Can Water Heater And Furnace Be Vented Together?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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Can water heater and furnace be vented together? Vent connectors serving equipment vented by Natural draft (typical water heater) Shall Not Be Connected Into Any Portion of Mechanical-draft systems (80% and higher efficiency gas furnaces). This Means: With Any New Furnace Installation —

A Gas Water Heater Must Then Be Separately Vented

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Can you vent a tankless water heater and furnace together?


There are two ways to vent a tankless water heater with a furnace

. The first is a power vent that uses indoor air for combustion and an outside vent to exhaust gases. This type of venting system doesn’t need an intake valve, but there has to be enough air inside the room.

Does a water heater connect to a furnace?

Are Water Heater and Furnace Connected?

Yes, your water heater and furnace can be connected in some cases

. In an immersed coil installation, for example, your water heater might have a coil-type heat exchanger that gets heated up by the furnace.

Can HVAC and water heater be in same room?

But the answer is

yes they can be in the same closet

.

Can two gas appliances share a vent?

The manufacturer’s listing and instructions will preclude attaching any other appliances to it.

Multiple gas or oil furnaces or boilers, as well as hot water heaters, can be vented into one flue

.

How far can a tankless water heater be vented?

A tankless water heater requires a

4-foot clearance from the side or below a door or window that opens

, unless the unit is directly vented to the outside. If the water heater is installed above the door or window, it needs 12 inches of clearance.

Can I vent a water heater out the wall?

Power-vented natural gas water heaters use an electric fan or blower to push or pull combustion gases to the outdoors.

This type of venting allows gas water heaters to be installed as far as 40 feet away from an outside wall

and in homes without existing vertical vents.

Can a hot water heater be used to heat a house?

Heating the House With a Water Heater

While most combined systems start with the home’s boiler or heat pump, others use the water heater to produce heat for both tap water and the home.

This is an option only if your house is very well sealed and well insulated, or if you live in a mild climate

.

Is a furnace and hot water heater the same thing?

Water Heaters vs Boilers vs Furnaces


Water heaters don’t heat your home.

They do provide hot water. Boilers use water to heat your home. Furnaces heat the air and blow it into your home.

Why is there a water line to my furnace?

When a high efficiency furnace releases the exhaust gases, condensation is created. This condensation is a significant amount of moisture on the PVC pipe, and it needs to be drained either into a floor drain or a condensation pump.

A water leakage occurs when the condensation is unable to drain properly

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How close can water heater be furnace?

Don’t … Store combustible materials within

18 inches

of your water heater. Flammable items placed closer than that could potentially catch fire.

How much ventilation does a furnace room need?

Furnace Room Ventilation

Most furnace rooms should have

one vent about 12 square inches from the floor and one about 12 square inches from the ceiling

, although bigger and more powerful furnaces often require larger vents.

Can you put a furnace in a closet?


Do not install your furnace in a storage closet

. Any type of flammable material, including insulation, needs to be removed before installing the furnace.

What is code for venting a hot water heater?

Clearance to combustibles: for gas fired water heater vents:

6′′ minimum clearance from single-wall vent pipe or flue-vent connector to any combustible material

. Single wall vent pipes cannot pass through a ceiling, floor, firewall, or wall.

What is code for furnace exhaust?

503.6.


A Type B or L gas vent shall terminate not less than 5 feet (1524 mm) in vertical height above the highest connected appliance draft hood or flue collar

. A Type B-W gas vent shall terminate not less than 12 feet (3658 mm) in vertical height above the bottom of the wall furnace.

Do gas appliances need to be vented to outside?

Generally, in the U.S.,

you don’t have to vent a residential gas range to the outside

. But, we recommend that you buy a range hood to vent contaminants from your gas range to outside your home. It will dramatically improve your indoor air quality and reduce the risk of long-term respiratory problems.

Does a tankless water heater need an intake vent?


Indoor gas tankless water heaters need to be vented

. All indoor models have an exhaust vent. Indoor models also need a fresh air intake either from a direct vent or a power vent.

Can you use PVC pipe to vent a tankless water heater?

In most cases,

PVC makes a great venting material

. It’s the least expensive option and is easy to install. And it’s a good reason to consider a high-efficiency condensing unit.

