Water Heater Vent

Posted by crhras on July 31, 2006, 8:49 am

My plumber assured me that a vent made of 4" PVC running out through the
roof would be sufficient to vent a tankless hot water heater and a furnace
in my 1700 square foot home. The plumber has since disappeared and I'm
having a bit of trouble finding a suitable tankless heater. The heater will
service a standard kitchen and 2.5 bathrooms, one of which will have a
pretty nice shower (body sprays, hand wand, large capacity shower head). My
question are, will PVC be a sufficient material to use as a vent and does
anyone know of a water heater which can share a 4" vent with the furnace ?

Thanks,
Curt

Posted by Plan Review Section on August 2, 2006, 7:51 pm

It's my understanding that the tankless units require a stainless steel,
individual vent, not combined with other gas appliances (under pressure).
They can terminate horizontially however, out therough the sidewall. PVC
would melt and cause a fire of course; your plumber is an idiot.

Try your local Menards, Lowes or Home Depot. Cost will run around a grand
(may qualify for a $300 Home Energy-Efficiency Improvement Tax Credit
however.)

"crhras" crhras@sbcglobal.net wrote in message

> My plumber assured me that a vent made of 4" PVC running out through the
> roof would be sufficient to vent a tankless hot water heater and a furnace
> in my 1700 square foot home. The plumber has since disappeared and I'm
> having a bit of trouble finding a suitable tankless heater. The heater
> will service a standard kitchen and 2.5 bathrooms, one of which will have
> a pretty nice shower (body sprays, hand wand, large capacity shower head).
> My question are, will PVC be a sufficient material to use as a vent and
> does anyone know of a water heater which can share a 4" vent with the
> furnace ?
> Thanks,
> Curt
>

Posted by crhras on August 3, 2006, 9:01 am

Thank you for the response. This week I have learned quite a bit about
water heaters, venting and clowns.

> It's my understanding that the tankless units require a stainless steel,
> individual vent, not combined with other gas appliances (under pressure).
> They can terminate horizontially however, out therough the sidewall. PVC
> would melt and cause a fire of course; your plumber is an idiot.
> Try your local Menards, Lowes or Home Depot. Cost will run around a grand
> (may qualify for a $300 Home Energy-Efficiency Improvement Tax Credit
> however.)
> "crhras" crhras@sbcglobal.net wrote in message

>> My plumber assured me that a vent made of 4" PVC running out through the
>> roof would be sufficient to vent a tankless hot water heater and a
>> furnace in my 1700 square foot home. The plumber has since disappeared
>> and I'm having a bit of trouble finding a suitable tankless heater. The
>> heater will service a standard kitchen and 2.5 bathrooms, one of which
>> will have a pretty nice shower (body sprays, hand wand, large capacity
>> shower head). My question are, will PVC be a sufficient material to use
>> as a vent and does anyone know of a water heater which can share a 4"
>> vent with the furnace ?
>> Thanks,
>> Curt

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