How to Change a Whirlpool Water Heater Element

Keep your water hot by changing the element in your Whirlpool water heater.

If your Whirlpool electric water heater is no longer getting hot enough, the problem may be a defective heating element. Instead of paying someone to come to your house to do the repair, you can replace this simple part yourself in less than an hour. Check your water heater's owner's manual for the correct replacement part number or order a new heating element directly from the manufacturer's website.

Things You'll Need

• Replacement heating element
• Owner's manual
• Screwdriver
• Drain hose
• Adjustable wrench

Instructions

1. Shut off power to the water heater from the home's circuit breaker box. Remove the screws and take off the water heater's top access panel.

2. Follow the instructions in your owner's manual to drain the water heater tank. For most water heaters, this entails closing the water inlet valve, attaching a hose at the bottom and opening the drain valve.

3. Loosen the terminal screws and disconnect the wires from the old heating element. Remove the retaining bolts and discard the heating element.

4. Insert the replacement heating element and tighten the retaining bolts to hold it in place. Attach the wires to the heating element's terminals and tighten the screws.

5. Prepare the water heater for re-filling by reversing the method you used in Step 2. For example, close the drain valve, remove the hose and open the water inlet valve if that is what you did in Step 2.

6. Place the access panel back on the water heater and tighten the screws. Turn on the breaker switch to restore power to the water heater.

References

• Fixing Electric Water Heaters

Resources

• Whirlpool Customer Service Website