Hello,

recently, I forgot to pay my gas bill, so the gas company turned off my service. I paid the reconnect fee, and a technician came out and turned the gas back on. However he refused to turn the gas on to the water heater, because he stated that it was not up to code. My water heater vents through the wall versus the roof. Is that correct? I live in North Carolina.

Thanks for your help

Although there is a universal building code, local authorities can modify it. For this reason, it is impossible and impractical for me to answer your question. I could easily spend my entire career tracking all of the versions. Summary: Call your local code authorities.

I have a similar situation with my water heater/furnace chimney. The existing chimney is metal pipe (most likely double walled, but I don't know that for certain) that extends from the basement where the (NG)water heater and (NG) furnace tie in, up to and out of the roof about a foot and a half. About 3 years ago, we replaced the original 20 year old furnace with a new furnace, not a high efficiency model, but much more efficient than the older one. This year, we replaced the water heater with a standard efficiency model. since the installation of the water heater, we have noticed a lot of moisture on the roof during colder periods, and even build up of ice during extended periods of cold. Is this something that a liner would fix, or is it indicative of another problem? The furnace has a 4 inch pipe, the water heater a 3, both tie in to a 6-8 inch pipe.

It is just the water vapor in the exhaust gas. There is little you can do to stop the problem.

Hi! The vent to the outside water heater goes back into the house just above a cupboard in the kitchen. The wall paint on the side of the cupboard is beginning to bubble and chip away. It's really warm inside the cupboard. Outside, there is a lot of moisture above the water heater which is enclosed in a metal closet. I had a new roof put on 2 years ago. Could the roofers have done anything wrong with the vents? Should I have the vent rerouted to stay outside of the house?
Help!

Liz,
The vent, in my opinion, should stay outside. I can't imagine why anyone would make it go in then out!

I adding on to a cabinet, making it two feet taller. In the process of extending the wall into the attic I am getting close to the hot water flue pipe. I notice that there is sheet metal between it and the other boards in the attic and the flue is several inches away from them. Do I need to maintain the same distance, and do I need to add sheet metal to the exposed (to the flue) side of my new boards? Thanks!

Jeff,
Maintain that same distance!

I bought a house which apparently has a high efficiency gas furnace witch is power vented. The vent is a very long pvc pipe. During the winter I get a large amount of condensation in the exhaust pipe. I just had the power vent motor replaced and water poured from the exhaust pipe when it was disconnected. How can I handle this condensation?

Larry,
The condensation is normal. But all of it is supposed to drain by gravity to a floor drain. Get the written installation instructions for the furnace, read the section about the PVC vent-pipe and see if it was installed correctly.

My gas hot water heater vents into a 4" aluminum flex pipe which runs in a clay 6" x 4" clay flue lined chimney for app 30 feet vertical. In cold weather the flue will not vent and cold air spills down the pipe exiting at the flue collar at the top of the water heater. The gas exhaust blows sideways into my basement. Do you think 30' is too far for an uninsulated pipe to go inside the chimney? Should I vent through the wall instead?

Terry,
Please read my two columns titled Orphaned Water Heaters.

is there a power vent made that you could vent your hot H2O tank the same way as the furnace so there would be no need for the chimmney?

Can I add a powered vent to a standard gas water heater? I am looking for a way to prevent smoke from my wood fireplace from being drawn into the house through the water heater flue.

I am replacing and moving my water heater. I am moving it to a location that only alows the the vent to exit the house at 4" above the ground. One plumber I talked with says I can take the vent out at 4", then up 10" (outside) to the final vent location. Another plumber says the vent will ice up causing problems. Who is right?

Gary,
Yes, those heaters exist.

Stuart,
No, you can't add a power vent to a regular water heater. Besides, that is not your problem. Your house does not have enough make up air. Go read this column:
http://www.askthebuilder.com/446_Fresh-Air_Intake_Vents.shtmlhttp://www.ask thebuilder.com/446_Fresh-Air_Intake_Vents.shtml

Mark,
The plumber that is quoting the building code requirements in your area is right.... Call the building department on Monday to settle this. I can't as the code is not completely uniform across the entire USA.

I have a standard gas water heater with the galvanized type vent pipe that goes up throught the finished garage ceiling to the top of my 2-story house. I want to upgrade to a tankless water heater that requires a different stainless steel vent pipe. My question is: Does the whole run to the roof have to be upgraded to the higher quality stainless vent pipe? I live in the San Jose, California area and would like to comply with any building codes for the area.

Red,
Contact your local Building Department for the answer.

