Water Heaters - GE Gas Water Heater

Does anyone know which website has info (Support, Owners Manual, FAQ, etc) for GE gas water heaters? All I am getting (regarding these heaters) in their website is warranties and features...any link that looks like will direct me to what I need brings me to their appliances site which has nothing about gas water heaters.

Thank you.

Hi SBI,
Welcome to the DIY Forums.
Is there a specific question you need answered? We have PROS here at DIY that may be able to answer any question you have.

Thanks for the quick response!
Well, we have a (relatively) new GE 40 Gal. gas water heater...installed Oct 2003. Lately (in the past 5-6 weeks) I noticed that the amount of hot water is not the same that we had in the past year since it was installed. We need to turn the hot water lever way up these days in order to get the same hot water we had before, so I was looking to see if I could dig any info from their web site. I am sure you guys have lot so of knowledge and I will be happy to hear from you. But...just as a side note, I am very surprised that you cannot go to GE.com and get info about this product...

It sounds like the dip tube has gone bad.
The dip tube is a plastic tube that sits in the cold water inlet of your heater.Cold water goes in and the dip tube takes it to the bottom of the heater and pushes the hot water up and out of the hot water line. As these tubes go bad the cold water short circuits the hot water there by mixing. You then get warm water instead of hot. They are cheap and easily replaced by turning off power supply(gas) and the cold water valve. Disconnect the pipe and remove the nipple that screws into the top of the tank. You should be able to see the dip tube at this point(plastic tube thats flared on the end to keep it from falling into the tank). You should be able to pull it out of the heater with your finger.Most are around 3ft long, yours may be less due to failure. You can buy a replacement at your local home improvement center and some hardware stores.
Good luck and post back with any questions you may have on this or any future projects.

I was just looking at the GE site. Your water heater should still be under warranty. Before you do any of the above repairs I would call GE or the store you bought it from. They may come out and replace it at no charge.

1. Dip tube problem is NOT the first thing that comes to mind for a heater manufactured in 2003. Confirm that it is an FVIR model ( on a GE it will not have 'feet', just sits flat on the ground. Also uses a 'clicker' to light the pilot).

2. Depends on where you are, and what part of the house the heater is located in: this time of year uninsulated pipes in a cold attic or crawl space can cool off the water by a noticeable amount. In addition, the incoming ground water is cooler, so recovery is longer and mixing more pronounced.

3. GE does not manufactur water heater, of course. They are manufactured by Rheem, and the Rheem.com website does have lots of technical bulletins, FAQ, etc. Check it out.

4. Your 1 year warranty covering labor has expired, unless you bought Home Depot's extended warranty. Parts are still covered. The GE customer service line is clueless about water heaters. Rheem however will be of more help.

Could be the dip tube, as majakdragon suggested. Or, it could be the lower element, or one of (either) of the thermostats. The dip tube will probably still be under warranty. The element or thermostats won't be.

IF you want to tackle it yourself, post back and we will tell you how. Otherwise, you're looking at calling out a plumber at $65 to $100 per hour to fix it. (He SHOULD be able to do it in an hour!!)

In the past, I was critcized on some other forums for "blaming every problem on the dip tube".! At that time, the 'little whit flake' phenomenon was not well know even among a lot of plumbers!

Fortunately, that issue is behind us. But of course, you are correct that if the symptoms are short supply, then the dip tube must still be investigated, because it could be missing or dislodged.

OK, this is a 9 year parts (I believe...all parts?! I guess) heater. Labor is not guaranteed any more, but I would assume that the heater with all its parts is still covered.
Before I go and dismantel this piece, something that I am not quite sure I know how to do (I haven't done this before :D ), do you think maybe I should first try to drain it (suggestion that was posted here few times) just to try and clean anything, if there is anything to clean, hoping that this might have anything to do with it?

Thank you all for replying.

Could very well be the dip tube.





http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v70/DUNBAR/DIP_TUBES.jpg


The tube on the far right that is clear and shortest of the 3.....is what is in your GE water heater.


There is a foam/rubber washer that holds that in the steel cup in the cold inlet port of that heater. I have had problems with dip tubes falling into the tank because either the threaded port that was welded into the tank was either threaded too large, or the nipple for the cold inlet that comes stock for the heater is travelling too far........causing the dip tube to pop through the cup.




I have a customer that has 4 dip tubes down inside their tank, GE won't replace the tank since it is not leaking. The authorized contractor for GE (local plumber) must of taped the nipple a large amount to finally get one to hold.


In that picture, the longest dip tube in the picture on the left is a Sears/Kenmore Rotoswirl dip tube, the best in the market. The other blue dip tube is a Home Depot replacement dip tube........which is actually longer than the stock GE one! :confused: :eek: :mad:

Dunbar, I'll bet your wife was just thrilled to find plumbing stuff laid out all over grandma's favorite quilt!

594tough aka jimbo aka jimmy-o

OK, so what do you suggest is my best way of action now? Flush? Call GE?? take it apart without knowing what I am doing?

Although flushing should be done at least once a year, I do not believe this will solve your problem.
As Dunbar Plumber stated, your dip tube may have fallen into the heater. Since labor warranty has expired, you can check on the tube yourself.
Turn off the gas. Close the cold water supply valve. Open a hot faucet to relieve any pressure on the tank. Disconnect the cold water supply line to the heater and remove the nipple that is screwed into the tank. Stick your finger in the opening and you should be able to feel the dip tube if it is there (actually should be able to see it in the opening.) You can pull it out if it's there and inspect it for damage. Replacement tubes are available if you do not want to go through the warranty. (not expensive) Good luck.