Water Heater Dip Tube Failures

WATER HEATER DIP TUBE FAILURES

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PLEASE NOTE: I am a home inspector and many of my clients have been affected by the failed water heater dip tubes. This information has been compiled for their benefit. There was a now expired nationwide dip tube class action settlement program that required that persons affected properly file claims on or before December 31, 2000. After that date no more repairs are required to be made by the manufacturers under the terms of the class action settlement . The court order approving the settlement only provided for dip tube repairs until December 31, 2000. If you are the owner of a water heater that would have been covered by the class action settlement and you did not file a claim in a timely manner, then the manufacturers will not handle your claim or provide services related to the failures or issues with your water heater's dip tube. The only exception to this are the units that are still under manufacturer warranties. If your water heater has a failed dip tube and it is over 5 years old, then replace the unit and flush the hot water piping and fixture system.

MY ADDED OPINION: Water heaters are now built with designed obsolescence. Most have a five year warranty and are designed to last 5 years and a day. The manufacturers make money selling water heaters and the plumbers get paid to install them. If your unit is over 5 years old, then don't throw good money after a worn out unit. The days of the water heater that will last 20 or thirty years are long gone. 8 to 12 years is a long life for modern units with earlier failures becoming more common. Changing the water heater alone is not enough when dip tubes fail. The hot water plumbing and fixture systems also need to be flushed to clean the plastic debris from the failed dip tube.

Below are some great information articles on the topic.

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WHAT IS DIP TUBE FAILURE?

Is it a dip tube failure?

You may have a dip tube failure if:

Your water heater was manufactured between 1993 and 1997. Look for a stamped-on code, which should also include the year. Most units have the 2 digit year code embedded in the serial number. If you have a Bradford-White, then call Bradford-White and give them your serial number and they will provide the manufactured date that is embedded in the alpa- numeric serial number.
Faucet aerator screens and shower heads suddenly start to clog with small white particles and clog quickly after cleaning them.
It suddenly takes a very long time to get hot water, the water does not reach high temperatures, or the hot water seems to run out too quickly. It seems to make little or no difference if the water heater thermostat is set on the maximum temperature.

MORE GREAT DIP TUBE INFORMATION

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