Your hot water from the tap is lukewarm at best, and you know your hot water heater is not old enough for a full-on replacement, so what's the problem? In most cases, the heating elements will fail long before you need a new water heater completely, and thankfully, heating elements are integrated into a water heater so they are easy enough to replace. Even still, replacing the heating elements in your hot water heater is a task that can leave you feeling a little intimidated if you have no experience with doing your own repairs. here is a look at some of the things you need to know about replacing the heating elements inside of your water heater.

Take note of the wattage of the elements before buying replacements. 

It is easy to assume a heating element is just a heating element, and there is no difference between the different water heater models and what kind of heating element they take. However, you have to make sure the element you pick up is the exact same wattage as the element you remove that is bad. The wattage is usually on the element itself, but if not, you should also be able to find a wattage listing on the metal plate on your water heater that also offers things like the model number and brand name of the unit. 

Get to know the differences between heating elements that are available. 

When you get to the home improvement store or appliance repair center to pick up your element, you will probably surprised at the sheer number of choices there are available. Not only will you be looking at water heater elements that are different wattages, there are different types as well, and these different types do still work in the same water heater. For example, U-shaped elements are the basic models and usually cheap, but these don't fare very well in water heaters that contend with scaly mineral deposits, so you may want to go with a low-density element instead. 

Talk to a plumber before you get started on the task at hand if you are unsure. 

Replacing water heater elements is fairly simple, but if you are struggling with the prospect of replacing the elements or finding the right elements, never hesitate to contact a plumbing company like Bedell Plumbing & HVAC for a little professional advice. Not only will they probably offer advice for free, if you choose to have them install the elements instead, you probably won't have to spend a lot of money on service fees.