Today, I'm going to walk through replacing an oven heating element that probably should have never gone bad in the first place. I've never heard of one of these failing before, and Sears says it replaces about 1,000 of this part per year, but this one failed spectacularly with a bright flare that lasted probably 30 seconds and left the element in three useless pieces. I suspect that someone cleaned it at some point with an abrasive pad or compound that damaged the surface of the element and caused it to eventually break under the stress of normal use. Fortunately, this abused piece of hardware was easy to replace.
This project requires only one tool: a 1/4" socket and driver (this counts as one since a socket isn't much use alone). You could use a ratchet or adjustable wrench in a pinch, but the driver is really a superior tool for this since the screws aren't very tight and anything that swings out to the side for leverage would just get in the way. A single-piece 1/4" nut driver is an option and may be a reasonable investment if you plan on working on a lot of ovens, but I find it more space efficient to keep a set of sockets and a socket driver instead. If you don't have SAE tools handy, a 6.5mm socket should work.
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| One of my favorite tools: a 1/4" socket driver. |
The first step was to find the model number of the oven so I could get the right part. Manufacturers put the information plates in different places, but they're pretty predictable. They're usually on front faces inside a door or drawer so that they're not visible with everything closed, but they're easy to access. In my case, the plate was inside the bottom storage drawer. There are several retailers for these parts online. Just search for your model number and "parts" and plenty of options should appear. Make sure you order the baking element and not the broiler.
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| Model plate location |
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| Kenmore model 911.93512010 |
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| The part listing. Part #WB44T10010 |
Side note: This range has a broil setting, which means there's a second heating element in the top that's normally used for browning the tops of dishes that are otherwise already cooked. We were able to use the broiler for the Texas toast we were planning to cook when the lower element failed. This model doesn't have temperature control on the broil setting, so we were really eyeballing the temperature and just baked the food on the lower rack so it would heat more evenly.
When the part comes in, it's time to get to work. First, pull the oven out from the wall and unplug it. You'll pretty much need full access to the back of this thing, so pull it all the way out. The terminals for the heating element are covered by an access panel down the back of the range. This model has five screws.
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| Access panel screws |
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| Heating element terminals |
The element is connected electrically by a couple of spade terminals. There's no latch or trick, they just slide together like a plug in an outlet. Remove the two screws inside the oven and remove the broken element. It's a good idea to clean the bottom of the oven while the element is out. I didn't, but I should have.
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| Heating element screws |
The company I ordered my element from packed the terminals in polystyrene, which is pretty standard practice, but it tends to leave some of the foam on the terminals. Make sure you get all of the packing material off of the burner and terminals, for obvious reasons.
Installation is the reverse of removal. Stick the terminals through the holes in the insulation and install the screws. Finger tighten only. Ovens are generally made of fairly thin sheet metal that can't handle much torque, and that's especially true with this model. Slide the connectors back onto the spade terminals on the back, then reinstall the access panel. On this model, the access panel slots behind a pair of tabs on the left. Reinstall the five screws on the access panel. It may be beneficial to install all of the screws loosely at first so that you can shift the access panel around to get the holes to align, then tighten them down. This one had a bare screw on the bottom and the rest were painted black. I'm not sure that it matters, but best to put things back the way they were originally installed.
Before you put the oven back in its hole, take a minute and clean. When was the last time you cleaned under your oven? Never, right? Nobody moves an oven unless they have to. I did take my own advice on this step. Some dust had also collected under the back of mine, so I vacuumed that out as well. Once it's all clean, plug the oven in and slide it back into place.
Finally, turn the oven on and test the new burner. Let it get red hot for a few minutes and then turn it off. Open the oven door and let it air out. The light film of release agent on the new heating element burns off and has a bit of a smell. It's probably harmless, but best to keep it away from your food just the same.
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| Fixed! |
