I am considering purchasing a gas water heater but have some concerns about the venting. Everything I've read seems to indicate that the heater vent must exit the house within 10' of the heater. Due to my home's configuration, the minimum distance is about 25'.

Am I totally out of luck? Are there any options for my situation?

Thanks!

I think you are out of luck unless you can consider electric which needs no venting. Now here is another approach, mount the heater on an outside wall and run 25' of 3/4" copper pipe to and from the heater.

Thanks so much. Hmm. I've honestly never seen a water heater outside. Would I need to build a structure to house it? It gets pretty cold here in the winter, what do I need to do to keep things from freezing? Is the heater less efficient because it is out in the cold?

No you misunderstood me. Put it on an outside wall of the basement but still inside the basement. That way you drill through the cement wall or whatever the wall is in that part of the house. Drill a core can run $250 on up so if you have any stud wall in the basement mount it there and just run 3/4" copper pipe from your old heater location to the new location.

I see. Unfortunately we are in a rowhouse, so only 2 exterior walls. Given the layout, mountint it on one of them just isn't an option.

Where then did you plan to terminate the vent when you first said you needed to run the vent 25'

It is a finished basement, so there aren't a lot of options for placement. I would have run the vent through a soffit and out an exterior wall, but it isn't possible to place the whole unit there.

The whole unit is the size of a suitcase hanging on a wall, why can't you mount it there?

The only viable option would be to hang it in the bathroom. It is a relatively small bathroom, it just wouldn't fit. Plus it would be very far from the gas line.

I guess I will just stick with a standard tank. Oh well!

Find another heater. This one is good for 34' with one elbow. http://lib.store.yahoo.net/lib/lowenergysystems/PH-20RDV-manual.pdf

e.g. Paloma 5.3 Series [ PH20RDVS ] (http://www.tanklesswaterheaters.com/ph20rdv.html)

PS: Concentric vents are nice.

You can also vent concentric to the roof.

Not sure if this is permissible either: Fantech Dryer Booster Kits & Lint Traps - Fantech Inline Ventilation (http://www.rewci.com/fadrbofa.html)

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Check out Navien tankless water heaters,, 98% percent efficient, and can use three inch pvc vent up to 100 feet with up to six elbows, the units are a might pricey, your best bet would be to contact a professional tankless installer and have them tell you what can be done.

Rinnai tankless heater vent can be up to 41' long. See the chart...

Guys, thanks so much. It looks like I have plenty of options. Thanks a ton!