I am replacing the anode AND dip tube in my water tank. When I removed the nipple for the dip tube, the dip tube had long since broken off into the hot water tank (explaining why our hot water would never last too long).

I can see the old tube sitting at the bottom of the tank. It is slowly disintegrating and putting small shards of plastic into the water.

Any advice or tricks on how to grab on to and remove the old dip tube pieces? (there are a few...)

the responses for this ought to be interesting.

what I would do is drain the tank, remove the drain valve, shine a bright light from the inlet on top and try to fish it out with a wire. you may have to flush out the little pieces if it breaks.
it gonna be a pain and take some patience but my idea should work.
if you replace the tank drain with a brass nipple and a full port ball valve that may make the process simpler?

If you can see the end of the diptube, bend a "V" in the end of it and shove the V into the dip tube. It should grab on so you can pull the tube out. Not much hope for the small pieces, however.

then add a "y" strainer with a nipple and flushing valve to the outlet piping from the tank

as an example:




put a nipple and valve where the plug is for 'power flushing'

==============================================

"Measure Twice & Cut Once" - Retired U.A. Local 1 & 638



Edited 1 times.

Removing drain valve is key: with the drain valve removed, there was lots of room to fish out the remains of the old dip tube at the bottom. Shining a light in from the dip tube hole from the top made it easy. Sump hole in basement floor _right_ by drain valve made flushing it out with a hose from the top also very very easy. (For others: my drain valve was 3/4" pipe thread. To flush out, put a 3/4" nipple, maybe 3" long, in place of drain valve, put hose in from top, in either inlet or outlet, which-ever you have open at the time. Then run water through for 10 minutes.)

@bernabeu (SC): yah, good idea. Thanks.
I put in a 3/4" ball valve, with easily pushed on 3/4" pipe directly into floor drain, for SUPER fast draining.



Edited 1 times.

Connect the garden hose to the drain valve located at the bottom of the tank. Open the drain valve and allow the water to drain to a suitable location. This will lower the water level, making it easier to access and remove parts.