White Pieces clogging faucet and shower aerators!!

[Timothy Roy]

Just purchased a manufactured home and shortly after moving in I noticed some white shelly/plastic like particles clogging my sink and shower aerators. I contacted the local plumber who suggested that I install a water softener and sediment filter due to the home operating on well water. I now have a whole house water softener and sediment filter installed and now noticing the build-up in the bath and shower aerators again. I have flushed the cartridges and cleaned the aerators and it seems to keep building up daily again. I have done some research on my Rheem hot water heater and found that most heaters built in the 90's had a dip tube problem. I contacted Rheem and inquired about some parts for the heater and found that since my heater is a side mount heater it was not equipped with a dip tube. The Rheem representative seemed baffled and said he was not sure what the issue was. Anyone have any ideas?

Note: I have cleaned the sediment filter that was installed and there is not white shells/plastic in the filter.

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

That sounds like the plastic dip tube of your water heater breaking apart. Your water heater cold inlet has a small diameter tube that delivers the cold water to the bottom of the tank to be heated. Likely, if you pull the flexible supply off you might be able to pull that tube and replace it. Have 2 new water heater flex's on hand and a replacement dip tube. If thats the source of the plastic bits.. its also might be a good time to replace the water heater if its older than 10yrs.

 

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[Timothy Roy]

That sounds like the plastic dip tube of your water heater breaking apart. Your water heater cold inlet has a small diameter tube that delivers the cold water to the bottom of the tank to be heated. Likely, if you pull the flexible supply off you might be able to pull that tube and replace it. Have 2 new water heater flex's on hand and a replacement dip tube. If thats the source of the plastic bits.. its also might be a good time to replace the water heater if its older than 10yrs.

Yes, it is older than 10 years. The cold water inlet is at the very bottom of the tank and the hot water inlet is at the top. Both mounted on the side of the tank and not at the top. I was told there was not dip tube equipped with the side mounted tanks. Is that still a possibility that it is a dip tube?

 

[Tuttles Revenge]

Seems unlikely that a bottom fed tank would have a dip tube.. But whitish plastic particles are the symptom of that. Is there a drain on the tank that you could purge (after turning off the electrical) to see if there is a build up of the particles in the tank?