Is a old water heating element worth saving

[Rene T]

I am replacing my hot water heater in my fixed rv trailer. The heater is over 24 years old. I expect the lifespan is nearing its end of life. I’m worried that it could start leaking anytime and with my luck, it could let go while we are away for a while and it would flood the entire trailer and attached Florida room/lanai.
We’ve decided to replace it with a new one. The new one is a 20 gallon tank, 110 volt AC, with one 2000 Watt heating element. The old element is a 1500 Watt element.
Is the old element worth saving? Would I save that much on electricity if I replace the 2000 with the old 1500 Watt element. We always had plenty of hot water with the 1500 element.

Another question is do elements go bad from the inside out or outside in?

 

[Lou Schneider]

You won't save any electricity by cutting back to the old element. 25% less wattage will be offset by it being on 25% longer to heat the water.

Make sure your wiring can handle the extra draw of the new water heater. 1500 watts divided by 120 volts (not 110 volts) is 12.5 amps, the nominal continuous rating of a 15 amp circuit.

2000 watts divided by 120 volts is 16.6 amps and requires a 20 amp circuit.

 

[Rene T]

Thank you Lou. When they installed the old heater many moons ago, they put in a 30 amp breaker with 12 gauge yellow wire.
Is 12 gauge wire heavy enough for a single 2000 watt element.
Note: the run from the campground pedestal to the Heater is about 8’

 

[John From Detroit]

12 ga is indeed heavy enough for 2000 watts (less than 20 amps) as it's rated for 20 amps.

However for an RV heater I took the advice of Fred (I forget his url) and installed a 1500 watt 240 volt element... that's what about 375 watts at 120 volt. in my RV water heater.
The lower amprage is nice when I was on a 30 amp site. And I never noticed the added recovery time .

 

[Rene T]

I still have the question which is are old elements still good and worth keeping as a spare if they are still working? Do they get weak?

 

[Isaac-1]

This is something I would keep in a junk parts box in my RV storage shed, but would not bring with me on the road due to the problem with accumulating needless weight / stuff while travelings.

 

[TheBar]

I still have the question which is are old elements still good and worth keeping as a spare if they are still working? Do they get weak?

You are seriously thinking about keeping a 24 year old heating element? Is it 24K gold? Does your wife ever accuse you of being a packrat?

 

[Rene T]

You are seriously thinking about keeping a 24 year old heating element? Is it 24K gold? Does your wife ever accuse you of being a packrat?

Yup!!!! I hate throwing things away if they are still good.
Do they get old and weak as time goes on? Or is it just as good as a brand new one?

 

[8Muddypaws]

A new element will cost less than $20 and can be found at any good hardware store, or ordered online.

So, the real issue is ‘how difficult is it to change the element’?

In my case I have to completely remove the water heater to get at the element. Can you get at yours without tearing things apart?

 

[Isaac-1]

I guess a large part of my reason to tend to keep such stuff is due to spending many years living in a location where the nearest hardware store was 20 miles away, even the nearest gas station was 8 miles away.

 

[DutchmenSport]

"Personally", I'd not keep the old one. Instead, I'd purchase a new one (same as the original) for a spare if you truly want to keep an extra one on hand, especially since you installed a new water heater. If you replaced the water heater with an identical 20 year old water heater (but never used), I'd keep the heating element. But putting new wine in old wineskins is not a good thing to do. If you ever have to replace the new water heater element, you want to replace it with the same kind model, weight, and rating as the old one.

 

[bigbAZ]

It's the metal shell that wears thin or corrodes and eventually leaks, so yes on a 20 year old element there is likely going to be some wear. IMO if there is labor involved in replacing something I'm going to use new, and the best new I can get. The labor is usually the most costly factor, whether you do it yourself or not, unless your time is worth nothing to you. For example, even on a brand new residential electric water heater, before installing I'll remove the new standard (lower) element and replace it with a low watt density element like a Sand Hog which will last the life if the unit, saving me future labor/time.

The exception would be on certain parts where the new ones are poor quality, if the old part is superior to anything that can be found new, then I will keep the old part.

 

[LarsMac]

I would have to pull the water heater to get at the element, also. With the work involved, I'm not going go through it to put a 20 year old element back in.

Since I just replaced my heater and element a couple years ago, I expect to get another twenty years out of this one. And if it lasts that long, I expect it will be somebody else's problem by then.

 

[Rene T]

Thanks guys. I’m just going to let the old element go to the dump with the tank. I may just pull it out to see what it looks like.

 

[CharlesinGA]

What RV water heater is it? Atwood or Suburban? Truthfully, Atwood tanks rarely fail. Suburban tanks are porcelain coated steel like a home water heater and rust where the porcelain coating fails or at threaded ports. Atwood tanks are aluminum and unless the water is very acid, that tank is probably good. The Atwood water heaters are no longer made and certain parts are scarce for them.

Charles

 

[Rene T]

What RV water heater is it? Atwood or Suburban?

Neither Charles. My old tank was made by whirlpool. It is a 19 gallon home/residential heater. Here is a picture of the old water heater and what my trailer looks like now. The original water heater would have been taken out years ago when they mounted the trailer permanently in the campground I am in.