Boiler burning dry heating element 80 liters do-it-yourself repair

In detail: boiler burning dry heating element 80 liters do-it-yourself repair from a real master for the site my.housecope.com.

It is necessary to clean the Gorenje brand boiler from scale at home. I only heard that such a boiler has some cleaning features, since it has dry shadows. How to properly clean? What you should pay attention to?

There is nothing difficult to clean the Gorenje boiler from scale. The principle and algorithm of cleaning is identical for all boilers, regardless of the manufacturer and types of heaters in them. Only the design of the mounts is different.

To clean the boiler from scale, you need to turn off the valve on the cold water supply and both taps on the boiler. Be sure to disconnect the boiler from the mains! And drain the water from it. It is better to remove the boiler from the wall before disassembly, so it would be easier to work.

For some, the stumbling block is removing the cover. It can be removed easily, nothing needs to be broken and applied force, you just need to pry from the bottom with a screwdriver and pull the front panel out onto yourself. The lid is not screwed on, but simply inserted into the holes with two plastic pins.

Carefully remove the temperature control knob (clamped by a spring plate), it remains to unscrew the two screws and the cover is removed. Before disconnecting all the wires to remove the metal panel, it is advisable to first photograph them from different angles when assembling, this will come in handy during assembly.

The panel is removed, it remains to unscrew the flange, it is fastened with six M8 nuts. And before you is the whole ugly picture accumulated over the years of operation of the boiler. First remove the scale manually, clean with a cloth and a sponge. Rinse the walls of the tank with water from a hose. It is not necessary to clean the scale from the walls with metal objects; in this way, the protective layer can be damaged, and it serves as additional protection against corrosion. And of course, do not forget to clean the rubber gasket well.

Video (click to play).

An electric boiler is an effective solution to the problem of hot water supply for a private house. Such equipment, however, like any other, periodically breaks down.

If serious breakdowns have to be fixed at a service center, then any more or less experienced craftsman can do a small repair of the water heater with their own hands.

To minimize problems with the device, you should study its device and principles of operation. Usually, in private households, not flow-through, but storage models are used, which allow the use of electricity more efficiently. Such a device consists of a heat exchanger tank, inside of which a heating element is installed - a heating element connected to the power supply.

An important part of the device is the thermostat. This element allows you to maintain a constant temperature of the water inside the tank. Water flows through pipes to the heat exchanger. If its temperature is too low (and it usually happens), then the thermostat gives a signal and turns on the heating element.

Water is heated until it reaches the required temperature. After that, the thermostat works again and turns off the heating element. Hot water is taken from the tank and replaced with cold water, the heating process is repeated over and over again. This is a general diagram of the design and operation of a conventional storage water heater.

Flow models are arranged somewhat differently. They heat not a static volume of water, but a stream. They use more powerful heating elements that start when the water is turned on and stop when it is turned off. To study in more detail the operation and device of a particular model, you need to carefully read the accompanying technical documentation.

The heater tank is a solid stainless steel container, one or two millimeters thick. No matter how resistant this material is to corrosion, nevertheless these processes periodically arise and develop, which leads to the flow of water from the device. One of the most common causes of such breakdowns is electrocorrosion.

To prevent it, you need to regularly, i.e. annually replace the magnesium anode installed inside. This element is designed specifically to prevent electrocorrosion. Over time, it wears out, and the owners of storage tanks lose sight of the replacement of this important part.

As a result, a tank that has served well for some time suddenly starts to leak. An incorrect state of the magnesium anode may also affect the state of the heating element. From the outside, the storage tank is usually enclosed in a metal or plastic case, and it also has a heat-insulating shell that prevents heat loss.

Damage to the outer shell and insulation is rare, usually due to careless handling of the device. Cracks and chips on the body of the water heater may not disrupt its operation, but this will lead to a deterioration in the properties of the heat insulator, and will negatively affect the operation of the device as a whole.

The inlet pipes for cold water and the outlet for hot water usually do not cause any problems if the heater is installed correctly. Typically, a water heater is equipped with two thermostats, one of which is designed to control the water temperature, and the second monitors the state of the first device.

Sometimes a third thermostat is also used, which determines the good condition of the heating element. In any case, a broken thermostat will have to be completely replaced. There are capillary, rod and electronic types of thermostats. Their design is different, but the principle of their work is similar.

