Just here to agree with Tom and Bob. Dip tube would be my fist check, especially on a gas water heater. They are cheap, fairly easy to replace and come in standard size(only may have to cut a little length off the bottom to fit height of water heater, dip tube is usually about six inches off bottom of tank). On a gas water heater, a fualty thermostat means a bad gas valve, which is spendy and almost worth replacing water heater itself. You said water heater is fairly new, how new. It may be under warranty. Might be time to have the installer back to check this out. Good luck and please let us know what you find.

Thanks guys!

Tom, that 2nd picture really makes the connection for me and I understand it!

I called a plumbing supply company today and the guy told me that I needed the model of the heater so that he could check; which of course I didn't have while I was at work. I told him that I thought it was a standard part and he told me it varies by brand/model... :confused:

Do you think my only option is a plumbing supply company? (Asking because most have business hrs parallel to my work hrs)

Mygirlsdad, My house was built in 2002 so that makes the water heater about 7 yrs old so I doubt it's still under warranty at this point. I didn't move into my home until 2006 so I don't know who did the installation.

You have to have a model number to order a dip tube? Most of the 40 gallon heaters that we sold all had the same size dip tube. 50 gallon? Longer dip tube. I always thought 40 gallon heaters just had one size dip tube. Have things changed so much since I've retired? Cheers, Tom

Thanks Tom, that was the understanding I got from the posts here- that it was a standard size. Unless he was referring to the size of the tank? But no, I specifically remember him asking me the brand/model of the tank. When I told him that I thought it was a standard part- he (the guy on the phone at the plumbing supply company), made me feel foolish and insisted that it varies by manufacturer.

My guess would be the standard 40 gallon tank- I haven't looked at it but it's a small home and of all the heaters I've seen before, this one looks "average".

But do you think my only option is a plumbing supply company for this?

There should b e a sticker on the front that gives you the capacity of the heater and the wattage of the elements. Call another plumbing shop and tell them you want a dip tube for a 40 gallon water heater. If it's too long you can always cut the end off. Good luck, Tom

Will I need any special tools for this or is it a matter of pulling one off and putting the new one on? And if I need to cut it, heavy duty shears or would I need a hacksaw?

Quote:

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Originally Posted by nikosmom

Will I need any special tools for this or is it a matter of pulling one off and putting the new one on? And if I need to cut it, heavy duty shears or would I need a hacksaw?

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It will depend on what fitting's threaded into the cold water inlet of the heater as to how you go about replacing the dip tube. A picture would be nice otherwise just tell me what fitting's in there. Regards, Tom

Ok, thanks I'll try to take a pic this evening

Quote:

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Originally Posted by speedball1

It will depend on what fitting's threaded into the cold water inlet of the heater as to how you go about replacing the dip tube. A picture would be nice otherwise just tell me what fitting's in there. regards, Tom

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I took a couple pics and was just able to get them uploaded... let me know if this helps at all. I checked and my heater is 40 gal.

Attachment 21114 Attachment 21115


This is the part I bought at Lowe's over the weekend. It was the closest thing I could find and was around $5. Let me know if this is right? :confused:

The top of the tube is threaded. The material is like a slightly flexible PVC pipe.
Attachment 21116

I added these pics last night 6/22, but for some reason the time stamp says my last post was 6/18... so I don't even know if the thread was updated. :confused:

It looks like the mods may have merged the posts (even though they were several days apart)...

Anyhow, my question now is (if that's the right part) how I would go about getting this part in the tank?


I have another question about power flushing my tank... I attempted to do it the other night. I hooked up the hose and made sure the rubber washer was in place but I can't get a tight seal so every time I open the faucet, the water spews everywhere. Any suggestions?

A garden hose with the washer may require you to tighten with a pair of plyers. Is the drain spigot plastic or brass?

It's plastic

I tried without the washer and I got about the same results. I'll try pliers next.

Did I buy the right part? :confused:

From what I saw in the picture it is the right part but will be difficult to install since all of your connections are sweat fitted. Dip tube goes into the tank under the cold supply line feeding the tank. Shut down your main, drain a few gallons from the tank and unsweat the copper pipe that feeds in the cold, the dip tube is the last part you see screwed into the tank and there is a union that allows the copper to screw into the dip tube. Do not unsweat right at the dip tube, move up at least a foot to one of those elbows so you will avoid melting the new dip tube when you resweat. The hoes, try 2 rubber washers one on top of the other.

Hey just wanted to update you guys...

So after all this time showering with lukewarm water I had a good friend of mine come take a looky at my water heater since he knows a little about fixing stuff like this. He couldn't find anything wrong. He verified that everything was running OK with the water heater and gas. He determined that apparently the thermostat is "out of calibration".

My water heater was set for about 125 so that should be hot enough, he turned it up to 140 and that did the trick. I never turned it up because 140 is usually too hot and I didn't want to risk scalding my baby or myself. But otherwise he said everything is running fine.

Go figure. :o

Not sure if this would pose a problem in the future?

Great! Just glad it was a simple fix. Thanks for the update. Always a pleasure to help out another expert. Good luck, Tom