KIT24501 – RESTRING KIT (3/8″, BOLT)

Supco heater restring coil kit with a 3/8 in. diameter nichrome coil, for rebuilding elements in electric furnaces, strip heaters, duct heaters, air handlers and wall heaters. The kit includes the coil plus hardware to fit many applications.

Specifications published by the manufacturer. Source: manufacturer documentation.

Specs

• ManufacturerSupco
• Coil outside diameter3/8 in.
• Wattage5010W @ 240V / 3762W @ 208V
• Stretch range34 in. minimum to 112 in. maximum
• Connection10-32 male bolt
• ConstructionNichrome heavy gauge, welded terminal bolts
• Cross referenceSupco DH500; NAPCO 24501

Cross-reference numbers

This part replaces the following OEM and aftermarket numbers:

• 24501

Not sure if your number matches? Call (214) 340-9421 or bring the old part in — bench-testing is free.

Is a big 100-piece tool kit a good way to start?

Not for the tools you actually touch all day. Buy the handful you reach for fifty times a week by fit and feel, and let a cheap set cover what you use twice a year. The ones that earn their spot in a service bag are a 1/4 inch and a 5/16 inch nut driver (that pair opens almost every panel on a Rheem, Trane or Goodman), a sharp tube cutter, a ratcheting service wrench with 3/16, 1/4, 5/16 and 3/8 square drives, a fin comb, a stubby driver for tight blower decks and a magnetic bit holder.

What is wrong with the flaring tool in a cheap kit?

The plain bar-and-cone type screws the cone straight into the copper, work-hardens the flare face and does not hold the tube square. An eccentric or clutch-style flaring tool orbits the cone and burnishes a smooth 45 degree face that seals. Ream the cut first, but do not over-ream and thin the lip. One drop of refrigerant oil or Nylog on the face, and never Teflon tape or thread dope on a flare - the seal is metal to metal, per HVAC School's own flaring guidance.

How hard should I crank a tube cutter?

Barely. Light pressure, a quarter turn at a time, all the way around. Cranking it down out-of-rounds the tube and rolls a burr inside that never fully reams out. Replace the wheel when it starts tracking instead of cutting. A hacksaw has no business on refrigerant tubing - the filings go inside and end up in the compressor.

Do I need a swaging tool?

If you work soft copper, yes. A swage expands one tube end into a socket so you braze one joint instead of two and skip the coupling. Fewer joints means fewer leaks.