This is Alpha, the first-born, when he was 2YO.
This is Beta, the second-born, when he was about 2YO.
This is Gamma, the third-born, when he was about 18MO.
Water Heater Repair, Part 3
Sep
14
2010
This post is where I expand on step 3 from my earlier post on how to fix a water heater.
The water heater heating elements are tightened very well by the factory. I could not get that thing to budge.
I had read that there are special wrenches/sockets made for loosening water heater elements, so I bought one ($5).
It has a hole drilled in the non-business end so that you can get some leverage. It is not a very big hole, so all I could find to fit in it was a large allen wrench or a screwdriver.
I tried for an evening to take out the element. No luck.
Someone suggested Liquid Wrench to help loosen it. Maybe it had rusted or corroded in place.
One evening of that. No progress.
Another evening of that. Still no progress.
Then I decided that I needed more leverage. So I strapped a crowbar to the wrench. I used about a two-foot length of 10-gauge steel wire. The allen wrench was still through the element wrench, so I wrapped the wire around the allen wrench and crowbar.
The element came free on the first try.
Leverage is your friend.
I think I didn’t need Liquid Wrench at all, because the threads were fine. If you are trying to loosen water heater elements, your first step should be more leverage, not special solvents.
Especially because you don’t want those solvents in your supply of drinking or cooking water.
Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven.
Matthew 18:18
This little article thingy was written by Some Guy sometime around 6:36 pm and has been carefully placed in the Projects category.
