Just throwing this tip (not original to me) out for anyone dealing with stuck hot water heater elements. One of our units had both elements stuck so severely that I had almost given up and was going to purchase an entire new tank. The standard element wrench was useless and even tried a 1.5" socket for my largest wrench with no success. After further searches online I stumbled across a very useful solution - a 1.5" impact driver. I spent $26 for two elements and $23 for a 1.5" impact socket and adapter for my 1/4" impact driver. Both elements broke free with little effort.

Growing up, my dad's battle with the electric water heater was the same as the dad's battle with the furnace in "A Christmas Story." Our municipality had hard water from a well, we had a water softener, but it still yielded hard water. Every couple years the top or bottom would go out and he had a full on battle with it and the dinky little element wrench that comes with it. IF he got it out, half the time the element was all spread out and he had to hacksaw it off and take it out in pieces. Finally one day he bought a cheap Chinesium 3/4" ratchet drive set and shoved the element socket part into one of the sockets with a piece of jeans in it to fill up the difference and I guess that always worked from then on. "Best purchase I ever made" he would say. I have that set now (with a gas water heater and our municipal water source is from a reservoir). I used it last week for its only use I still have it for: removing/installing trailer hitch balls.

After the first time I drained the tank, greased the threads & replaced the elements yearly.

Side note; I met a dude in the Home Depot aisle where I was getting another element. He said he has a few rentals and replaces burnt out 220 elements with 110.

quote:

Originally posted by AdaKlamath:
Side note; I met a dude in the Home Depot aisle where I was getting another element. He said he has a few rentals and replaces burnt out 220 elements with 110.

Which probably works fine as long as you don't have a house full of kids and a wife doing loads and loads of laundry... Much slower recovery time.

Without some wiring changes its not a good strategy i.e. dangerous. But you can easily run 240v elements on 120v and have much reduced amperage and performance.

Oops! Yes, 220v elements on 110v WH is what I meant