Water heater thermal cut-off - more info. November 18, 2008, 07:29:30 am Yahoo Message Number: 97340For those of you who are interested in how a thermal cut-off device works; see the following link. You will find more technical information than you ever wanted to know.http://tinyurl.com/5sea5d On my burnt out thermal cut-off, the male and female 3/16" (.187) connectors were both crimped and soldered on the leads. If you decide to make your own replacements be aware that you need to gently clamp a Vice-Grip or pliers with a rubber band wrapped around the handle to provide a good thermal contact between the connector you are soldering and the cut-off device. This heat sink is important; if you don't do this the heat from the soldering operation will probably melt the pellet inside the device and "blow" it. You should both crimp and solder like Atwood does on their replacement kits. This device is in a hostile environment and if the crimp is not perfect, corrosion can build up inside the connector causing resistance and problems. When you are finished check it for continuity.Erik Holme