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Everything there is to know about Dip Tubes, and why bad ones= less hot water.

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When you have a broken Dip Tube, cold water mixes near the top of the tank, which significantly reduces the amount of hot water for your bath or shower. Is the Dip Tube broken in your water heater?   Find out here.

 Dip Tube.

Dip Tube.

Do you have a hot water delivery problem? Is the hot water no longer getting as hot as it once did?  Have you lost water pressure in the shower or at one of the hot water faucets?   When your hot water seems to by lasting for just 5 minutes or less, and you have a  Traditional “Tank Type” Water Heater, the dip tube is likely the culprit.   Dip tubes are made of plastic and just like everything else in this world we live in, nothing lasts forever, and nothing today seems to last as long as products produced in “the old days”.   Dip Tubes literally break down over time, and homes with “hard water” can sometimes see this process happen much faster than normally.   How fast does a dip tube break down?   Hard to say with the many different dip tube producers and water heater manufactures, but they are all designed to last over ten- fifteen years.

The purpose of the dip tube is to direct the incoming cold water to the bottom of the tank.  The pressure of the cold water entering the bottom of the tank forces the hot water up and out the hot water outlet.  A broken dip tube lets the cold water mix with the hot water at the top of the tank and reduces the pressure it exerts on the hot water.

The problem with hot water heaters manufactured between 1993 and 1997.

Between 1993 and 1997, almost all hot water heater manufacturers were buying the same defective plastic dip tubes. Depending on the Ph of your water and the temperature setting of the tank thermostats, the tubes eventually broke, crumbled, or dissolved into various size pieces. The smaller pieces made their way through the hot-water pipes to clog the filler screens on appliances like washing machines and dishwashers. The particles of plastic tubing also obstructed the strainer screens on faucets.

A broken dip tube lowers hot water heater efficiency.

Besides the loss of water pressure, the hot water heater consumes more energy trying to keep the water at the temperature selected by the homeowner. Quite often the water never gets hot enough to open the tanks thermostats, and it consumes electricity or gas continuously. Once you have replaced the defective dip tube your energy bill will drop significantly.

Identifying problem hot water heaters.

To identify if your hot water heater was made during the period when manufacturers were using the defective dip tubes, check the serial number. The first four numbers of a hot water heater’s serial number identify the month and year that it was made. If the third and fourth numbers are 93, 94, 95, 96, or 97 you have one of the affected hot water heaters.

Dip Tube diagram.

Dip Tube diagram.

Two approaches to solving the problem.

  • Your first option is to replace the hot water heater and flush out all the filtering screens on appliances and strainer screens on faucet. If your hot water heater is over ten years old, it’s nearing the end of its useful life and the best option is replacing it.
  • Your second option is to replace the broken dip tube with a cross-linked polyethylene one. You will also need to flush the debris out of the hot water heater when choosing this option. The problem with this option is that there isn’t any convenient way to remove large pieces of the old dip tube that will remain in the heater and continue to dissolve and crumble with time. This continuing source of debris will continue to clog your appliance filters and faucet screens. Save yourself future headaches by replacing the hot water heater with a modern, energy efficient one.

Dip Tube Replacement Procedure.

PLEASE READ ALL THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION BEFORE ATTEMPTING REPAIR PROCEDURE:

This information is designed to address a common situation encountered in the operation of the product, and is not meant to be all-inclusive. If you are experiencing a problem not covered in this procedure, please contact Technical Information by submitting a question on our “Ask A Question” page/tab. This procedure is intended for use by licensed plumbing professionals, and reference should be made to the instruction manual accompanying the product. This applies to tank type top plumbed heaters only.

