Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)Our 20 year old combination microwave/wall oven finally gave up the ghost on the broil element. While food was in the oven on the broil cycle, the element broke into two, and started arcing as all that energy tried jumping the gap. A quick response kept a fire from happening. We had replaced the bake element a few years ago, so I knew that it was a fairly simple job to replace the element. Lesson # 1 - if one of your elements fails, buy both and replace them both at the same time!
Get the oven model number located on a manufacturing plate inside the oven door to search for the correct GE part number for the broil element. There are any number of web sites that will give you a reference to the correct broil element part. Most of these sites also want $35 - $40 for the item. It also turns out that GE has several ovens (ours was one) that can use more than 1 of the broil element part numbers -- they're somewhat interchangeable. In fact, ours was WB44X173, but the two are interchangeable!
After that, it was time to search for either of the parts at the best price. I checked many on line appliance parts providers, eBay, and Amazon. Partshouse, who sells the product on Amazon, had the best pricing by far! Plus, they're backed by Amazon -- need I say more? At $14.95 plus shipping, the total was less than $20! Most online appliance stores were charging $35 plus shipping.
The part arrived promptly in a slightly oversized box. There was no protective packaging inside, but then, this is a tough part to damage. You can find installation instructions online at various sites, but basically, there's two screws at the back wall where the element goes behind the oven to make the electrical connection, plus several support screws along the inside top of the oven. Take all those out, pull the broil element towards you, and then you'll see the screw on connectors. Unscrew the old element, toss the broken broil (or bake element - works the same), screw the new element back in (use new screws if provided), then push the connection part back through the oven wall and reattach the support screws inside the oven. You can remove the oven door (check your manual) if you want some more room to work in, but beware, it doesn't always go back in easily.
The new broil element works like a champ! But then, it is an original GE product and that's what you'd expect. On first heatup, a little smoke comes off; best as I can tell, it's probably some form of protective coating that's intended to do that. It only lasts a few seconds, then it's gone, and you can broil to your hearts content! Great product, great pricing, and quick delivery. I'd recommend this to anyone who needs a replacement broil element.
Click Here to see more reviews about: GE WB44X185 Broil Element for Self-Cleaning GE, Hotpoint, and RCA Ovens
THIS GENERAL ELECTRIC WB44X185 OVEN BROILER HEATING ELEMENT WORKS WITH MANY GE, HOTPOINT AND OTHER STOVE/OVEN/RANGES. DETAILS: SIZE: 18 INCHES TOTAL LENGTH, 1 INCH SPACING BETWEEN PRONGS. WATTAGE: 3400 WATT 250 VOLT ADDITIONAL INFO: OVEN BROILER HEATING ELEMENT WITH SCREW ON TERMINAL ENDS
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