water heating venting

[Ted J. Glover]

This state water heater, natural gas, 1998, has a vent through the sill plate to what looked like a gas fireplace type termination. but it appears to me from the size that someone just brought the old gas chimney down to the water heater. It doesn't seem to have a power vent.

Anyone seen one like this? Should it have a standard open draft chimney fitting and go above the roof?2008 3 13 cobb and montfort 005.jpg

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by tglover

This state water heater, natural gas, 1998, has a vent through the sill plate to what looked like a gas fireplace type termination. but it appears to me from the size that someone just brought the old gas chimney down to the water heater. It doesn't seem to have a power vent.

Anyone seen one like this? Should it have a standard open draft chimney fitting and go above the roof?2008 3 13 cobb and montfort 005.jpg

Ted, I have never seen this setup.
I highly doubt that heater is intended for sidewall termination.
The lack of a draft hood makes me question how well it drafts to the exterior.
Consult the mfgs. documents or rep.

[Brian A. MacNeish]

Originally Posted by mlarson

Ted, I have never seen this setup.
I highly doubt that heater is intended for sidewall termination.
The lack of a draft hood makes me question how well it drafts to the exterior.
Consult the mfgs. documents or rep.

Without a draft hood it would vent "too well" to the exterior on certain days. The draft hood performs the same function as a barometric damper on an oil fired appliance......reduces overdraft on windy days. Overdrafting sucks exhaust gases out of the appliance too quickly and they don't give up the amount of heat they should to the intended function of water or air heating....thus the appliance efficiency drops.

But unless this unit is certified for sidewall venting and that is the approved vent system, all installed properly, some yahoo is putting a family in danger.

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

A natural draft appliance WILL NOT vent properly without a draft hood. This installation is wrong, no matter how you look at it.

[Michael Larson]

Brian. I wasn't very clear in my draft statement. My concern was indeed that ther would be draft problems resulting in flame lifiting from the burner. In short, it's a mess.

[David P. Valley]

Originally Posted by jpope

A natural draft appliance WILL NOT vent properly without a draft hood. This installation is wrong, no matter how you look at it.

A DIRECT-VENT SERIES does not need a draft hood....

It has a Direct-vent design that draws combustion air from outside
the home ensuring a sufficient air supply for proper heater operation.

The "Coaxial” direct-vent system combines venting and air intake channels in a single pipe, requiring only one opening in the outside wall.

[David P. Valley]

[Michael Larson]

Originally Posted by dvalley

A DIRECT-VENT SERIES does not need a draft hood....

Some direct vent types have draft hoods.

[David P. Valley]

Originally Posted by mlarson

Some direct vent types have draft hoods.

I never said they didn't.

[William J. Decker]

In any case, the vent flue appears to be too big for that size water heater.

Ditto, no draft hood, side vent, etc.

DIY special, always dangerous

[jkogel]

A close-up pic of the outside vent cap would help. It could be drawing air thru the outer lining as proposed already. Page 3-5 of this manual shows a DIY installation.

http://www.gsw-wh.com/pdfs/products/...directvent.pdf

[Jeffrey R. Pope]

Originally Posted by dvalley

A DIRECT-VENT SERIES does not need a draft hood....

A direct vent is not a natural draft.

[David P. Valley]

Originally Posted by jpope

A direct vent is not a natural draft.

Where did I say that it was?

[Greg Veal]

I don't know of any Direct-Vent Water Heaters that are not induced fan forced. They also have limitations on elbow design and length of total H/V run.
Your pic, and unit shown just can't be legal/safe.

IMHO

[Ian Gills]

Bradford White do a direct vent water heater without a power vent. As proposed several times now, it could be drawing air through the outer lining of a dual-lined flue.