  • Shut off gas or electricity and water to unit.
  • Completely drain unit. Home owner may assist by doing this prior to arrival of the plumbing professional.
  • Disconnect piping at cold water inlet to access dip tube.
  • CAREFULLY remove remaining dip tube (to prevent further damage to tube). Additional parts may fall into the water heater creating more labor if dip tube is mishandled.
  • Loosely reconnect cold water supply pipe without dip-tube.
  • Remove drain valve.
  • Use flashlight to check for larger pieces and remove them.
  • Connect 3/4” nipple with hose adapter into the drain spud.
  • Connect garden hose to adapter and run into a floor drain.
  • Repeatedly flush unit by opening cold water supply at shut off and allow water to “shower” tank bottom for approximately 5-6 gallons. Allow unit to drain off each time.
  • REMOVE 3/4” nipple from the drain spud; again check for large pieces and remove.
  • REMOVE temperature and pressure relief valve and check for larger pieces and remove.
  • Set up wet vacuum appliance (shop vacuum).
  • Secure or hold vacuum hose to drain spud.
  • Turn on the vacuum and the cold water supply.
  • Allow water to fill above drain spud while running the vacuum.
  • Shut off supply water.
  • Continue to vacuum until unit is completely drained.
  • Repeat as necessary.
  • Look through drain spud to ensure no additional pieces of dip tube are floating in the tank. Remove pieces. If debris of dip tube is visible at this point, use 1/2″ copper tubing with 90 degree extension adapted to the shop vacuum hose and collect additional debris with vacuum.
  • Install replacement dip tube.
  • Reconnect cold water supply pipe.
  • Reinstall drain valve.
  • Refill and re-light or re-energize unit.
  • REMOVE AND CLEAN faucet screens, shower heads, hot water supply filter to clothes washer and dishwasher, etc.
  • Flush water until all dip tube pieces have been flushed from the plumbing fixtures.

Added Information : Clean and flush your shop vacuum (remember if shop vacuum needs to be lifted, consider the weight of the water, 8 1/2 pounds per gallon).

If you have already had repairs performed and continue to have problems with a dissentigrating dip tube you will need to contact the plumber or other service professional that performed the original repairs for follow up repair.  Included here is information from the Dip Tube Settlement regarding dissentigrating dip tubes made by Perfection Corporation.

Paragraph 8.2.6 states that dip tube repairs made under the class action settlement program “shall be covered by the standard warranty of the service personnel performing the work.” Our attorneys said that when dip tube customers call in and claim they need to have follow up repairs made, we should refer them back to the plumbers who did the repairs. We need to tell callers the following:

  • The plumber was responsible for making sure that all necessary repairs were properly made. That required him to assess the situation and determine what work was necessary to completely take care of the problem. At a minimum, it required him to determine if the dip tube had deteriorated and, if so, to flush out the water heater and the hot water pipes completely and to clean out all faucets, aerators and appliances hooked up to hot water.
  • Sometimes the dip tube broke off and part of it remained inside the water heater. It was the plumber’s responsibility to determine if that happened. If it did, the plumber should have attempted to fish the broken part out. If, in the plumber’s professional opinion, that was impossible, the plumber was to contact the Garden City Group and request authority to have the water heater replaced. If the plumber did not do that, he did not properly exercise his professional judgment and should be responsible for fixing the problem.

Common question pertaining to Dip Tubes.

Q. Why does my shower run out of hot water after just a few minutes when it used to take 10 minutes or longer?A. This condition could be related to a lot of issues. First, it could be due to sediment build-up in the water tank, a turned down thermostat or quite possibly it could be due to dip tube failure.

Q. What is dip tube failure?

A. The dip tube is the plastic inlet tube in your water heater that brings the cold water into the bottom of the water heater. This allows the upper part of the tank to hold only hot water and prevent incoming cold water from mixing with existing hot water. When the tube breaks off it mixes cold water into the hot water and this greatly reduces the efficiency of the unit and the duration of hot water exiting the unit. The majority of the dip tubes manufactured between1993 and 1997 were made of plastic that quickly became brittle from the hot water. Along with cooler and shorter showers is the issue of clogged aerators from the plastic particles that are then distributed through the system. This can cause a dramatic drop off in the water flow from showers and faucets due to the clogging from the particles.

Q. Are the plastic parts from the broken dip tube toxic?

A. No. All reports so far indicate that the small white plastic particles are not toxic.

Q. Does the deterioration of the plastic dip tube make the water toxic?

A. No. All reports so far indicate that it does not make the water toxic.

Q. What is the average time before a dip tube fails?

A. Failure depends on the water temperature and the water chemistry. The higher the water temperature, then the quicker the deterioration. Soft water and aggressive waters will increase the rate of deterioration.  Most Dip Tubes will out last the life of the water heater itself.  However owners with a defective dip tube are reporting as quick as 3 to 5 years before the broken dip tube signs appear.

Q. Which water heaters are affected?

A. Almost every water heater sold in the United States from 1993 to 1997, regardless of whether they were gas fired or electric.

Q. Will the manufacturer replace the dip tube in my heater?

A. That depends upon how old the water heater is and the warranty provided by the manufacturer. You should call the manufacturer to find if you have any coverage. As for the class action, it is long past.





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