7
DIP TUBE REMOVAL/REPLACEMENT
DIP TUBE
Important:
Use only factory authorized replacement parts.
If you lack the necessary skills to properly perform the
installation, you should not proceed, but get help from a
quali
fi
ed service technician.
Tools required:
18” Pipe wrench
Piping and soldering equipment
Te
fl
on
®
Tape or an approved pipe sealant
Removing Dip Tube:
Set the gas control valve/thermostat to its lowest
setting by turning the knob counter-clockwise to the
VAC point (see Figure 3).
Turn gas control switch to the “OFF” position and turn
“OFF” the gas supply to the unit (see Figure 3).
Disconnect the electrical power to the water heater
from the wall outlet.
Shut off the incoming water supply to the water heater
and open a nearby hot-water faucet to depressurize
the water tank. Remove pipe insulation from cold inlet
piping.
Connect a hose to the drain valve and terminate it to
adequate drain or to the exterior of the building. Open
the drain valve and allow at least 5 gallons of water to
drain from the tank. Close drain and remove hose.
Remove the inlet water piping connected to the cold
inlet of the water heater (see Figures 5 & 6). Some
installations will have a union connection, others will
have the supply piping soldered to an adapter that
connects to the nipple on the water heater. Using the
pipe wrench remove the piping from the top of the
tank.
With the piping removed, use the pipe wrench on the
exposed nipple directly to remove it from the heater.
Note:
Sometimes the dip tube will come out with the
piping in one piece. Separate accordingly.
Installing Dip Tube:
Use Te
fl
on
®
tape or an approved pipe sealant on
threads of the new dip tube.
Place the dip tube into the spud on top of the tank
and turn clockwise until tight. Using the pipe wrench
continue to tighten until the joint is water tight.
Note:
Do not clamp the pipe wrench jaws on the threaded
portion of the nipple and do not over tighten. This can
cause the threads to distort and can result in a leak.
Apply Te
fl
on
®
tape or pipe sealant on the top threads
and reconnect the water piping (see Figure 6).
Turn the main water supply back on.
Open a nearby hot-water faucet to purge air from the
water line. Fill water heater tank completely (
Note:
To
assure the water heater tank is full, keep the hot-water
faucet open for 3 minutes after a constant
fl
ow of water
is obtained).
•
•
•
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
After turning off the hot-water faucet, check for water
leaks around dip tube and immediately correct any if
found.
Reinstall the pipe insulation removed in step 4 removal
process.
Reconnect the electrical power to the water heater in
the wall outlet and turn the gas supply back “ON” to
the gas control valve/thermostat.
Turn the gas control switch to the “ON” position (see
Figure 3).
To restart the water heater, follow the directions on
the “Lighting and Operating Instructions” label located
on the front of the water heater near the gas control
valve/thermostat.
NIPPLE/DIP
TUBE
Figure 5
HOT-WATER
OUTLET
COLD-
WATER
INLET
UNION
UNION
3/4” SWEAT
FITTING
3/4” SWEAT
FITTING
TEMPERATURE-
PRESSURE
RELIEF VALVE
SHUT-OFF VALVE
BLOWER
ASSEMBLY
COMPONENTS
NOT SHOWN
FOR CLARITY.
NIPPLE/DIP
TUBE
Figure 6
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