The insulating gasket serves not only to seal the connection of the elements of the water heater, it is also necessary as an electrical insulator. This element is recommended to be replaced regularly at every maintenance of the water heater.

The temperature regulator shows to what temperature the water inside the device is heated. If this element breaks, the water heater will still perform its functions, although data on the degree of heating will not be received.

Failure of the heating element is a typical problem for both instantaneous and storage water heaters. This element works under high load and therefore wears out quickly. If the power supply is connected, but the water in the tank does not heat up, most likely the problem arose with the heating element.

First you need to check whether electricity is supplied to the heating element and thermostat. At the cable connection points, the presence of voltage is checked with a tester. If there is no power, you may need to replace the cable itself or check if the power has been cut off throughout the house.

If there is electricity and the cable is working, then problems arose with the heating element, which will have to be replaced, or with the thermostat. To figure out what exactly is broken, you need to remove the thermostat and check it with a tester. Testing the serviceability of the heating element is carried out as follows. First, the measuring scale of the device is set to a range of 220-250 V. Then the resistance is measured at the terminals connecting the heating element to the mains.

If there is voltage, disconnect the heating element from the network and check the potential at the terminals of the heating element. If the tester does not respond, it will indicate that the device is faulty. If there is a reaction, you need to continue the diagnosis. First, disconnect the water heater from the power supply. Then the heating element is disconnected from the thermostat in such a way that the contacts of the heating element remain uninsulated.

Apply tester contacts to them and watch the reaction. If it is, the heating element is working, if not, you need to replace it.At the same time, it does not matter which numbers the tester gives out, only the presence or absence of a reaction is important. These troubleshooting methods are suitable for both storage electric water heaters and flow type models.

To check the serviceability of the thermostat removed from the water heater, you need to set the adjustment knob to the maximum and measure at the inlet and outlet of the device. If the arrow of the tester remains calm, i.e. its position does not change, which means that the thermostat is faulty and needs to be replaced.

If the arrow deviates, then you need to continue testing. Now you should set the minimum position on the thermostat and attach the measuring probes of the tester to the contacts. It will not be easy to continue the diagnosis alone, you will have to fix the probes or ask someone to hold them in the correct position for some time.

After that, you need to take a lighter and heat the tip of the temperature sensor. If the thermal relay works, then the circuit opens, and the resistance on the tester scale goes down sharply, then the thermal relay can also be considered serviceable. If the system does not respond to heating, then this element is damaged and needs to be completely replaced.

Sometimes the water heater may stop working due to the operation of the thermal fuse as a result of dangerous overheating of the device. It is enough to correctly adjust the operation of the device so that it starts working in normal mode.

If the check showed that both the heating element and the thermostat are working, most likely there are problems with the control board. It is almost impossible to repair such an element at home. It will have to be replaced with a new one, and you will have to use the help of a specialist who will help you set up electronic equipment. Most often, you just need to contact the service center, where the desired element will be selected and installed correctly.

Tank leakage is a serious problem, which is not always possible to fix on your own. In some models, either the tank or the entire heater will have to be replaced. Sometimes the leak can be soldered, but care must be taken to restore the integrity of the outer casing and the thermal insulation layer. Usually such measures are insufficient and short-lived, soon the leak will occur again.

A water heater tank is most likely to leak if:

there was damage to the internal tank;
the heating element has deteriorated;
gasket leaked.

If water is leaking at the location where the heating element is attached, it may not be necessary to repair the tank itself. A special gasket is installed in this place, a leak can be caused by its damage. The gasket is replaced and thus solve the problem.

A water heater tank leak is usually due to neglect or lack of maintenance, which also includes replacing the magnesium anode. Another common problem is the lack of grounding. This can also lead to the development of corrosion processes and the occurrence of leaks.

If you need to replace the gasket or heating element, it is best to first dismantle the defective element in order to take it with you and pick up the exact analogue. Purchasing parts “by eye” can lead to unnecessary expenses. It is relatively easy to make such a replacement. But if problems arise with the tank, you will have to at least contact the service center. Immediately you need to find the documents for the water heater and clarify the warranty terms and conditions of service.

