Hmmm...water heater leaking?

[Mike_Lipke]

That is a plastic "dip tube".
It HAS TO remain in the heater.
Cold water is denser than hot water. Hot water comes out the top.
The dip tube ensures that the replacement cold water is replaced at the bottom of the heater where it will stat due to it being heavier. If you take out the dip tube, your water will be lukewarm in the whole heater after using just 5 gallons, instead of being stratified, with all the hot water at the top, ready for use.
You can get almost 40 gallons of hot water out of a 40 gallon heater because of the dip tube.

 

[Mike_Lipke]

That is a plastic "dip tube".
It HAS TO remain in the heater.
Cold water is denser than hot water. Hot water comes out the top.
The dip tube ensures that the replacement cold water is replaced at the bottom of the heater where it will stat due to it being heavier. If you take out the dip tube, your water will be lukewarm in the whole heater after using just 5 gallons, instead of being stratified, with all the hot water at the top, ready for use.
You can get almost 40 gallons of hot water out of a 40 gallon heater because of the dip tube.

 

[PineRidge]

I might also add that because the "dip tube" is plastic you never want to insert any fitting in the top of the tank and then solder directly to it, as the dip tube will melt and fall inside the tank. Then you are SOL! It is best to solder a male or female adapter (whichever suits your application) to a straight length of copper first. After it has cooled, add your pipe dope or Teflon tape and thread it into the top of the tank. It will be safe to solder on that pipe from there if you keep a damp rag wrapped around this piece of copper.

Remember grasshopper plastic and torches don't mix.

 

[PineRidge]

I might also add that because the "dip tube" is plastic you never want to insert any fitting in the top of the tank and then solder directly to it, as the dip tube will melt and fall inside the tank. Then you are SOL! It is best to solder a male or female adapter (whichever suits your application) to a straight length of copper first. After it has cooled, add your pipe dope or Teflon tape and thread it into the top of the tank. It will be safe to solder on that pipe from there if you keep a damp rag wrapped around this piece of copper.

Remember grasshopper plastic and torches don't mix.

 

[midlf]

There is nothing inside a water heater that will restrict the flow anymore than the size of the pipe fittings.

 

[midlf]

There is nothing inside a water heater that will restrict the flow anymore than the size of the pipe fittings.

 

[plumboy]

What you are probly seeing on that heater is heat traps.All water heaters have diptubes on the cold inlet but you dont notice them usually unless you look down into the threads.The heat traps have a little ball that is supposed to float up with the convection of the heat.They might work,I dont know but I do know they can make weird noises sometimes,sort of like a chirp when you turn the water on and off.

 

[plumboy]

What you are probly seeing on that heater is heat traps.All water heaters have diptubes on the cold inlet but you dont notice them usually unless you look down into the threads.The heat traps have a little ball that is supposed to float up with the convection of the heat.They might work,I dont know but I do know they can make weird noises sometimes,sort of like a chirp when you turn the water on and off.

 

[CurlyDave]

It is best to solder a male or female adapter (whichever suits your application) to a straight length of copper first.

An alternative to this, which many would consider "even better" is to put a short nipple in the hot water tank fitting, solder a male thread on the end of your pipes and use the flexible hot water tank hookups to join the two. This allows for considerable misalignment of the pipes to the hot water tank, and keeps all soldering away from the tank.

 

[CurlyDave]

It is best to solder a male or female adapter (whichever suits your application) to a straight length of copper first.

An alternative to this, which many would consider "even better" is to put a short nipple in the hot water tank fitting, solder a male thread on the end of your pipes and use the flexible hot water tank hookups to join the two. This allows for considerable misalignment of the pipes to the hot water tank, and keeps all soldering away from the tank.