Venting A Power Vent Gas Water Heater

Natural gas or propane hot water heaters are generally less expensive to operate than electric heaters but installing a standard vent in a house.

Venting a power vent gas water heater.

Gas water heater vent configurations standard atmospheric vent. Direct vent models can only be attached to your home s chimney where the gasses are vertically expelled from the heater. Power vented water heaters work the same as ordinary water heaters but the exhaust gases are blown out with a small fan instead of rising upwards through metal pipes. With a power vent model the vents exhaust horizontally out of a pipe.

A direct vent system pulls in. Smith power vent gas water heaters are equipped with an electric blower fan that is installed on top. A power vent water heater differs from the older direct vent water heaters in terms of where the venting is found. All water heater venting systems use a vent duct or pipe also called a chimney or flue to bring exhaust gases from the water heater to the outdoors.

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. Power venting water heaters are considered more energy efficient than a standard direct vent system and are more effective at preventing back draft air from entering the water heater. The hot exhaust gases from a natural draft water heater rise through an open draft diverter and out through a metal duct. Standard atmospheric water heaters are the most common type of residential gas water heaters.