Regardless of the nature of the breakdown, before starting repair work, you must first turn off the power supply, remove the protective cover, disconnect the wires, pipes and drain the water. Wall models are usually removed from the brackets. The protective cover, which hides the connection point of the electrical wires and the fastening of the heating elements, may have a different position depending on the model.

On horizontal devices, this element is usually located on the left, on vertical heaters - at the bottom, and on small models - in front. In some devices, you first need to unscrew the main mounting bolt located in the center. Sometimes this element is hidden under a decorative sticker.

After that, you need to carefully remove the thermostat, and then remove the temperature sensor tubes. They must be handled very carefully. If the integrity of the temperature sensor tube is broken, liquid filler will flow out of them. As a result, the water heater will simply have to be thrown away and a new device purchased.

If there are stickers on the case that indicate the serial number, they must be kept, even if it interferes with the maintenance and repair of the product. This may affect the fulfillment of the manufacturer's warranty obligations, as well as facilitate the work of the service center employees.

The fact that there are problems in the operation of the device may be indicated by some changes in the mode of its operation. For instance:

increasing the time of heating water to a predetermined temperature;
the appearance of unusual sounds accompanying the operation of the device;
the appearance of impurities in tap water, a change in its color, smell or taste.

If at least one of these signs is observed, the water heater should be cleaned immediately. To do this, you will have to perform the following operations:

Disconnect the device from the power supply.
Remove protective cover.
Disconnect electrical wires.
Shut off cold water supply.
Use a hose to remove excess water from the tank.
Unscrew the bolts that hold the heating element.
Remove the heating element and clean it from scale.
Clean the inside of the drive from dirt and scale particles.
Rinse the device thoroughly.
Check the condition of the magnesium anode.
If necessary, replace this element immediately.
Wait until the tank is completely dry.
Install the heater in place.
Reassemble the device.
Check the security of all fasteners.
Connect the water heater to the power supply.
Check for grounding.

The heating element should be removed carefully from the tank, the bolts may be too stubborn, sometimes the heating element is difficult to remove due to too much scale. The heating element is cleaned by mechanical or chemical means, as well as the removal of contaminants from the tank. If a large amount of scale is found inside the device, you should consider revising the operating mode of the water heater.

This phenomenon is often observed when the device has been operating at maximum power for a long time. It is recommended to set the maximum heating temperature no higher than 60 degrees in order to increase the life of the device and reduce the number of breakdowns. If the body of the heating device is energized, the heating element may have been deformed and ruptured, or there may be a breakdown in the control system.

A detailed video on diagnosing the condition, maintenance and self-repair of domestic water heaters can be viewed here:

Repairing a water heater is not so difficult when it comes to replacing some of its elements. In the event of a serious breakdown, it would be wiser to contact a specialized service center. Proper operation of the device and its timely maintenance will save you from many problems and costs.

The main cause of boiler failure is considered to be poor water quality. Because of this, scale forms on the surface of the heating element, the inner walls of the tank are susceptible to corrosion, which in the future entails more serious consequences and costly repairs in the service center. In addition, the water heater may stop working due to improper connection to the mains and hot/cold water circuits.

As for the latter, when connecting the boiler, it is imperative to install a safety valve between the pipe coming out of the tank and the cold water supply pipe, which will protect the tank from rupture during a water hammer. You should also connect according to the instructions and, no less important, do not confuse where something is connected. Sometimes situations arise that, if the installation is incorrect, the water heater does not draw water. Please note that in this case you should not panic. It’s better to look again at how to properly connect the equipment to the pipes and, most likely, you will understand why your water is not getting.

So that you understand how to repair a storage water heater in different conditions, then we will separately consider ways to repair all possible breakdowns with our own hands.

If the boiler does not heat the water to the desired temperature, but still makes noise when turned on, it means that scale has formed on the heating element, which you need to clean yourself. This is not difficult to do, you just need to disconnect the equipment from the network, drain the water from the tank and disassemble the case to remove the heating element. You will not have any difficulties with disconnecting the plug from the outlet, but draining the water can make repairs a little difficult. We immediately recommend watching a video tutorial that shows a simple method for solving this difficulty:

After you empty the tank, you will need to disassemble the boiler with your own hands. To do this, carefully disconnect all fastons connected to the thermostat and unscrew the bolts, which are usually 6 pieces.

