Heating Element Size

This thread was marked as solved. Here's a summary of the problem and the fix, generated from the discussion below.

Question about fitting a smaller washing machine heating element

The problem

The poster asked whether it is acceptable to replace a washing machine heating element with a smaller physical size element if the voltage is the same.

Likely cause

No appliance fault was described. The discussion suggests the key issue is compatibility: the replacement should match the original element specification, particularly wattage and the correct manufacturer-approved part.

What fixed it

The accepted advice was to check whether the replacement element has the same wattage as the original and why a smaller element was being recommended. The recommendation was that the exact same element should normally be fitted, unless the manufacturer has officially superseded it with a different part. The exact repair or final part fitted was not confirmed.

Checks to try

• Compare the replacement element wattage with the original
• Confirm why a smaller element has been recommended
• Check whether the manufacturer has changed or superseded the original element