DIYbanter - View Single Post - Water heater dip tube -- that little hole

wrote:
And yet another useless piece of crap called a "water saver". In
reality it dont save any water, just wastes your time. It takes 2 or
3 times as long to fill the bathtub, wash machine, kitchen sink, etc.
Plumbers put in 1/2", 3/4" or larger pipes so some yahoo sitting in a
government office finds a way to defeat all the work the plumber did
to give you, the user some decent water pressure. It's about the
same
as these so called "water saver" toilets. Instead of using 5 gallons
to flush, they use 2 1/2 gals. But you got to flush the goddamn
things 3 times to get the **** to go down the hole, and half the time
use a plunger. So instead of getting a decent flush, using 5
gallons,
you got to fight with the damn toilet, and in the end you use 7 1/2
gallons to finally get the **** down the hole. Of course, the
government dont see it that way. They only rate the amount of water
needed PER FLUSH. So what if you have to flush it 3 times. Then
there are these stupid little "water savers" in shower heads, basin
faucet aerators, etc. So, you use less water per second, but you
have
to spend 3 or more times as long in the shower.

This is about the same as if you owe someone $100. Instead of paying
the $100 today, you decide to pay $5 a month for 20 months. After 20
months, you have paid the full $100, but add to that the interest,
postage stamps, envelopes, blank checks, and your time. Nothing is
free. You CAN NOT save water and accomplish the same goal by
reducing
pressure and efficiency. You CAN save water by your own efforts.
Thinks like not leaving the water run while you wash dishes, not
flushing everytime you drop a nose tissue in the toilet, washing full
loads of laundry instead of one item, etc. But you CAN NOT save
water
by reducing the flow.

When I see any of those water saving devices, which in most cases are
nothing more than a plastic disk with a tiny hole, I remove them,
drill them out, or do whatever it takes to eliminate them.

Take that dip tube and drill that 1/8" hole with a 1/2" or larger
drill bit, or better yet, replace it entirely with a piece of real
pipe. While you are doing this, be sure to call your congressman and
cuss at the S.O.B.

PS. As far as toilets, they are not as easy to modify. I prefer
finding a decent older toilet, and rebuilding it.

Mark

On 6 Feb 2005 15:17:33 -0800, "larry moe 'n curly"
wrote:

The plastic dip tube in my heater was made with a 1/8" hole a few
inches from the top. What's the purpose of this hole, and what
direction should it face?

You seem to be a bit confused in your rant although I do agree with
most of it.

The hole being talked about is an "anti-siphon" hole per Don. It has
nothing at all to do with the volume of water delivered when you open a
fixture. It is also on the -inlet- pipe, not the outlet.

Harry K