During the extraction of the heating element, some more water will pour out, which remained in the tank. The heating element itself is recommended to be cleaned immediately, while it is wet and the scale deposits have not hardened. For cleaning, we recommend using special products that can be sprayed onto the heater. After some time, deposits are effortlessly removed with a wooden spatula or even a dull knife. Also, for repair, you can boil the heater in a bucket with the addition of a special acid to the water, which will effectively solve the problem. In order to get rid of scale for sure, we advise you to clean the tubes with fine-grained sandpaper (“sandpaper”) to a metallic color.

Simultaneously with the repair of the boiler, which heats water for a long time or weakly, it is recommended to replace the magnesium anode, which protects the tank from corrosion. To do this, dismantle the worn rod and purchase exactly the same one to do the replacement yourself!

After that, you need to assemble the boiler in the reverse order and check whether it was possible to repair the weak heating of the water. Do not forget that the first thing you must do is fill the tank completely with water, then connect the plug to the mains and start it up.

We draw your attention to the fact that there is a situation when the boiler does not heat water, because the heater is broken. In this case, self-repair consists in the fact that you need to ring it with a multimeter by setting the resistance measurement mode. We will talk about this below!

If the light on the boiler is on, but the water is not heating up, then it is likely that the heater, which we talked about above, is not working. Checking it at home is quite simple, you need to install the tester probes on the contacts of the heating element and look at the resistance on the scoreboard. For a working heater, the resistance can vary between 0.4-0.7, as shown in the photo below. If you see “1” on the display, it means that a break has occurred and you need to replace the part with a new one, because. it is almost impossible to repair it.

By the way, if the boiler is energized or when it is turned on, the RCD turns off by itself, then the cause of the breakdown, again, is in the heater from which the leak occurs. You can check the malfunction by connecting one probe to the contact of the heating element, and the second to the tube itself. You will see “1” on the display, the part is in good condition and there is no need for repair, a minus value or too large - a replacement is required.We described in more detail how to check the heating element with a multimeter in a separate article.

Another reason why the boiler does not heat water, or vice versa, heats up a lot, is the failure of the thermostat. You can check it in two ways - with a tester or a lighter. Everything is clear with the tester, you need to act according to a similar methodology, but as for the lighter, everything is more interesting here. First, dismantle the thermostat and press the button on it (it is circled in the photo below). After that, the copper contact of the thermostat must be heated. If after some time the button returns to its original position (it will be knocked out), the thermostat is working. If the thermostat does not work, you can repair a boiler that does not turn off or turn on by replacing this part with a new one. I would also like to note here that there is no need to drain the water to replace the thermostat on the water heater. It is enough just to disconnect the equipment from the network and disconnect all the wires.

Also, sometimes there is a breakdown - the temperature is not shown on the display of the water heater or the display does not work at all. In this case, check all the elements of the circuit, and if you do not find a break, most likely the control unit has broken. You will not succeed in repairing electronics with your own hands in the absence of experience and knowledge, so you will have to take the electric water heater for repair to a service center.

If you notice that water is dripping from the boiler, it is not always possible to repair it yourself. Well, if the cause of the leak is the wear of the seal on the flange. In this case, the gasket must be replaced with the same size, which will allow you to repair the breakdown. Things are much worse if the water heater is leaking due to wear on the tank itself. Some advise to glue or solder the holes, but, as practice shows, after a short period of time you still have to say goodbye to the boiler, because. such methods of repairing leaks are extremely short-lived.

That's all I wanted to tell you about repairing the boiler with your own hands. We hope that now you know what to do if the electric water heater leaks, heats water poorly or does not work at all. These devices do not have many problems and you can get rid of them with timely system maintenance. At least once a year, check the check valve and clean the heating element so that malfunctions bypass you!

It will be interesting to read:

Manufacturers are increasingly supplying their water heaters with "dry heat", promising that this will both extend the life of the product and facilitate the maintenance of the device. Is this really so and is it worth overpaying for such "show-offs"?

In standard water heaters, the heating element (tubular electric heater) is placed directly in the tank with water and heats it directly, and in boilers with a dry heating element, it is located in a special tube, sealed on one side. Thus, the contact of the heating element itself with water is excluded.

The second difference is that a conventional heating element is immediately equipped with a magnesium anode to prevent scale inside the storage water heater tank, but in the case of the “dry” version, the anode is inserted through another special hole.

