Whirlpool Stove 8-inch Surface Burner Element 9761345 / 8053268
CUSTOMER REVIEW
Our older range burnt out the 8 inch surface burner element and connector. I already had a spare connector from an earlier repair but needed a new element. I researched and picked out this 2600 watt element instead of a lower 2100 watt element. The element came in a ziplock type bag. Not exactly sealed but it was new. I washed the new element to minimize the burning of fumes from a brand new element. Turned on the vent fant, hooked it up and turned on the heat. The element smoked a little bit but that quickly stopped.
One thing I noticed was the most inner ring did not appear to sit flush/flat along with the rest of the rings. It was raised higher than the rest of the rings. I had thought about exchanging it because I was worried about our pots and pans not being flat on the element during cooking. I compared our other existing elements and they have flat surfaces on the rings. So it looks like with use, the rings flatten with heat. I decided to use it the way it is, after a day or two, the rings of the element now are all flat.
There is a stamping under that show it is 2600 watt for 240 v, but I don't see any country of origin. Our existing element are made in US. My guess is this new one is from China, but I can't confirm it.
UPDATE 01/03/2014: IMPORTANT READ! Initial rating for this element was 5 stars, now it is one star because it exploded. A section glowed bright white, started sparking and exploded. Fire alarm went off. We were very fortunate that no one sustained injuries. The parts of the element that sparked, flew a short distance causing very minor stain to the range top, a couple pots sitting on the other unused elements. The pot that was on this element was a Corning ware glass pot (I think it's no longer made). That pot sustained the most damage, melted parts of the glass on the outside. We won't be using the pot due to the damage. The other pots nearby just had what appears to be the metal that flew and "stained" the pots on the outside. Best way to describe might be like how hard water leaves a stain on a surface - except this does not come off. The connector/socket that the element connected to was fine, the clip that holds the connector/socket and screws into the range top was damaged beyond re-use. The switch for that element works but now the light shows "HOT" even in off position.
So in all, I'm out a non-replaceable favorite pot for my wife, some surface stain/damage to a couple others, I purchased a switch ($25) so the light is not lit when the element is turned off. Spent 1/2 a day interchanging parts between new switch and old switch because it's near impossible to find the exact replacement. Lucky I had extra connector/sockets and clips around (from older repairs) so I didn't have to spend for that repair. I still need to find a replacement element for this exploded one. I have contacted Amazon to see what can be done even though I'm out of the return period.
Here is a pic of the element.
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Searching the net results in others also encountering a similar fate, so I know it does happen, even though it's our first time experiencing it and we've used the range over 15 years.
My advice to others that read this....if this happens to you, first thing, head to the fuse box and turn off the range, it most likely will die out on it's own but be ready to put out anything that catches fire. My first instinct was to reach over and turn off the knob for the element, glad I didn't and now I know better.
UPDATE 02/04/2014: I have been using this replacement (see link below) for about a month and I highly recommend it. It is a Frigidaire branded element, comes in a sealed Frigidaire packaging and is made in Mexico. For my case, I made sure I purchased it from Amazon as the seller and no other. I recommend this for others as well, even if it costs a little more than the 3rd parties.
A couple important notes, this new Frigidaire element had barely any smoking right from the beginning and I don't recall smells like the other 'bad' one. The surface material/texture is slightly different as well, more greyish. No dusting left on the bottom after use.
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I'm going to add a review for it shortly.
[...] if you have any questions, I will be more than happy to answer if I can be of help.
via Amazon Best Seller V2 copy copy http://ift.tt/1l7xHMg