We recently purchased a new home. The hot water heater does not have a pan under it nor drainage in case the heater goes up. Can you tell me if this is a code violation. And, what do I need to do? Please I need help bad. The builder says that it is not necessary to have a overflow pipe from the pan.

Charlene,
I could give you the answer, but your builder might thumb his nose at me. But he *will* listen to your local building inspector. Call the inspector as soon as you can and ask him to come for a visit.

I replaced my NG water heater about three years ago. I vented it the same as the old one, through a 3" vent pipe at the base of the chimney in my basement. I have two chimneys and as far as I can tell the water heater is the only thing that has ever vented through the one it is hooked up to. Everything has been fine until this winter when I noticed water dripping from the vent pipe connection. It is a lot of water! I figure it is just condensation, but why now and not three years ago? Is their a vent pipe I can buy that has a water trap device of some sort that I can divert the water to a drain? Thanks!

Mike,
Is it a lot colder this winter? Read my past columns about Condensation.

Question: I have a gas water heater and want to know if the it is normal to have a down draft of cold air coming down from my chimmey through the vent pipe that extends towards the top of the gas water heater. Also, when the water heater is heating up, there seems to be a lot of hot air blowing out at the top of the water heater (space between the top of the water heater and the vent pipe). If you put your hand near it, you can feel very hot air or exhaust coning out.

Bruno,
The cold air coming down is normal. Cold air is heavy and falls while warm air goes up. You should check the chimney for blockages - it is not normal for exhaust air to leak out where you can feel it.

I have a closet that contains both the furnance and water heater. There are no exterior walls. This winter, it seems that the hotwater pipes have frozen. There is a vent from the closet to the attic and the downward draft of cold air is noticeable. Last night I placed a thermometer on the floor and the temperature went down into the 30's. Outside temperature went down to 24. The house temperature is set at 62 at night. Is there something wrong with this vent set-up?

Tom,
You have a massive air leak from above where the air is getting around the sides of the vent pipes.

My gas water heater is in my garage, with the vent on the roof. Everytime we get a windstorm it blows out my pilot light. what can I do to prevent this ?

Paige,
Fabricate a wind shield that is a giant tube that fits around the existing vent pipe. It will block wind that is coming sideways.

I recently noticed a small dripping leak of water right where our gas water heater vents to the basement wall. The water drips down the side of the basement wall from the vent connection. It looks like this has been going on about a week. I have also noticed a distinct burning smell coming from the water heater and it appears that the rings where the water pipes run into the top of the water heater are partly melted. I have only noticed the smell over the past couple of days when either the furnance or water heater is on. I hope that makes sense. There is no fire or smoke and we have a carbon monoxide detector in the basement. I am calling some professionals but would appreciate your take on it.

Nick,
It is condensation. Read all of my Condensation columns and the one I have about Orphaned Water Heaters.

Hi, I have a question re. side-wall venting of gas exhaust from a residential water heater. Is it permitted to have the stack go through the wall and not roof, and if yes, is it permitted to vent it under the balcony / window?

Alex,
Stop down at your local building department and see what they say. It is impossible for me to answer code questions as each city can have its own variation.

My son just bought a house with a (ng) water heater. What concerns me is the venting. It goes through the ceiling of the basement, up through the closet in the master bedroom (exposed) then up through the roof. This cannot be safe.

Todd,
If that vent was installed to code, it absolutely can be safe - very safe indeed.

Can I replace a conventionally vented water heater with a power vented unit (keeping the same venting through chimney)?
Thank you.

Scott,
You vent the heater according to the building code *and* the written instructions that come with the heater.

My challenge is to re-route my water heater flue that now vents into a brick chiminey. The chiminey is being removed and the new flue will need to vent straight up from the water heater in the basement (through a metal fire block/hanger)for 10 feet in the corner of the kitchen, then jog 24" between 2/10" joists (via a variable 90 degree elbow + spacers + a 2nd variable 90 degree elbow) and then through a second metal fireblock/hanger up 10 more feet in an attic space and then through the roof collar, and then at least five more feet of flue above the 13/12 roof to the vent cap. My question: What angle should be maintained between the lower and upper runs of vent pipe (all of which will be double wall 3" in an enclosed chase that is lined with fire-resistant sheet rock)?
Through the wall venting is not a code option unless for a direct venting appliance (which my heater is not). Thanks.

I left the "hide my email" check since I was not sure if that was to omit from my published question or not. I not, then my email is mikew@quiktrip.com. thanks

I had a question about the allowable angle for a jog between two contiguous runs of flue pipe.