The heating elements themselves differ in shape, because. "Dry" should be placed inside a metal pipe - it is straight and thin, while ordinary heating elements can be of the most diverse shapes.

Dry heating elements are completed only with tanks from 50 liters. This is due to the dimensions of the heating elements themselves, which can only be straight.

Image - Boiler burning dry heating element 80 liters do-it-yourself repair

There are many references on the net that dry heating elements are less economical, because. first heats the surface of the metal tube and only that one already warms up the water, however, such a statement does not stand up to criticism, because. the main heating occurs deep inside the heated medium and the heat loss from such an “indirect” effect on water is minimal, especially since the diameter of a dry heating element (usually 12 mm) is only a couple of millimeters smaller than the inner diameter of the tube, so that the air gap is minimal.

You can also find references to the fact that the power of such heating elements is lower than the power of "classic" ones. Indeed, a powerful 2000 W coil is much more impressive than dry ones, which are never stronger than 1200 W, but they usually put two "crackers" in the water heater, and this is 2.4 kW, so here the minus is not at all unambiguous

The only indisputable disadvantage of a dry heating element in a water heater is the price of the device as a whole. So, the minimum price of a Gorenje boiler for 50 liters with a conventional heating element starts at $ 90, and for a similar device with a “dry” one - $ 120. What do you get by overpaying these $ 30, we will describe below.

Ease of maintenance. Everything breaks and fails at some point. To replace a dry heating element, you only need a screwdriver to remove the plastic housing and unscrew the spacer screw. Everything, the heating element can be taken out and a new one inserted. In order to replace the “wet” heating element, you will have to drain the water, unscrew the special platform (flange) and if you have not removed and turned the water heater over before, then the remaining water and scale will fall directly on you. Moreover, every time you carry out this procedure, you should change the gasket between the flange and the body of the water heater. And if only they were standard! But each manufacturer makes flanges with its own unique shape, and gaskets, respectively, too. This is a very dirty and unpleasant job if you do it yourself and expensive if you hire a specialist to do it;

This is how the work of replacing a “wet” heating element looks like

Dry heating elements differ only in length

In general, by purchasing a water heater with a “wet” heating element, you save $30, which is not enough for you even to pay for the replacement of a failed heating element in a year or two. In addition, you get for this "savings" a bunch of unpleasant work and inconvenience.

It seems to me that "wet" heaters are possible only in our country. Was at the Siemens plant in Austria. Just in the department of production of climatic equipment. So their principle has long been such that the heating elements do not come into contact with the active liquid.

Previously, there was a water heater with a “wet” heating element - during the service life, the heating element itself changed 2 times. After 7 years the tank leaked and I threw it away. Now I put it with dry and the difference is obvious. No replacements for 3 years already, and the price of dry is much less (I looked for interest)

You begin to understand the difference precisely when you change the dry heating element. The procedure takes 5-7 minutes depending on the place from which the hands grow. Neither remove from the wall, nor drain the water - you do not need to do any of this. So dry heating element - taxis

All this is fine, but what happens to the pipe, can it by chance itself undergo corrosion? If not, why not?

What nonsense. As already got with the advertisement of the usual marketing move called "dry ten". 1. To begin with, a boiler with a dry heating element costs 1.5-2 times more than usual. 2. The replacement of a heating element is, in principle, a rare phenomenon and it can burn out like one or the other 3. Any boiler must, in order to extend its service life, be cleaned once a year from debris / scale and change the magnesium anode, it is he who is responsible for whether the tank will leak or not, and not TEN, so you still have to disassemble any tank. 4. As practice of my sales of household appliances for 12 years shows: tanks "dry and wet" serve the same number of years. I would understand if the tank life with a “dry” heating element was 30% longer, but no. SO WHY PAY MORE. Buy the cheapest tank 5-7 thousand rubles. Once a year they cleaned and changed the anode. It leaked after five years and was thrown away. And as if not very sorry. I note: the only boilers that I have are returnable in the warehouse are gorenje with dry heating elements. Died still under factory warranty. Do not fall for the persuasion of sellers, do not overpay, their task is to sell at a higher price. Yes, and pile on top of another divorce Paid additional service ..

