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suddenImpact · Dec 15, 2008, 01:25 PM

We just bought a house, but are questioning hooking up the hot water heater as it is. For some reason or another, it was moved away from the chimney, and into the laundry room, and they used PVC pipe, and vented it directly out the side of the house. They disconnected it when they moved (the house was a foreclosure) from the top of the hot water heater. So now we have this tube going about 6 feet over to it, but not down and connecting.

Anyway, it seems to me like there would have to be some kind of blower attached to the hot water heater to push the air out... am I wrong?

I know nothing about hot water heaters... so any help is greatly appreciated.

21boat · Dec 15, 2008, 02:10 PM

It depends on the distance you need to vent the ( L.P. or Natural gas) hot water heater. I asumeing it's a 3" round smoke pipe that vents the hot water heater, What kind of fall starting from the chimmney and to the heater and how many elbows. It unusal to power vent a gas hot water heater however it is nessecarry to do so in really long distances or if there is several heaters hooked to a manifold to vent many and go to the chimmney. Need more information.

hvac1000 · Dec 15, 2008, 02:27 PM

Something is wrong with this picture. Get the following off the unit

Brand and Exact model and serial number

This is the only safe way to find out how it is to be hooked up or what might be missing.

Post the required info.

dac122 · Dec 16, 2008, 07:52 AM

I second hvac1000's ruling here.

You should get the manufacturer's install guide for this unit. It will tell you exactly how to hook up the exhaust.

Also if this a Powervented model and they made of with the power vent it might be cheaper (and safer) to just replace the tank, since who knows what else was tampered with.

Foreclosures are nice, but having your own home inspector check over everything can save a bundle, or at least let you know what you're getting into.

suddenImpact · Dec 16, 2008, 10:23 AM

I'll get the make and model when I get home from work today. We did have an inspector go through, the only thing he told us was that we would have to fix the exhaust vent for it.

hvac1000 · Dec 16, 2008, 10:26 AM

Always better to check twice before you make a mistake.

21boat · Dec 16, 2008, 12:44 PM

Even if you have the manufactures specks on the heater If we do it excatly by the book If its not vented directly out of the side of the building and use a chimmney. You need to know the size of the flue in the chimmney and what's hooked up to it and your fossil fuel. ( heat plants ect) Also the crock size and the BTU. Of the heat plant to determine CFM. Exaust into chimmney. Also what else is in that chimmney fluethst crocked in and the location of your smoke pipe so is not to low in the chimmney and the soot won't build up and clog the 3" crocked heater. Is the house chimmney above the roof line 3' above any object 10' in radius? This can adversly effect the normal draft of any chimmney. We have old chimmneys here and houses converted into Apt. As a contractor all our boilers are inspacted as with forced air. And the actual chimmney is NEVER tested nor looked at in size. I am also a mason and since 79 A chimmney inspections are a joke. The rule of thumb for a good natural draft chimmney of a cold chimmney is have a crock opening exposed and light a match and it should be sucked out into the opening and go out. This is one of those ironies. The exact speck will tell you what you need for your heater and yet no real warning on location of tieing the smoke pipe into a Chimmney. Again tie in to low what's free below crocks for soot/ash pit and how often is the chimmney cleaned and inspected? Happy Holidays.

hvac1000 · Dec 16, 2008, 03:13 PM

It is possible the unit we are talking about is a powered plastic vent model and those are not allowed to be vented into a masonary chimney. Around here all new chimney/fireplace/woodstove/etc work has to have a permit and be inspected. If a new furnace/water heater or any other fossil fueled appliance is being installed the installer has to provide draft specs on the existing chimney and is necessary repair or reline to spec. We do not fool around since it is in the code and CO can be a major problem.

suddenImpact · Dec 23, 2008, 07:51 AM

Thanks for the help guys, I ended up just having a pro. Come in and do it for me :) Didn't want to take the chance messin it up on my own.

hvac1000 · Dec 23, 2008, 08:41 AM

Smart move on your part. Merry Christmas.

suddenImpact · Dec 24, 2008, 08:17 AM

Ok, we got talking about this at work, and I can't find anyone who can answer it... so I thought I'd ask here. Why do you have to have the hot water heater vented... but not your stove? Wouldn't turning the oven on basically be the same thing?

hvac1000 · Dec 24, 2008, 10:04 AM

On gas fired appliances the gas range/oven is just about the only exception to the codes for venting and here is why.

The firing rate (how much gas that is used during operation) is very low on a range/oven as compared to a water heater or furnace. It is so low in fact that they allow the use of the air within the home to act as a delusion factor. Now when you get to commercial ovens in food establishments they have to be vented outside. You will also see warnings from different sources saying not to use your gas stove during cold weather to try to heat your home. The reason for that statement is that when they calculated the delusion factor for the stove they used so many hours of usage per day and not for the stove to be running constantly as in trying to heat your home when the furnace would be broken.