# Water Heater



## Paulie (Feb 11, 2009)

flashheatingand said:


> I don't know how many plumbers would be familair with what's going on here? In hvac service, we deal with the induced draft and venting thing more frequently than most service plumbers (around here).
> 
> I wouldn't have been surprised if Inner Peace is right. I would also wonder about the make-up air source. Is there another window in the basement?
> 
> The thing did appear ghetto, but, if the setup worked for as old as that heater was, mission accomplished.


I am by know means a plumber and don't pretend to be. But it's just such a simple, small run I just can't believe it wouldn't vent. I really didn't stop to think about an air source tho. Makes sense.

Hey, on that note, there is a chimney (fireplace) downstairs. Could that be creating neg. air pressure?


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

> I am by know means a plumber and don't pretend to be. But it's just such a simple, small run I just can't believe it wouldn't vent. I really didn't stop to think about an air source tho. Makes sense.


If I'm not mistaken that's how a chimney works, if you don't have an insulated run with the correct dimensions the pipe won't heat up and create an up-draft and draw the exhaust out. If the pipe is just a chunk of thin wall steel pointing outdoors then it ain't gonna draw worth bonkers, if it did we wouldn't build chimneys. Am I right?



> I don't know how many plumbers would be familair with what's going on here? In hvac service, we deal with the induced draft and venting thing more frequently than most service plumbers (around here).
> 
> I wouldn't have been surprised if Inner Peace is right. I would also wonder about the make-up air source. Is there another window in the basement?


Around here HVAC guys typically do the gas fitting and that's who I'd have working on this shemozzle. And if I were him this POS would be getting trashed and a REAL power vented one would take its place. 

Flash, I've never seen a water heater with a storage take have any built in make up air. All of the tank-less ones have their own air intakes, I guess because the burners require more than X amount of CFM or something?


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## Paulie (Feb 11, 2009)

Paulie said:


> News Flash.....
> 
> My guy is booked solid for the next two weeks. So my neighbor found a guy that used to play football for him. He's a licensed plumber now, anyways I talked to him while he was sweating a new unit in. He just went ahead and replaced everything.
> 
> ...


Next H2O heater I get is a tankless too.


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## flashheatingand (May 3, 2008)

Oh, I agree with the intake and exhaust thing. But, it appears as if the thing actually worked for several years. Gotta give the guy props...


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

> Next H2O heater I get is a tankless too.


I've got a rental that I'm dying to get rid of yet I'm still not sold on the tank less, storage tanks deliver the hot water instantly, they cost very little to operate and are cheap to buy and replace. I have a house with a basement so the space savings isn't really an issue...why go tankless?


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## Inner10 (Mar 12, 2009)

> Oh, I agree with the intake and exhaust thing. But, it appears as if the thing actually worked for several years. Gotta give the guy props...


The heck with power vent units, I'll just make my own. :laughing:


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## Paulie (Feb 11, 2009)

Inner10 said:


> I've got a rental that I'm dying to get rid of yet I'm still not sold on the tank less, storage tanks deliver the hot water instantly, they cost very little to operate and are cheap to buy and replace. I have a house with a basement so the space savings isn't really an issue...why go tankless?


I don't know about a rental but on my own house it's all about the gas bill. 

If you have kids, you'll never get in and have the hot water all run out.

The concept of keeping 50gal or so of water hot as hell all the time seems dated to me. 

Just my .02.


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