The efficiency of the water heater … Because of their unique construction, power vent water heaters are virtually impossible to backdraft. When homeowners replace older furnaces with more efficient models that don’t use the chimney to vent, gas water heaters are often left as the only device venting into the chimney, which is now oversized for the water heater … The exhaust gases, which have a higher temperature than the surrounding air, tend to rise up through the … You can either dedicate this venting to your water heater or share it with other atmospheric vent devices like a furnace. If the water heater has a draft hood, a “natural draft” type water heater, not induced draft or a power vent, it is required to be connected to the chimney, which could be a b-vent. Special stainless steel pipe. Your venting ought to be vertically sloping for the hot exhaust air … Power vent water heaters have quickly become the standard for newly constructed homes, equipped with built-in fans that push the exhaust gas out of the vent through a powered fan. The problem is even bigger if the house is well insulated, doors and windows sealed and the unit is installed in the confined space. That being the case, they easily vent out of the chimney and away from the home. In many cases, a new vent liner will be installed to allow the water heater to vent into a smaller space. The metal liner also ensures a seamless connection between the exhaust pipe and the chimney itself. A common source of backdrafting is “orphaned” water heaters. When hot combustion gases enter the chimney, they don't lose much heat - they're still hotter than the surrounding air. This problem affects mainly the atmospheric gas type water heaters that use the natural convection for the removal of the products of combustion, known as the exhaust gases. The tankless heater cannot share vent piping with any other appliance, and it cannot use a masonry chimney flue for venting. Gas water heater draft hoods provide additional air for the combustion process gases, to be properly pulled out from the burner chamber (base of the water heater), into the water heater vent pipe and the chimney; Gas water heater draft hoods act as a device, which in case of down-draft (a condition which forces air / wind back into the vent pipe / chimney), prevents air from extinguishing the gas burner. A water heater using atmospheric venting or direct venting will allow the fumes to exhaust naturally by rising straight up through a vertical vent which is routed to the home’s chimney, or through an upward sloping vent which may be routed through the chimney or through a wall to the home’s exterior. The standard galvanized vent from your old storage tank heater would quickly rust away if … Direct Venting uses a power ventilating blower or fan (and in some models a heat exchanger plenum to cool outgoing gases passing through the building wall (sidewall direct exhaust) or roof or through an existing unused chimney through which a vent pipe is passed (vertical direct exhaust). It’s easier to run the vent if you install a “power-vented” type of natural gas (or propane) water heater. The text in the image above also mentions adding a power vent to the existing water heater. Making sure that the water heater is venting properly can give you peace of mind. Atmospheric venting functions using the mechanism of rising hot air. The fumes from a hot water heater contain carbon monoxide and can make you sick or even be lethel at certain levels. Natural gas or propane hot water heaters are generally less expensive to operate than electric heaters, but installing a standard vent in a house without an existing chimney is expensive. Special stainless steel pipe. Checking a water heaters vent draft is an important safety concern.