long should I expect this project to take, especially considering the draining process?

The estimated time for this project is 3 hours, but beginners should budget closer to 4 hours. Draining the water heater tank can take anywhere from 30 minutes to over an hour, depending on your tank's size and the drainage rate. Don't rush the process, especially during safety-critical steps.

What's a common mistake beginners make during installation, and how can I prevent leaks around the new element?

A common mistake is not properly seating the new heating element's gasket or not tightening the element sufficiently. To prevent leaks, ensure the new gasket is clean and properly aligned on the element before insertion. Tighten the element firmly with your specialized wrench, but avoid over-tightening which can damage the tank or element.

Transcript
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different ways we can do it for both ways we'd be officially need to have the water shut off like I said before we have the cold feed going into that water heater shutoff and the hot going out shutoff the first easiest way by for most viewers is to actually drain the whole entire hot water heater so hook a garden hose to that run it outside open the pressure relief valve and let it all drain out that way when you open or remove the element you're not gonna have water coming at you all right so the second way the way we mostly do it just because it's quick and easy and we're working unfinished basements with the drain is to open the pressure relief valve drain off the top of the tank and then whether that's going to do when we open or remove the element is going to create suction so air is going to want to go in as water's coming out it's not going to be full force so we can quickly change the element the only problem with this one is you need to make sure that your old gasket stays on your old element you remove it before you put the new one in you don't want to stack your gaskets or have two washers in your tank with your new element it's gonna create a leak so when you rip that out you need to make sure your old gasket stays with the element stays on the tank you need to pop it out with your finger we'll just take a little bit more time and you get a little bit water on the ground so that's our method we go real quick make sure the gaskets on the old element and then slide the new one in and seal it up all right so we already drained the top of the tank we're gonna you can either use channel locks or an inch and a half socket we have an inch and a socket so we're going to use a socket will start on threading the thing get it loose we can go by hand and then hold pressure on it and get it out alright so we'll grab our socket well crack it loose and then we'll spread it out by hand by pushing in on it to keep the seal until we're ready to pull it out and put the new one in

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