GEH50RDNSRSA upper heating element

[higgy331]

I have a GEH50RDNSRSA in need of an upper heating element which is no longer available. What will fit ? Anyone ?

[Vance R]

22 hours ago, higgy331 said:

GEH50RDNSRSA

The odd thing of this is the lower element is available at parts select. Most electric water heater use the same style element. The wattage, number of folds and length can vary. There are a few the have special thread patterns.  Turn off the heater and drain the tank enough to remove the upper element. Take the element to your local hardware store and compare to what they have in stock. BTW the specs at GE show the upper and lower as 4500 watt elements.

[higgy331]

actually they appear to be the same element,neither one is available currently. Yes the plan is to find a comparable unit. My first thought was to post here as I have always found someone in the past has found an answer that works previous to my efferts,

[dwschnelli]

You have a hybrid water heater with a compressor on top which helps keep the water warm but may not get it to a typical 140-160 degree range for household hot water usage. Pictures of the element look very standard for domestic water heaters in the states, and it has been noted that they are rated as 4500 watt elements which again is typical. I don't think you'll need the specific GE element.  My only concern is the threads, which look standard.  Take your original element to the hardware store and have them match it up. It would be thoughtful to come back to this forum to let us know how it works out, with details if there is a problem, or just to tell us that it did turn out to be a standard 4500W element. Thanks.

[higgy331]

You are correct in that it is a hybrid unit with a compressor and yes the elements are rated at 4500 WATTS each.

They do appear to be standard looking to me. I believe I replaced them both around 10 years ago along with both fans and the control boards when the unit threw a fan code and would not operate in hybrid mode.. Although at the time GE no longer made this unit another company had assumed the warranty role and suggested replacing the control boards along with the fans which they sent along under warranty. Sometime this week I will take the water level down to remove the affected unit and take it along to the hardware store. I will be sure to post what I find after I get it up and running again. This time of year in Pennsylvania it usually stays pretty cold (December-January) so I switch the unit to all electric to keep the runtime down of the compressor to a reasonable level.

[higgy331]

I have an all temp kit to try. Ewh-02