Hot Water Heater Dip Tube Replacement

Cut the power to the water heater.

Hot water heater dip tube replacement. A dip tube is a long plastic tube that runs within your tank. The first symptoms of the broken tube or incorrectly sized inlet tube are no hot water slow recovery and high operating costs. It may not sound like the smartest piece of plumbing but it s a fact that your hot water won t work well or last long without it. If the dip tube is cracked or broken the cold water mixes with the hot water at the top of the tank heat and hot water rise resulting in your unwelcome early morning shock.

Rheem sp12559 water heater 1 diameter x 46 long dip tube flare w closed end rheem protech sp13763h water heater dip tube 3 4 in. You ll seldom have water leaking problems when a dip tube breaks just a lack of hot water. It starts at the cold water inlet and extends all the way to the bottom of the water heater. Simply put the dip tube for a water heater is a plastic pipe that delivers incoming tap water to the bottom of your water heater tank.

How to replace a water heater dip tube shut off power and water. L helix 15 04 15. Inspection of the hot water heater dip tube and potential replacement should be done carefully. The dip tube can wear out malfunction disintegrate or even break.

For electric units turn off the circuit breaker in your electric panel. Check for defective dip tubes. When this condition arises a cracked or broken dip tube is usually to blame. Dia x 32 1 2 in.

Before making any repairs to a water heater always turn off the gas or electricity running to the unit. For gas units locate the dial and turn it to either the off or vacation position. In residential gas and electric water heaters one important part you ll hear about is a dip tube.