hot water heater discharging white particles clogging showers/fa

Sandy_3

My 10 year old rheems 40 gallon hot water heater is throwing out white chalky particles which are clogging my showerheads/faucets. What can I do?

J.C.A._3

Have your plumber,

Asses the useful life left in the water heater first and if it's still viable, flush the tank completely. After getting all the particles out, replace the broken dip tube.

Don't forget to check the hot water inlet at the washing machine! (often overlooked) All the aeraters will also have to be cleaned or replaced as this is where a ton of the pieces will be. Chris

Sandy_3

broken tube

What do you mean by this broken tube- are the particles from mineral deposits or does the presence of particles mean something is broken? I am emptying it now with a hose.

Larry Weingarten

dip tube etc.

Hello: The dip tube is usually a white plastic tube that is mounted inside the tank directly under the cold inlet pipe. It delivers cold water straight to the bottom of the tank to prevent it mixing with the hot water. When a dip tube fails, cold water mixes higher up in the tank, diluting the hot. You get just warm water. The plastic used is about the same weight as water. It floats or sinks. Getting rid of it completely is tricky. I'd drain the tank down, then turn on the cold water for half a minute and wait for it to drain out, repeat a few times. (This draining work will go better if you have a full port ball valve installed as the drain.) Fill the tank then and flush out all hot taps.

Check the anode rod. It is a magnesium or aluminum rod in the tank to prevent rusting. If there is much left of it, your tank is probably OK. If not, there is damage. Replacing the rod will essentially prevent further damage. Lastly, if you have a recirc, or instant hot water line, the problem could be something completely different. Let us know. Good luck!

J.C.A._3

Sandy,

There is a plastic tube attached to the "cold" feed pipe going into the water heater. It's purpose is to bring cold water to a point in the water heater where it mixes with the stored water in the tank.(usually somewhere around the bottom 3rd) If it wasn't there, the cold water coming in would take the shortest path to the outlet. Lots of these tubes were made from the "stuff" you're decribing coming from the fixtures.These "dip tubes" have been known to break apart and put particles into the hot water lines.

My guess is that if you removed the Cold feed to the tank, you would find a stub on the end of it, as opposed to the 3-4' section of plastic that SHOULD be there.

As I said before, have a pro look at this and asses the situation. This is really NOT a homeowner fix. "We are trained professionals, don't try this at home". Chris

Sandy_3

Thank you

for your help. I drained the tank and then did a few quick flushes. I checked that all the faucets/showerheads are now clear and will keep my fingers crossed. However, there was not a lot of particulate in the drainage compared to what has been in the faucets. Can you tell me how the heater will function with the tube gone,is it dangerous and is $700 a high price for a new one? Thanks again

Sandy_3

PS

Is 10 years old for a hot water heater?

J.C.A._3

Sandy,

You just hit on my biggest peeve...It is most definately,NOT a HOT water heater.Hot water doesn't need to be heated, however water does need to be heated.(a symantic statement to be sure, but still a peeve)

10 years for a water heater is the expected life cycle, any older is a bonus.Like I said earlier, have a pro look at it and give you a fair assesment. Trust them, they have little to gain by selling you a water heater, but lots to gain from getting a repeat customer who is as informed as you are. Chris

Uni R

Dip tube

The tank will function terribly without a dip tube. You don't want the cold water staying at the top of the tank since that is where you are drawing off the hot water when you open the hot water taps. A dip tube's job is to bring the incoming cold water to the bottom of the tank (away from the hot water outlet).


You can either get a $5 dip tube replacement or you can externally pipe the cold water feed down to the water heater drain and then have the drain off of the feed.


I'm not sure who had the brilliant idea of putting the cold water feeds on top of tanks (except for tank in tank designs where there is no other way), but I sure wish the manufacturers would return them to their proper place - on the bottom. They would also save themselves some money.

Uni R

Yes

Given that it is 10 y.o. and propably has a ton of that old disolved dip tube in there, you should do yourself a favor a get a new tank.

Robert O'Connor_7

Dip Tube??

There is currently a class action law suit involving water heater dip tube manufacturers that may help you. You MAY?? be able to recoup some, if not all the costs involved with your repair. If the heater wasn't maintained, ten years would be my guess for it's resonable replacement. Save at least the lable and some of your particles for verification.............Robert O'Connor/NJ