Last fall I replaced my HW tank with a new A.O. Smith 40 gal. gas that vents through my chimney. I’m going to be doing my roof this spring and the brick chimney is in really rough shape so my original thought was to take the chimney down below the roof line and build a wooden chase for the single vent that the HW tank needs. Originally there was a woodburner in the house but that is gone, I’ve replaced the furnace with a direct vent, so the HW tank is the only thing going through it. My question is, can I convert my existing tank to a direct vent or do I have to swap it out. I figure that by the time I build a chase, put a flue liner and the necessary pipe and caps, siding, and fabricate a metal cap for the chase itself, I could probably convert the tank and eliminate the entire chimney altogether.
Any input or suggestions are greatly appreciated
Dustin
Replies
The answer is NO! Read your manual carefully. You can not make this conversion and if you try, you are risking the health and safety of you and your family.
The more appropriate question is to ask, can I buy a direct vent or power vent water heater for less than the cost of venting my current one through the roof. The answer may will be yes.
In any case, do not change the venting on your water heater unless it is specifically allowed in the owners manual.
Bill
I'm trying to contact the manufacturer to see if they make a conversion kit with all the appropriate controls. In no way am I suggesting that I would Macguyver something together. If it comes down to it, I'll buy a new direct vent tank. I just had a thought that maybe someone has had experience with something like this.
Thanks
Dustin
I am not aware of any such thing. In fact, I doubt any manufacturer would want a homeowner messing with the vent system of their water heaters...I doubt they would like the liability associated with that.
Bill
Go to Tjerlund.com for sidewall venting products.
Rich
Contrary to what the other replies have said, I am not sure there is any reason you COULDN"T vent through a false chimney with a flue liner-actually, round vent pipe. After all, typical heaters vent with single-wall pipe through a thimble into the chimney stack, so I don't know why, as long as you built to code clearances for the vent stack, you couldn't do what you proposed. But, as you mention, by the time you demo the old chimney, buy the materials, and build the thing, you might as well have bought a new side-wall vent heater.....
Just my 2C worth.....
You have it backwards.No one has said that he can't vent out of a false chimney and flue.What he was questioning was the cost of building it vs trying to modify his existing WH for direct vent vs buying a new direct vent WH..
.
A-holes. Hey every group has to have one. And I have been elected to be the one. I should make that my tagline.