Dealing with wavy ULWD element.

[BlackJaqueJanaviac]

My boil kettle broke the solder and leaked so I decided it was a good time to re-build it. I just re-melted the solder and it seemed to have sealed up nicely. My old set-up I just had a series of PVC fittings to house the connections and I had a 5500 watt Ultra Low Watt Density element (the wavy kind) wire up. Connected to it I had a cord from an old stove.

So now I mounted a box to the side and I need to thread a new element back in. But . . . due to the waviness, I cannot approach the bung at the angles necessary to thread it into the pot. So what to do?

1. Do I bend the element straight? If so how?
2. Should I return this element and get a 4500 watt low-density element? The kind that goes straight out and bends back?

My early attempts at electric brewing, I used a high-watt density element and the scale built up until I got an awful scorched taste! So I went to the other extreme and got the ULWD element. Is there a problem with scorching with the 4500 Watt bend-back elements? I boil 12 - 13 gallons of wort at a crack. The idea of a straight element has some appeal in that it would seem easier to remove and clean. What do you guys do to clean the elements?