You don’t build your theories here - I’ll tell you without advertising, from personal experience I’ll tell you - wet ten is a real shit:
Water heater for 10,000 rubles. bought (hooray, it's cheap, and it heats well!),
a year later, it started to heat badly, it flowed, and it began to shock from the water ... replacement of heating elements 3500r. with self-delivery to the service (they thought it would be under warranty, figs there).
After another half a year, the same story, they changed it on their own - for 3800 (2 heating elements, 2 anodes). For the first time, anodes were not installed in the service, so the replacement was cheaper and more useless.
Can you imagine what a "pleasure" it is to shoot 100 hp. the tank, albeit empty, and then hang it back. Or pleasure - you turn on the water, and you are shocked by the water / bath / faucet. And hot water becomes expensive, however!
I made a conclusion for myself, nah, such joy is necessary.

of all the comments made, I didn’t understand. who is lying. Vasya Senya. Here is a citizen "H" who is negatively opposed to dry heating water heaters. And it is obvious that everyone already uses dry heating water heaters. so who will tell me the truth about water heaters.

It's like buying a Zhiguli - like, they are easy to repair and the parts are cheaper, while the Toyota just lasts a very long time without repairs.
I have an Ariston Shuttle 80L, it has a 7-year warranty, and it has been serving even longer, so if it breaks, I’ll just replace it with a new one.

16 years old with "wet" Ariston 80 hp Every year I boil the removed heating element in citric acid, I carry out mechanical cleaning of the magnesium anode from scale. I don’t understand how to descale (the world has not yet figured out how to avoid it) the water heating surface in a “dry structure” without draining the water. During the season, I gain about 1.5 liters of it. Thanks to Sidor Kovpak for a sober assessment of this innovation, I will be careful in choosing.

We have extremely hard water. A private house and tanks are constantly working, so on one floor the Italian BAXI has been working for more than 13 years, the heating elements have been changed several times, and on the other, 4 water heaters have changed, the heating elements have changed countless times. Maybe it matters that BAXI is horizontal?

I have a 50 liter water heater Ariston with a titanium coating of the tank I clean it every year for 8 years this year there are traces of corrosion on the tank I change the anode every year the higher the water temperature the faster the anode is consumed the higher the corrosion, it is copper for all the time more than once I didn’t let me down, I just changed the thermostat, I’m thinking of taking the next one with a tank from stainless steel so that I don’t steam up about the tank leaking ten and anode consumables, I don’t worry about them. put the washing machine there is no scale result, softer water less problems with the boiler turn the experience of 15 years

The stainless steel tank lasts a long time. The heaters were wet and changed 5 times in 4 years. I put it dry for 3 years.

I have a self-made boiler manufactured by a local emergency, has been serving for 12 years, I cleaned it once a year ago. The thermostat started to flicker. And that's it.

“Dry” heating element, I understand, but scale does not form on top of the tube in which it is installed. Boiling. where does she go. The “dry” burnt out, they changed it, and the scale grows, the efficiency drops due to the “fur coat” from the scale.
I have a wet heating element, a tank of 80 liters, I clean it once a year, I change the anode, it works for 30 minutes with a water drain. The boiler has been working for 6 years, without problems. I haven’t changed anything except the anode!

Zheka, as for the end user, it doesn’t matter for you what steel the tank is made of (stainless steel or just enameled steel). If you didn’t keep track of the anode, then your stainless steel or ordinary enameled steel will flow equally quickly, because. a stainless steel tank at the weld has a weak point, and enameled steel under the influence of constantly changing temperature, the enamel cracks and access to steel appears. Look online to see how stainless steel corrodes. There is also an opinion that if you didn’t keep track of the anode, then the next one to be devoured by corrosion will be a heating element, and only then it will come to the tank. But this is only if your heating element is wet, if it is dry, then after the anode, the salts are taken immediately to the tank

Good luck with your boiler choice!

I fully agree with Kovpak. And Dasha's advice is to learn how to bake pies, and the man who will repair the boiler will bite on the pies.

Worth Polaris, 50l, 2kw, stainless steel. years 5.Didn't change anything. Once, I recently opened the tank, washed it, and screwed on the anode that was lying on the bottom, and that's it. And WHY to remove and carry the tank somewhere? Changed parents and friends never took off. He unscrewed it from below, took out the heating element, rinsed the slag and that's it. Price tenov from 1000 to 1700 for two! What 3800!? People fool you.

