Many owners marvel if they’ll enhance the effectivity of their common water heater by including an influence vent system. Energy-Vent water heaters are touted as extra environment friendly and supply quicker cycle time than Direct-Vent water heaters. That is enticing to many householders who would possibly think about including an electrical vent to their current water heater.
Professionals within the water heater trade don’t suggest including an aftermarket circulate vent system to a regular water heater. Such modification to an current water heater might void the guarantee and harm the water heater’s burners. In some circumstances, including an electrical vent to an current water heater might violate constructing codes.
Including an electrical vent system to an current water heater can pose a security concern for you and your private home. Understanding the distinction between auto vent water heaters and direct vent water heaters might help clarify why this isn’t advisable. Earlier than including an aftermarket circulate vent to your water heater, take the time to know the problems and implications this may have.
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Contents
Energy Vent vs. Direct Vent Water Heaters
When taking a look at two water heaters, you might have bother distinguishing an electrical vented water heater from a direct vented one. Essentially the most seen distinction is the addition of a fan unit to the venting system of the Energy-Vent water heater. Direct venting water heaters have just one connection for a vent pipe to the skin for the combustion gases.
Extra distinction than you’ll be able to see
There are different variations between instantly vented and electrically vented water heaters that aren’t simple to identify. These variations make it a nasty thought to retrofit an influence vent system on a direct vent water heater. For instance:
- Burner design – Pressured air heaters require totally different burner configurations and designs than direct vent heaters. Airflow over the burners is commonly a lot higher with an influence vent system. Putting in an influence vent system on a direct vent water heater can draw the flames away from the burner and create a harmful scenario.
- Chimney Design – Energy vent techniques often require bigger chimneys or pipes designed to deal with greater temperatures. The chimney in your direct vent water heater might not present sufficient safety for the upper temperatures present in energy vent techniques
- Completely different management techniques – Energy vent techniques require totally different controls than a direct vent water heater. Most energy air flow techniques use a fancy sensor system to watch the fan temperature, burner temperature and airflow at numerous factors within the system. It’s troublesome to retrofit an current direct vent water heater with these kind of sensors and controls.
- Combustion air necessities – Most convection water heaters are outfitted with a secondary vent from the skin to offer sufficient combustion air for the burners. A house outfitted with a direct vent water heater might not have this exterior vent port. Including this combustion air vent might be costly and improve the price of the conversion.
Lots of the causes to not set up an influence vent on a direct vent water heater are these inside variations. In some circumstances, making these modifications to a direct vent water heater will void the guarantee or might not conform to native constructing codes.
Which is best – Energy-Vent or Direct-Vent
Neither an influence vent system nor a direct vent system will work in all conditions. The important thing to picking the most suitable choice in your water heater venting system is to work with a professional installer to find out which sort will finest fit your wants.
There isn’t a one answer that most accurately fits your selection of water heater. The place the water heater shall be put in, the required measurement of the water heater and the warmth supply have to be thought of. A couple of apparent issues make one kind of water heater work higher in some conditions.
Outdoors entry for venting
On the whole, direct draft water heaters make extra sense, the place the exhaust pipe can exit the home vertically via the roof in a straight line. For the reason that warmth from the combustion gases drives the pipe up, this direct path to the skin is essential.
Energy instantaneous water heaters are the selection when the vent pipe should run horizontally or make a number of twists and turns because it exits upwards. A protracted vent line can cool the exhaust gases from a direct vent water heater to the purpose the place they not rise, which is a harmful scenario.
Exterior combustion air
Most electrical vented water heaters require an exterior supply of combustion air to function effectively. In lots of circumstances, it is a secondary vent pipe that brings outdoors air into the water heater. An electrical vented water heater will not be a superb answer in houses that don’t have quick access for a second vent pipe.
Putting in an aftermarket energy vent on a direct vent water heater with out extra combustion air could cause burner issues. This will result in a number of water heater conditions that may be harmful.
Effectivity vs. economic system
Usually there’s a compromise between effectivity and economic system between energy vent and direct vent water heaters. Direct vent water heaters are cheaper to put in than electrical vent water heaters. On the entire, Energy-Vent water heaters are barely extra environment friendly. Nonetheless, working an electrical vented water heater prices primarily within the further electrical energy wanted to run the fan.
Changing a direct vent water heater with an influence vent system is usually dearer, requiring extra vet piping, energy to run the fan, and putting in a combustion air vent. It’s troublesome to estimate whether or not it is possible for you to to recoup the price distinction in the long run.
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The Retrofit Query – Including a Energy Vent to your Direct Vent Water Heater
The fast reply to this query isn’t any. Trade consultants nearly at all times make it clear that including an electrical vent to a direct vent water heater is just not a good suggestion. Fairly than danger issues and doubtlessly harmful conditions, these professionals recommend that you just seek the advice of a professional plumber to seek out the very best answer to your sizzling water wants.