Thread: Whirlpool electric hot water heater elements

Did the tech drain the tank before installing the elements?

Did the tech refill the tank before turning the water heater breaker back on first?

Lots of techs forget that the tank must be completely full of water before turning the breaker back on, or it will BURN THE UPPER ELEMENT OUT.

Jake

Originally Posted by Jake

Did the tech drain the tank before installing the elements?

Did the tech refill the tank before turning the water heater breaker back on first?

Lots of techs forget that the tank must be completely full of water before turning the breaker back on, or it will BURN THE UPPER ELEMENT OUT.

Jake

Not what I need to know, Jake.

The heater is now working okay. Lot's of hot water, and it's reheating like it's supposed to.

I did the install, and followed ALL the steps.

1. Shut off the power.
2. Drained the old unit
3. Removed the old unilt
4. Installed the NEW unit
5. Piped the new unit
6. Filled the new unit
7. Opened hot water faucets and let run for 1/2 hours until flow was steady and full, no air in line
8. Turned power on to unit

They reason that the unit wasn't reheating once the hot water was used was because there was a leaking hot water pipe under the house. I repaired that today, and the unit is now working as it should. My question is not about it working.. it's about the elements that the tech replaced!

Did you look at the pictures that attached to my post?

I'm trying to find out if that one element, the one that is coated with WHATEVER, is actually SUPPOSED to be like that, or if it's not! Those 2 elements in the pictures, side by side, show both the upper AND lower elements that were rewmoved, by the tech, and replaced.

In that picture, the lower one is silver in color, metal, and clean. That one was removed from the unit by the tech and replaced, still good, but he didn't want to take any chances. He said to just replace it to be sure. It was being billed to Whirlpool, under warranty.

It's the other one that I have questions about!!

In the picture, you can see the UPPER element that was removed and replaced wtih a new one. That one pictured has that coating, looks like asbestos or whatever!!! That's what I'm looking to figure out. What it is, and should it actually BE coated like that? It's a crumbly material, porous, color of sandpaper, but kind of stone like.

The tech said it was from MY water, but the tank was only up 3 days, and there ain't no kinda water, I don't care how much calcium or lime you got in your water, there's no way it would coat an element like THAT in just 3 days!!!

What I'm trying to ascertain is if that element is manufactured with that coating on it.. for some reason.. like insullation........... OR, if the rod was already used and put in the new unit by mistake or on purpose by a customer or even Lowe's?

All the elements that I have seen show "metal", and I have not seen ANY that have a coating of insullation like that! Copper, Aluminum, even Magnesium... they would show "metal", not some coating that looks like a thin covering of stone.

THAT'S what I'm trying to find out. I want whoever is responsible for that rod being in a BRAND NEW water heater to take some responsibility for it being there! Whether it be Whirlpool or Lowe's, one of them should have caught it.. IF, in fact, it's a USED element that was used in a NEW unit.

If a customer purchased this unit and then returned it, that customer could have put an old element from HIS unit, and used the NEW one from the one I purchased. And, Lowe's should have checked the unit out before they resold it as a "NEW" one! AND, if it was put in when they actually built the unit, then Whirlpool has some 'splanin' to do!

So, that's my question. IS that element a new one, coasted with some kind of insullating material, or it isn't.

Thanks, Jake

Matt

These are the 2 elements that the tech removed from the NEW unit. The lower one is the SILVER colored one. It's the other one, the one that is coated, the UPPER element that was removed, at the same time, that I'm asking about.

Thanks again.

Yes, I saw the pictures, but I have no idea, you may want to ask in plumbing forum, they would know more than me.

1% of my service calls were water heaters.

I never noticed myself when I changed elements any difference from the old to the new element any coating difference on the new elements.

Jake

Originally Posted by Jake

Yes, I saw the pictures, but I have no idea, you may want to ask in plumbing forum, they would know more than me.

1% of my service calls were water heaters.

I never noticed myself when I changed elements any difference from the old to the new element any coating difference on the new elements.

Jake

Thanks Jake.

I appreciate your time in answering, and since only 1% of your service calls are water heaters, I can see why this would stump you

But, even I, at 63, have been around long enough to find this odd! I mean, even a novice, can see that the 2 elements look different. One doesn't have to be a service tech or a plumber to see that something DON'T look right. I REALLY don't think, and I've been trying to find ANY new element that might look like this, and haven't. All of the elements that I have seen are metallic, you can SEE the metal, not covered or coated with a layer of whatever this stuff is, and I can't, for the life of me, figure out WHY a heating element would be coated with an insulating coating??? Wouldn't that kind of defeat or hinder the purpose of the "heating" element? Why would you "insulate" something that you are using to HEAT with? That would be the same thing as putting a blanket over your baseboard heater, right?

Anyway, thanks for your response. Perhaps I'll try in plumbing, as you suggested, but I'm pretty sure they haven't seen anything like it either.

Thanks again.

Matt S

Yes Matt, I see what your saying.

You may also want to go to your local plumbing or appliance parts store in your area where they sell water heater parts and take those elements down there and ask them.

Jake

Sorry to see you're having problems! Can you contact me directly so I can help?
www.whirlpoolwaterheaters.com/help
Thanks! ~ Chris
American Water Heater, authorized licensee for Whirlpool Water Heaters