If you live in a hard water area the element may have scaled up, you can try a descaler to clean the element, or replace the element when you have done either of these you can buy a little wire thing to put in or use a small round stone about the size of a wallnut which will work just as well to collect the scale instead making your element last longer.
Put in less water. Ie only as much as you need as long as it covers the element.
Eric
September 2005