Can you vent a tankless water heater in the attic?

Because direct-vent units use outdoor air,

they can be placed in smaller spaces, such as an attic, closet, or small mechanical room

. 2. Tankless water heaters don’t always need two ventilation pipes, even for direct-vent units.

Can a water heater be enclosed in a closet?


Water heaters can be installed in bedroom or bathroom closets, if necessary or preferred, but only if they’re an electric, direct vent or sealed combustion chamber unit

. Other water heaters that use fuel combustion are not permitted to be installed in bedrooms, bathrooms or closets that open into these rooms.

Can you get carbon monoxide poisoning from a hot water heater?


Home furnaces and water heaters are a major source of carbon monoxide poisoning

, usually from poorly vented fuel sources or leaking vent pipes. Ideally, you should have your furnace and water heater inspected by a professional at least once a year.

How long can a gas water heater vent pipe be?

5. Maximum Length of Vent Connectors. The vent connector is that section of pipe which connects the gas hot water heater to the vertical vent or chimney. The maximum horizontal length for a single-wall (type C) vent connector is

75% of the height of the vent or chimney

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Are hot water and heating systems separate?

Indirect heating –

the central heating and the hot water are separate

. The water is heated via a coil (heat exchanger) from a boiler.

What is more efficient forced air or hot water heat?

Boilers and

Hot Water Heat

Once the water is heated and makes its way through the system, it continues to heat the space — that can make your home feel warmer longer, making radiant heat more consistent, energy efficient, and cost-effective than a forced air system.

Can a tankless water heater be used to heat a house?

It’s true that

a tankless water heater can easily heat most single-family homes

. It’s also true that a tankless water heater is smaller and less expensive than a boiler or a furnace.

How does water heater furnace work?


The water in the furnace heats to a boil. As it heats up, pressure builds. Once the pressure is at its maximum, the water turns to steam. The pressure also pushes the steam throughout the house

.

What is the cheapest way of heating a house?


Gas is generally much the cheapest form of heating

, but its cost depends on a number of factors, including your supplier, tariff and boiler.

What is the difference between HVAC and furnace?


An HVAC system serves many purposes, such as heating and cooling, while a furnace only serves one: heating

. There are many differences between an HVAC and a furnace. The only similarities are that they both require a complex system of ducts, and they are both designed to keep your home at comfortable temperatures.

What are the two pipes coming out of my furnace?

Can a high efficiency furnace be vented vertically?

Sidewall Venting (High efficiency appliances)


Venting can also be vertically vented through the roof

(be wary as there can be unforeseen problems with venting through the roof as they are not easily maintained). Separate venting pipes are an optimal choice here as well.

What are the 2 pipes coming out of my house?

The two most common drain pipes that most people have on the side of their house are:

Air conditioner condensate lines (AC drain line). Water heater pressure relief valve lines (PRV drain line)

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What should you not put in a furnace room?

Does the door to the furnace room have to be vented?


If the furnace is in a small room, then we need ventilation openings in the walls or door of that room

to let in plenty of air to make up for the air that the furnace is using.

Does the door to a furnace need to be vented?

When air is pushed out of your vents from the furnace, the furnace needs an ample amount of airflow to return for it to work efficiently.

Without a louvered door, it will be tough to smell any gas leaks in the home.

Does a furnace need to be in the middle of the house?


Furnaces should be installed in your basement or a mechanical room near the center of your house

— not in a vented attic, vented crawl space, or garage. Sadly, this illustration comes from the web site of the Air-Conditioning, Heating, and Refrigeration Institute (AHRI).

Can high efficiency furnace and tankless water heater share vent?

When installing a High-Efficiency Furnace,

the existing shared vent will not work for only the water heater

because the vent is too large for the water heater’s exhaust to to warm the pipe enough so it rises safely out of the home. The old vent pipe is too large because it served both the furnace and water heater.

David Martineau
Author
David Martineau
David is an interior designer and home improvement expert. With a degree in architecture, David has worked on various renovation projects and has written for several home and garden publications. David's expertise in decorating, renovation, and repair will help you create your dream home.