Need info on Rheem water heater

[<nospam]

Need Rheem part# for a new dip tube, model#GP50T06AVG00.

Also, does this model require a hole saw to fix?

TIA

[steve]

For some of this stuff, nothing beats a good counterman at a local appliance/parts store.

If you have such a store, I might suggest going down and asking. Yeah, I know the web thing is cool. But John, the parts guy at my local hometown -- since 1947 -- store answers all my questions, offers suggestions on things I did not think about -- usually has the part in stock -- or gets it by the next day.

AND, for the most part -- and I check -- their prices are about the same as the "cheap ones" I can get online.

Occassionally they are $5 or so higher. Sometimes $5 or so less. Tim

[tim birr]

For some of this stuff, nothing beats a good counterman at a local appliance/parts store.

If you have such a store, I might suggest going down and asking. Yeah, I know the web thing is cool. But John, the parts guy at my local hometown -- since 1947 -- store answers all my questions, offers suggestions on things I did not think about -- usually has the part in stock -- or gets it by the next day.

AND, for the most part -- and I check -- their prices are about the same as the "cheap ones" I can get online.

Occassionally they are $5 or so higher. Sometimes $5 or so less.

[<nospam]

For some of this stuff, nothing beats a good counterman at a local appliance/parts store.

If you have such a store, I might suggest going down and asking. Yeah, I know the web thing is cool. But John, the parts guy at my local hometown -- since 1947 -- store answers all my questions, offers suggestions on things I did not think about -- usually has the part in stock -- or gets it by the next day.

AND, for the most part -- and I check -- their prices are about the same as the "cheap ones" I can get online.

Occassionally they are $5 or so higher. Sometimes $5 or so less.

Glad to hear about John. We live in the middle of nowhere.

[tim birr]

- [e-mail]...

Yeah, so do I....I live in the middle of the Oregon Coast Range. John, the local parts guy is a good 40 minutes away. But, you know, I do travel to town a few times a week. Got to buy some of that good Black Butte Porter.... And when I need to stop by John's place during those trips, I do.

In other words, unless you are out in Alaska somewhere, you probably aren't much different than me... Tim

[clare]

messagenews: [e-mail]...

And it's nice to see the part actually LOOKS like the dip tube you need before it arrives on your doorstep - too often I get the wrong stuff when I order it in - often with the right part number too.

The local expert is usually well worth while supporting, and can often give you goot tips that make your job easier or make the job results better.

[tim birr]

"Needed" a dryer lint filter. My local parts guy took at look at the price and said "WOW! How bad is the hole in the screen."

I told him it was just a tear along the side. He said Whirlpool wanted $45 for a new lint screen. A price he called ---well I won't say what he called it....

He told me to just spread some Hi-Temp RTV automobile silcone gasket maker along the tear. For four dollars, I was good to go....Saving me some $40....

[hrhofmann]

Why would you need a hole saw??

[<nospam]

Wait let me guess, you're a plumber and you've never heard of this before.

[Lefty]

Dip tubes are mostly universal, no hole saw requiered. Just remove the cold inlet nipple, and there it should be. If you have a harware store nearby and they dont have it. Just buy three feet of 3/4" OD soft copper, flare one end until it holds, reassemble the cold inlet and away you go.

HTH, Lefty

[Stormin Mormon]

I'd dare to guess that Rheem dip tubes are fairly standard. Why would anyone want to use a hole saw for replacing a dip tube? I've done two, and holesaw isn't on my list of desired tools.

[<nospam]

Thanks for the info. We'd like to use copper, but everyone says don't use metal (esp. copper or steel) in a standard "glass" weater heater. Something to do with electrolysis and the anode rod.

[Lefty]

Poppycock! The tank is plain old steel (glass lined is a sales gimmick and nothing more), and the water lines which are almost always copper don't corrode any more so from being connected to it. This is why they got away from di-electric unions. They were a waste of money, and caused more problems than anything else. Dielectric nipples are the norm now, but they aren't true dielectrics. They simply reduce corrosion at the point of line connection. And the anode rod is going to last just as long as it would anyway. Another half pound of metal is'nt going to cause it to fail prematurely. Anyway, if you need a dip tube, chances are this tank is'nt spankin' new anyway. I'd bet the steel flue passage, or tank sidewall cracks long before that copper tube corrodes. BTW, you do realize in the old days before the advent of the plastic everything, the dip tube was copper.

HTH, Lefty

wrote in message news:hod9k1$65n$ [e-mail]...

[<nospam]

Thanks Lefty. The unit is two years old, but we keep it turned up all the way, and we live in an area where incoming water temps are often just above freezing. So I'm not surprised the tube broke prematurely.

One question we're still curious about: is there any way to get the remaining large chunks of old dip tube out of the unit? We really don't want to drink and shower in bits of plastic for the next year or two.

[Lefty]

There are two possibilities that come to mind.

1.) Pulverize it and flush it out. You could probably break it up further and flush it out the drain hole.

2.) Fish it out the top with a small wire, if you are lucky enough for it to be in one or two big pieces.

Both methods will require you to take out the fittings in the other weld-0-lets for access and a penlight. Allow time and patience, and you'll get it cleaned out. BTW, it may take more than a year or two for it to clean itself out. And the pieces will still be big enough to clog every showerhead, aereator, chrome shut-off, ballcock, and faucet cartridge more than once. You know there was a huge recall back from the early 90's about inferior dip tubes from a third party vendor. But it's long been settled, and they are supposed to be made from a superior grade plastic now that can handle the heat. A residential tank is now designed to make water no hotter than 130F anyway.

HTH, Lefty

[hallerb]

Gas or electric?

How do you KNOW the dip tube is bad?

If electric tank one heater or thermostat may be bad.

how hot is the water coming out? set at max its probably blistering hot. if not your bthermostat may be bad or out of calibration.

lets make certain were addressing the right issue.

[Stormin Mormon]

Since the plastic should be heavier than water. And the hot draws off the top of the tank. I don't see that as being an issue. So, Lefty, have you done either of these recovery techniques?

[<nospam]

Propane gas

We've ruled out everything else. Our plumbing is fine and it's been working perfectly for two years. No leaks, sediment in tank etc. Also, the problem started overnight, not over time. We went from

45 minutes of hot water to about 5.

It's set to max, 155F for this model. The water is always correct temperature at first, but there's a 30+F drop after 5 min.

[<nospam]

Sorry, meant to add that our propane bill last month was >$600. The runaround from Rheem isn't appreciated.

[Lefty]

Yes, the problem is that when the tube disintrigrates over time, it will break into approx. 1/4" chunks. At that size, the turbulence in the tank generated by hot water use will make them float everywhere and inevitably shoot out of the hot water inlet and down the line they go to cause trouble. This is what brought on the lawsuit I described earlier. It was'nt just people replacing tanks they could'nt get hot water out of because the tube broke off. It was the ones that slowly disintegrated from the bottom up and therefore screwed with everything else in the house. However, you make a valid point. If the tube falls down and stays in one or two big pieces, I'm guessing it would disinterate much more slowly than if the thing was still in place with 60# of water pressure blasting through it every time you turn on the hot tap. Either way, I definately retreve it or flush the tank as well as I can if i can't get it out. If you don't, plan on service calls to your local plumber, or a lot of do-it-yourself aereator, showerhead, ballcock, washing machine hose inlet, etc. flushings until it's gone on it's own.

Lefty, been there, done that.