Removing Water Heater Element

I am up grading my element in my electric kettle. The current element has been in use for 18 months and has had 30 - 40 batches run through it so I would imagine it is pretty socked in.

My question is how do I remove the current element without wrecking the kettle?

WD-40?
Propane Torch?

Any help would be appreciated.

TD

really?

Unscrew it? Or did you manage to solder the element directly into your kettle wall?

I recently removed an old heating element from a pot, that was much older than you are dealing with..probably 10 years. I wasn't able to get it to budge with all my might on the element wrench . I used a hammer on the element wrench to tap at the outside of the threads for a while, which may of may not have helped. Eventually I used a propane torch on the coupling it was threaded into to make the threads expand a bit , which did the trick.

Seems like it should unscrew if you didn't gall the threads. Otherwise if you can heat it up a bit and apply some genuine beeswax (not paraffin) and let that wick into the threads that does wonders. Kroil might help if you let it soak into the threads a bit.

Thanks for the suggestions.

Really

TD

Thanks to everyone who had a constructive suggestion on removing my element. I went home and sprayed WD-40 into the seams, let it sit for 30 minutes and then heated things up with my propane torch.

Broke free on my first try. Installed the upgrade and sealed everything up. Leak free.

I love it when a plan comes together.

TD

Liquid wrench...

Glad to hear it!