Range element

[John Dirks Jr]

Hello gentlemen.  I was wondering if you had insight on cook range heat elements.   My father’s Samsung oven lower element burned open about a year ago.  It was easy to get a replacement part and install it so I did.   It’s now burnt open again.  
 

The previous part we got was $50 from Amazon.  Is it a cheap part and that’s why it didn’t last?   If so, how can we make sure to get something that will last longer?  Are there other conditions that might make an element fail with a short lifespan?

Thanks for your advice 🙂

 

 

[Jim Katen]

I suspect a cheap element. It's just a coil of wire that gets hot when a 240-volt current passes through it. There's not much the oven can do to make it fail. Try an OEM one next time. 

 

[Rob Amaral]

What country was it made in ?

[Tom Raymond]

2 hours ago, Rob Amaral said:

What country was it made in ?

Not America. We only make hamburgers here.

[John Dirks Jr]

I actually ordered two elements this time around.  One was identical to the previous one at $50 and other claimed to be Samsung OEM at $70.

The packaging on either didn’t build confidence with the cheaper one said China.  The “OEM” one had no indication of where it was made.  
 

The claimed OEM one did have some differences in its construction.  The spades for the electric connectors were larger and the soldering on them looked much stronger.  They were actually soldered while the cheaper ones looked to be fused on with a tiny arc weld.   The securing brackets on the claimed OEM were thicker.  On the OEM one the end of the tubes were tapered where the cheaper on was cut straight.  
 

There’s no telling the difference in internal parts since we can’t see them.  We chose the claimed OEM one as the visible aspects appeared to be better quality.  We’ll see how long it lasts.