Similar - But different:
I too "orphaned" a water heater into 6" "B" vent. There's no condensate or anything but I do have a constant lingering smell of exhaust gas. I had the gas company in and they & their instruments say I'm OK. I have my own CO detector in the basement - against recommendations - and it too shows no contamination. While running, the system passes the draft "match test".The smell IS undeniable.
I improved the situation with a windproof cap, and by increasing the off-the-tank 3" pipe to 4" (my plumbing supply house had a 4" bonnet laying around and gave it to me. They thought that this was weird too)
The house is a 2-story colonial in the Buffalo NY area (B-Vent is probably 20-22 feet including 40" above roof)
Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

Mike,
Your building inspector will gladly answer this. You are having this work inspected, right????

Recently had some work done to the pipes in my apartment. For some reason the workers dismantled the ventilation from the water heater. Is it safe to still use hot water for a while without the ventilation? Thank you.

The house that i just bought has a water heater on the main floor and does not have a exhaust what should do?

I find your site..and the answers to problems presented very interesting and informing. You are doing us all a great job. Many Kudos to you!

The power vent on my propane hot water heater runs continuously, even if the thermostat is not calling for more hot water. The only way it will stop is if I pull the connector at the motor. Any ideas? Thanks

Last week I replaced my gas water heater. The existing flue had tiles that had been damaged and were missing. There was a great deal of debris that the chimney sweep cleaned out of the flue. The basement end appeared to have been lined with metal that was rusted and falling apart. He felt that he could not install a liner because the end in the basement was in a sort of stairstep zigzag route. Is there anything that is flexible enough to be used in this case? I'm being told that I should get a high efficiency heater with a power vent to replace the new one I purchased 1 week ago. Is there an alternative?

I'm buying a house in up state NY, the home inspector red flagged the venting for the oil fired water and the oil furnace. He wrote "The water heater flue shares the chimney with the furnace and enters the chimney before the furnace. When sharing a flue, larger BTU appliances should enter chimney flue before smaller BTU appliances to prevent poor draft for the smaller unit when both are in use." It doesn't matter what the code reads only that it is safe. Any comment?

Hi
I recently bought a NG fireplace B vent that has a 5 inch vent. I was planing to vent it to the common vent that is used by the water heather and furnace. I was told by a contractor that it can be done this way if I go with the fireplace above the other 2. The water heather has a 3 inch vent, the furnace a 4 inch vent and the fireplace a 5 inch vent. The main vent is a 6 inch. This is set to be done in the basement so going to an exterior wall is kinda hard since my understanding is that I have to maintain 18 inch from the ground.
What are my options.
I was thinking of venting into the common ventand just installing a couple of CO2 detectors, like the contractor said that he'll do. I'm stuck and I need help and options.
Thanks

My hot water heater and furnace vent through metal pipes that connect to the chimney. I want to build either a soffit or a wall to hide the pipes. How much space should I allow between the pipes and my construction?

National Grid installed a new gas meter, pipes, safety valve, the works outside my house. When the did a check on my gas appliances, the range and home heating unit were good, but when they did a "spill test" on the water heater with a match at the vent above the heater the match blew out before it got to the vent. They thought it was a blockage in the chimney flue or vent pipe causing a "spill". The flue is clean and clear,the vent is 4" and the home heating unit vent is also 4", both vented into the 8"x8" flue and both clear ". Any thoughts?

I am looking for some guidance concerning ventilation for our natural gas water heater. It seems like the water heater is not ventilating properly. It is contained 4 x 7 foot closet. the closet has a intake flu of about 6 inches in diameter and it is a standard sized water heater. Since the weather has turned hot we have noticed exhaust accumulating in the closet. the water heater is located on the second floor. Any advice?

Direct vent vs your standard power vent.

My hot water heater is in a bathroom on the 1st floor. The door is louvered. How do I dtermine if I need the direct vent senerio.

Is there a standard space in the room thgat is required. Just looking for a ball park.

Hi,
We bought a gas new water heater 3 years ago and once a year since then it has had problems with the pilot light going out. Last year the service repairman said the problem was that with it getting good air because of how water heaters are now built to pass codes. It has been going out again since last weekend and the repairman now tells my wife that we need to add two pipes. One is a new 4" vent pipe through the roof to separate it from the furnace vent. That one seems reasonable to me.

The second pipe is a 6-7" pipe that runs from the attic to just above the floor next to the water heater so that the water heater will get "fresh air". This seems ridiculous to me. Is the repairman right or is this crazy?