Gas Hot Water Heater Venting Problems

If it s not the pilot light check the thermocouple.

Gas hot water heater venting problems.

The flue is the venting that the fumes travel through to be safely exhausted outside of the home. Next verify the pilot light hasn t blown out. Gas water heater draft hoods come in different sizes and if you are replacing water heater make sure that the draft hood and the water heater vent pipe match each other. Without proper ventilation of the noxious gases.

The vent system must be installed by a qualified person. Gas hot water heater venting problems one problem you need to avoid is back drafting. If you find that your new gas water heater has a smaller vent than your existing gas vent don t assume that you have to completely replace the venting system. Gas fired water heaters like those illustrated here must be supplied with adequate combustion air and the heater s exhaust gases must be vented to outdoors.

You see this most commonly with atmospheric configurations and it means that your exhaust isn t leaving the home. The great amount of hot water is used in a short period and the tank is refilled with the cold water. New gas vent system install a reducer if you have to increase your vent size by 1 in. Failure to properly vent a gas fueled water heater can result in severe injury or death from carbon monoxide poisoning.

The solution to your hot water dilemma depends on whether you have a gas or electric hot water heater. That is the average water heater still burns fuel be it natural gas oil or propane and that fuel burning releases byproducts like carbon monoxide. This is common on undersized gas water heaters. A new gas water heater is filled with the cold water and runs for the first time.

On standard gas water heaters the fumes are commonly exhausted through a back draft insert and flue. Common problems and how to fix them example tank is a john wood 40 gallon. The most common problem associated with water heater venting is a condition called backdrafting in which exhaust gases from the water heater fail to exit the home via the vent and instead end up in the house. The back draft insert prevents air from entering the top of the water heater and improves heat distribution in the tank.

Back drafting is usually the result of an inadequate vent design. If it s gas the first thing you should do is make sure you have gas access. How to diagnose and repair a faulty atmospherically vented gas fired water heater. If the draft hood that came with your water heater has a top opening diameter designed for 3 vent pipe and you have 4 vent pipe installed use an adapter increaser to join both of them together.