My HotTop has been running without issue for many years but the past year the heating element has been giving me problems. After a few thousand roasts the heater has started to sag and bow. It now drags on my drum so the time has come to replace it. HotTop has a repair section on their web page that details most everything but I thought I would snap a few photos and document the process here.



To do this you will need...
#1 Phillips head screwdriver
#2 Phillips head screwdriver
Right angle screw driver
Wire snips
Putty knife, yes a putty knife. You will see why...

Start by removing the faceplate from the drum and set it aside. Then use you #2 Phillips to remove the front covers 4 screws.



Then remove the drum. You can see why I needed to replace it. The element was dragging on the front and back of the drum and very distorted.





Now you need to remove the back of the unit. Remove the 6 retaining screws with your #1 Phillips screwdriver.



Now you see why you need a putty knife. The inside of the machine needs scraped out. This is after a year of roasting. I replaced the electronics in my old D unit a year ago for more control.



Remove the outer shell by removing the 2 retaining screws in the rear of the housing using your #1 Phillips. Once they are removed you just slide the cover back and lift it off the frame.



Now you can reach in through the front of the roaster and remove the 2 heater element mounting screws and disconnect the heater leads. The heater just pulls out at that point. The new heating elements come with a new fuse link upgrade so if you have the old style you will need to replace that as well. You can see how distorted the element has gotten over the years.





Now HotTop says you need to remove the drive motor to replace the fusible link. It is a clearance issue between the motor bracket and the link mount screw. I happen to have some right angle Phillips screwdrivers so I left the motor as is and remove the link mount.

Once the old unit is removed you can mount the new one. Take care putting it in, HotTop notes exactly how it need to be placed.



The old fuse link gets removed and a jumper gets put in its place on the main board.



Then put the new heating element in the machine.



Connect the short leg of the fusible link to one of the heater terminal spades, the long end goes down to the circuit board.



Then hook up the second heater line to the remaining spade and run it down the the circuit board and plug both into your heater spades. It does not matter which goes where. Then use the supplied wire tie to neaten up the wiring and hold it all up off the circuit board.





Now just button it all back up in the reverse order you disassembled it in. The entire process took less then an hour and that included putty knifing the outer shell and scraping/wiping down the inside to clean it all up.

When you power the unit on for the first time it will smoke, you are burning off the oils on the new element. I ran a batch of junk beans through it to re season the drum and get the new electronic stink out of the system. It sure heats and roasts faster with a new element, go figure.

Thanks for taking the time to detail it out- I'm sure this will come in handy once some of us catch up to your roast count.

The Hottop's longevity continues to impress.

A couple of tips to add to this:

The two screws at the rear of the top cover that secure it to the frame can be difficult to get started without stripping the threads. If you loosen all the bezel screws (the ones the instructions tell you not to remove) it will allow the bezel to move forward just a few millimeters which allows the top cover to align more easily. Loosening them one at a time as if to remove, then reinstall one full turn will keep everything in alignment. After installing the rear two top cover screws, be sure to tighten the bezel screws. Another pair of hands to hold the top cover in place while installing the two screws also helps.

The other is that if you have a heating element that rubs the drum or the drum is not aligned properly and rubbing against the rear wall or the front bearing plate, this will increase the load on the main motor's gearbox which can shorten its life.