Can I Vent My Gas Water Heater Through The Wall

Venting a conventional or typical gas fired water heater straight out through a sidewall using plastic pipe would be failure to follow the manufacturer s instructions and most likely would be unsafe.

Can i vent my gas water heater through the wall.

On 2019 11 11 by mod vent gas water heater out through side wall with pvc. Single wall natural draft gas water heater vent pipe cannot be used in unheated areas like attic or garage even if only partially penetrating that space because such vent pipe installation will cause excessive condensation on vent pipe walls and compromise proper drafting double wall pipe b vent type is required. Direct vent water heaters with a direct vent system air for combustion is drawn from a vent pipe that runs through an exterior wall or the roof. You can t vent a standard gas heater like that.

If your water heater is near an outside wall you can go with a direct vent water heater. Exhaust gases are vented outdoors through a separate vent duct or through a separate chamber of the same pipe this requires a double wall vent duct. The only other option is an electric water heater which requires no vent. What your doing can be very dangerous.

Be sure to check your gas water heater annually for cracks or leaks in the flue. They depend on draft which you won t have. To avert this problem you can vent the water heater to the largest hole in the chimney and cap the remaining holes. Most building codes require 4 inch flue pipes on water heaters.

The difference is that a power vent water heater pulls in combustion air from the space. All solid liquid or gas fueled water heater whether they are tank type or tankless must vent through the roof unless they are direct vent. Gas or oil fired side wall power vents are provided by several manufacturers listed at the end of this article. They do make two models of power vent units one is called a direct vent power vent as bob harper pointed out it draws its combustion air from outside unlike a standard power vent unit which burns its combustion air from the dwelling.

It needs to be a power vent. Instead both systems typically expel exhaust through a pipe that runs outside through an exterior wall. Here s how to vent a water heater to a chimney. They are a bit more expensive but do not require electricity to run a power vent.