So which is the best buy for hard water?

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Today I will talk about how the Gorenje boiler is cleaned with dry heating elements. In principle, the cleaning process is the same for all types of water heaters. Even with a “wet” heating element, even with a “dry” one. The main thing is to force yourself to do it. For an additional incentive, you can read the article "When to clean the boiler."

So - Gorenje GBF 50. The first stumbling block is the cover. Many cannot remove it, even break it. Although it comes off very easily. Prying from below with a screwdriver, we pull out the front panel towards ourselves. There are two plastic pins on the panel that simply fit into the holes on the cover.

Pulling it towards you, remove the temperature control knob. The handle is not screwed on, just clamped with a spring plate. We unscrew the two screws from above and that's it, the cover is removed.

ATTENTION! Check again that the boiler is disconnected from the mains. Your life and health are very dear to all of us!

By the way, pay attention to the device indicated by the arrow. This is a safety device that activates when the water overheats. A very useful gadget for your water heater. The red button on it is the reset button.

Then we disconnect all the wires, remove the metal panel on which the control is mounted. In the wires, of course, you can get lost if you wish, but it is difficult. They are all different lengths, when assembled, they clearly fall into place. Just in case, you can additionally photograph from different angles.

The arrows show the heater mounting screws. Very comfortable design. To replace any heating element, there is no need to drain the water.

We unscrew the flange (the water is naturally drained in advance). How to drain the water from the boiler, I will tell in another article. The flange is bolted with six M8 nuts with a 13 head.

Scale, like all boilers that have not been cleaned for several years. There is nothing terrible in this. Just a chemical process. Well, there will be a small colony of bacteria in this heap, a hundred million individuals. Above, I already wrote what to read to get an extra incentive.

We wash, we clean. Sandpaper and any grinding power tools are strictly prohibited. Rubbed with a rag and that's enough. It doesn't have to be polished. Especially the water heater tank. The scale on the walls of the tank is an additional protection against corrosion. Pay special attention to the rubber gasket. I just wash it with my fingers.

The protective anode in these boilers is attached to the top of the tank, it also changes through the top. From the inside, it is unrealistic to unscrew by hand. By the way, in the comments they ask to correct it by “it’s hard to unscrew, but you can try.” On small-liter ones, where the hand reaches, it can and will work. You only need to change the outside. Not only do you need to remove the boiler itself, but for one person this is an unrealistic task. Plus, you need to remove the cork from above, open the foam, there is a futorka, an anode is screwed into the futorka. Just like in a fairy tale: a needle in an egg, an egg in a duck, a duck in a duck.

The futorka is unscrewed with some tricky key, either by 32, or by 36. And then it is necessary to screw it back, and even hermetically. Why is everything so uncomfortable? Because in the manufacture of a water heater, a hole is made on top of the tank for painting. So, in order not to brew it, and then paint it again, they came up with the idea of inserting an anode there. They even came up with a theory that a magnesium anode with a top location extends the life of the tank. Yeah, it's extended by five days.

In short, the anodes in Gorenje are strong, they last for a long time. For peace of mind and additional protection, I screw any other magnesium anode to the temperature sensor and collect everything back. If you are wondering what anodes are for, then read the article “What a magnesium anode is for”.

It is often asked whether it is necessary to lubricate the rubber gasket on the flange with silicone. I don't grease. Metal, pressure, temperature fluctuations, water of dubious quality, no one knows how the silicone behaves on the gasket. And I have not seen silicone for rubber.

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All the best! Good luck!
Vladimir.

For some, the stumbling block is removing the cover. It can be removed easily, nothing needs to be broken and applied force, you just need to pry from the bottom with a screwdriver and pull the front panel out onto yourself. The cover is not screwed on, but simply inserted into the holes with two plastic pins.

Video (click to play).

The panel is removed, it remains to unscrew the flange, it is fastened with six M8 nuts. And before you is the whole ugly picture accumulated over the years of operation of the boiler. First remove the scale manually, clean with a cloth and sponge. Rinse the walls of the tank with water from a hose. It is not necessary to clean the scale from the walls with metal objects; in this way, the protective layer can be damaged, and it serves as additional protection against corrosion. And of course, do not forget to clean the rubber gasket well.

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