The previous replies to this question really helped a lot when I replaced the water heater element in my Hotpoint WD72. So, as others have already said, the heater element is at the front of the drum. To get to this you'll need to remove the top, the control panel (be careful with the delicate ribbon connector), the bottom fascia panel, the door seal, the front of the machine and finally the door locking mechanism. With all of that off you then remove the black cover with an 8mm socket and then you can disconnect the live, earth, neutral and thermistor connectors on the element. I removed the central bolt completely (10mm socket) and then pulled the element as far out as it would go. After that it was just down to a pair of sturdy leather gloves (after I had already cut myself) and brute force. What others have not mentioned is that there is a metal plate on the underside of the element which got a bit bent when I yanked the old element out. I would imagine that this was part of the original element assembly and I just discarded it. Then I inserted the new element and panicked when I saw that it when it really easily but obviously would not make a water-tight seal. I applied a bit of silicone and put the element in. Now here's the clever part. It was only when I went to put the black cover back over the element terminals I discovered that there wasn't enough thread available on the bolt to allow the cover to be attached. It clicked when I tightened up the bolt which will compress the rubber seal which is what will make the seal water-tight. I then put the cover back on. After that it was just a case of putting all the other bits back on. Job done. I hope this helps others as there's a real dearth of useful information on how to do this job.
Brad, March 2008
