Can You Vent A Hot Water Heater Through The Wall

Direct vent water boiler.

Can you vent a hot water heater through the wall.

The system works solely through natural convection based on the principle that hot air rises. Discover the differences between single wall vents. This one vents out the side wall and it is perfectly fine. Before properly venting a gas water heater it s important to determine if there is a proper natural draw.

Photos go a long way. If it is a 3 inch diameter pipe the inside cross sectional area of the chimney flue liner should not exceed 49 square inches. Illustrations of proper gas fired water heater venting using type b double wall vent pipe through a roof above or through a chimney below include details for the flue vent connector such as the requirement of a minimum vent connector upwards slope of 1 4 per foot of horizontal run. The difference is that a power vent water heater pulls in combustion air from the space around the appliance then uses a fan to propel the exhaust through the vent.

The vent consists of a vertical or upward sloping vent duct that typically ties into a common vent. Two specialized types of water heaters direct vent and mechanical vent also called power vent are exempted from this code requirement. The direct vent water boiler is another type of water heater venting that you should know about. Measure the diameter of the exhaust pipe leaving your hot water heater.

A power vent water heater will cost about the same as a tankless heater and avoiding a through the roof vent can make the difference in a tankless installation being affordable or not. Without knowing the water heater type vent type location and type of termination no one can give you a more definitive response. You can do a quick check of your chimney to see if it meets an old rule of thumb and some of the current codes. Also you need to be aware of combustion air intake requirements for any type of heater.

The air that is used for combustion will come from the water vent this vent will either through the roof or from the outside of the wall. Most tank type gas water heaters are atmospheric vent type and they are required to vent vertically and above the roof of a home.