Review on 💦 High Efficiency Camco 02583 4500W 240V Screw-In Foldback Water Heater Element - Low Watt Density, Silver / Pewter by Justin Kautzman

Our water comes from a deep well and is rich in minerals so slowly but surely it forms limescale (ours was like concrete) on the elements and over time they use more electricity to heat the water to the same temperature. , they need longer for it and the shower time is reduced. There are three types of elements: High Watt Density, Low Watt Density and Ultra Low Watt Density with high wattage, most likely the element found in a new water heater. They all have the same wattage, but lower-density models spread heat over a larger surface area and don't need to be heated as much as high-density models to get the same heating effect. The additional surface area and lower overall temperature reduces fouling and the elements tend to last longer. This is the first time we have replaced our 5 year old water heater, so down to a low wattage and back to regular hot water...using less electricity, significantly reducing the wait time between showers and getting more hot water . increase the duration of the shower. The initial problem was that the top element couldn't heat the makeup water fast enough to get it hot to the showerhead. So if I needed to replace one, it was easy to do both. At about $7 a piece, they pay for themselves in about a month, and we really like hot showers in the winter. Scale buildup and the problems it causes can take a long time before you actually notice it, and we probably had a bad time last summer, but we tend to shower cooler in hot desert summers so it's a lot less noticeable. . These are heater rods and they're not perfect so they can fail at any time without warning, but once you've emptied the tank they're easy to replace. Try not to touch the heating element with your bare hand as oil on your skin can sometimes be a problem and never turn on the heater until you are absolutely sure the tank is full of water. The price here was about half that of a comparable product at the home center. We have an outdoor drain pan so it was easy to stick a hose in the tanks to flush sediment from the bottom and it will add a few years to the bottom rusting problem that usually ends in flooding. Finally, don't waste money on a specialty tool for removing/installing items without checking your toolbox first, because I've used a vise, a large wrench, an adjustable wrench, a small pipe wrench, an Allen head, and even a couple of adjustable ones Pliers, but I prefer the 1-1/2" head, but if you're careful pretty much anything that fits can be made to work. If you'd rather buy a special wrench, I have one of those too I have a cheap wrench at about $5 but it tends to slip so I prefer the head from my large set of heads.I had a filter assembly on the water tank and it was good but impossible not to have at least a small one with every filter change leaking, and ultimately it's cheaper to replace the elements every few years than to fiddle with a canister filter for r water that required changing the filter several times a year. In all the years I've had a tank style electric water heater I think the only thing that's really changed is the price and not too long ago it seemed like you could get one for like $100, but now some of them are much more expensive inexpensive repairs are more than inexpensive,