Replacing an ailing oven element

In Grade 9, I learned about electricity. I'm still not over it. To my adolescent mind, electricity was slavery. Humans generate electrons and pump them under high pressure through miles of transmission lines. The electrons get excited, thinking they're going somewhere great.

Instead, they spend their final moments getting sucked through wires into appliances and ceiling fans. They never participate in anything fun like a lightening strike. They simply expire in the dark inescapable coils of someone's front burner.

It just seems wrong.

That's why, back in Grade 9, I started the Electrons' Rights Society. I couldn't make posters because Magic Markers were manufactured using enslaved electrons. So it was all word of mouth. We met in dark rooms and apologized to the electrons in our calculators and watches. Actually, no one came to the meetings. I acted alone.

Wire We Here?

We depend on captive electrons to heat, light, manufacture and operate every object around us. But some rebel electrons still go free, seeking revenge against humankind. If you don't believe me, try crossing a carpet in sock feet and then touching a cat. That's one way to lose an arm.

You can honour the power of electrons by changing an oven element. The elegance of the circuit is exemplary. A heating element is just a wire coated with non-conductive ceramic. Electrons pass through the wire, heating it. The heat moves into the ceramic sheath. (But the electrons can't squeeze through since ceramic is non-conductive, so you never get shocked when you touch a pot sitting on a burner.)

Burning for It

When you look at your oven element and see bubbles, pits, burnt marks or breaks in the sheathing, it's time to replace the element. A 'bake element' (the one on the bottom) will usually work for eight years or more. Broil elements (on the ceiling of the oven) usually hold up way longer. Some ovens will go twenty years without needing repairs. But replacing elements is bone-easy. So why not practise every so often, just for fun. Or when you're bored. Or when nobody supports your activist causes.

SAFETY ALERT!!!

Unplug the range or turn off the power at the main panel so there is no power reaching the oven. Remember, this is 220 volts of enraged electrons; they kill like a cougar.

Steps

1. Remove the oven racks so you have access to the element. TIP: Make sure that a wire hasn't come off the terminal clip, or shorted out so it looks charred. (It's a drag to spend $25 on a new element when you simply need to replace a terminal clip or supply wire.) OTHER TIP: If both top and bottom elements are dead the problem is usually in the range's wiring or thermostat. Call an appliance repair service.
2. Remove the two screws from the element mounting plate, which sits flush against the back wall of the oven. These screws are usually hex-heads, so you'll need a nut driver, which fits sweetly over the six-sided screwhead. TIP: These screws will be tight and/or sealed in place by cooking residues. Persevere.
3. Pull the element gently out as far as the wire will allow (the wires may be too short and you'll have to lean awkwardly into the oven to disconnect the wires from the element).
4. Remove the supply wires from the element terminals. If there's a nut on the bottom of the terminal, hold it in position with pliers while you turn the head with a screwdriver.
5. Replace the element by selecting the correct size from about 15 different configurations at the hardware store. BRING THE DEAD ONE to get the best match.
6. Put the new element in place and reconnect the leads. There are usually only two wires going to the element; it doesn't matter which wire attaches to which terminal, as long as they're screwed on tight.
7. Tuck excess wire back behind the insulation.
8. Line up holes and re-install the mounting bracket using the same screws you removed earlier. Be careful not to cross-thread the screws, which wrecks 'em and then you'll be buying new sheet metal screws!

When you're done, restore the power, and celebrate by baking a batch of cookies shaped like electrons. Teasing. No one has ever seen an electron. We just know they're there. And they're mad.