How to Vent a Tankless Water Heater 2022- Complete Guide

Venting a tankless water heater is a frequently asked question that needs proper attention to understand the answer. Many people need to know about venting tankless water heaters it helps to make a heater useable for a long time.

Venting water heater requires a lot of factors to consider, and it is why most people recommend calling a professional or plumber for this purpose. However, if you have enough time and want to save money and energy, then installing a tankless water heater at your home would be a perfect choice. 

Necessary Components for Venting Tankless Water Heater

There are some components for tankless water heater venting which are required to consider before starting the overall procedure. These components are needed to add to your home before installing or venting a heater. All these components and the proper usage of tools make your overall venting flow smooth and error-free.

Vent Adaptor and Stainless Steel Exhaust

tankless water heater exhaust hose is necessary to connect with an adapter in the very first steps. You can select an adapter of any size, but we recommend selecting one which includes 3 inches or 2 inches. Also, it depends upon the brand type of tankless water heater that you bought to install. 

Most plumbers also recommend using tankless water heater vent pipes due to the easiness inventing process. However, tankless water heater PVC venting pipes are not recommended as stainless steel pipes work better and keep them safe to use for a long time. 

Electrical Tankless Water Heater Installation

Another component s considering an electric tankless heater because most people cannot afford a proper gas heater due to less gas or gas depletion. However, it would help if you also kept in mind that electric heaters require a sufficient amount of energy and power, increasing your energy bills. Anyhow, it’s not a negative point as electric tankless water heaters are easy and considerable to vent at the areas where gas is not available.

Furthermore, to buy an electric water heater venting, there are some other points to consider, including the price and the number of amperes it uses at a specific time. This is so that you can buy the one compatible with your electrical power coming indirectly or directly. 

Also, it would help if you considered whether either it’s best to choose your home depending upon the size of your family members or not. We recommend buying and using a heater that uses fewer amperes for small family members. For the prominent family members, of course, the one that consumes more amperes to offer more hot water capacity is recommended to vent. 

After that, an extra breaker box is necessary to consider. Some of you might already have an extra breaker box that you can use. However, if you don’t own a box, buy it as it helps to avoid electric shocks and current issues. In this case, if any child at your home touches the heater when it’s working, electric current risks are easy to deal with and offer safety from electricity issues.

Note: This electric model is recommended for the indoor model installations

Outdoor Model Installation

A best outdoor tankless water heater is the best option for outdoor. This is made for those people who spend most of their time at outdoor places, including a camping activity or needs to use RVs. You can also use an RV electric tankless water heater for better working for permanent sake.

Venting a Tankless Water Heater- Step By Step Guide

tankless water heater venting includes some significant steps which are attentive yet straightforward to follow. Venting a water heater is essential as it helps to add easiness to the installation process. Furthermore, it eliminates the effects of gases, including carbon monoxide, which releases directly from most water heater brands. 

Here are some types of venting depending upon the specific vent system to install a heater after venting perfectly. Here are some of these!

Horizontal Installation

It is a crucial type of venting a tankless water heater, including venting a water heater 

ideally at the 90-degree angle like an elbow from the stainless steel pipe and hose. In this way, the outsides of the exhaust hose remain at the outside. The exhaust end is attached with the inside part to vent sidewalls of the hose.

Vertical Installation

In the vertical installation, you need to involve an upward slope and add a vertical condensation trap, including all the components mentioned in the above section. However, you may need to buy an adapter that perfectly fits the unit and hose at a 90-degree angle.

Adding Combustion Air

It is known by every one of you that tankless water heaters need combustion air which is important to avoid dangers that may cause by electricity. Using a combustion air system means the air has harmful gases released outside, and the fresh air is getting inside the overall system. Hence, the main aim of the combustion air system is to get rid of the evil and harmful air.

Also, remember that the air that you are going to use for the sake of tankless heater venting must use an area of 10,000 cu. ft. So, make sure to install the heater with enough air quickly so that the inlets and outlets are also adjusted perfectly. There are many heaters with an automatic combustion air model, including 110 volts tankless water heaters and electric tankless water heaters for cold climates.

Note: RV tankless water heaters are another example of having an automatic combustion air system, and hence you don’t need to install this system separately in these models.

Tankless Water Heaters Venting Types

Venting a tankless water heater has a lot of options depending upon the type it owns. These all are based on different working, requirements, pricing, and many other factors. These types include:

Power Vent

These units work in the principle of combustion air on the inside and exhausting air on the outside. Furthermore, the positive aspect is that they only need one exhaust to release air outside the unit and system. Also, keep in mind that these vents need a larger surface area than other vents due to their working and spatial requirements. Tankless water heater power vent is mainly used for electric tankless water heaters. 

Direct Vents

Unlike the power vent, which only needs one vent for working, the tankless water heater direct vent needs two power units at a time for working. One is used to intake fresh air, and the other is used to exhale the air for functioning.

Also, these direct vents need only a small surface area to install and work effectively. Hence, they save space up to 16 square feet. The direct vent water heater is recommended to install at places with less surface area or where you installed the heater on the wall.

Concentric Vents

These are different from the above types, where one vent works for two vents. A single vent has two parts, i.e., one for the air intake and the other for the exhaust air. It is similar to the direct vent. The difference is in the number of vents.

However, concentric vents are considered more valuable based on our usage experience and their efficiency. Here temperature regulates in a more specific way than all other vents. Also, these are easy to operate and work for a long time.

Although concentric vents are not hot than direct vents, the benefit is that they take less space for their usage. These are safer than other vents, including direct vents and power vents.

These tankless water heater concentric vents are also considered due to their various budgets and spatial spaces. For example, you can buy and install a vent depending upon your space and which is easy to fit at a specific place. 

Owning an efficient venting system means you will receive the comfortability, smoothness, and durability of using a tankless water heater. So, carefully choose a specific type of venting system and enjoy hot showers and hot water as much as you want. 

Note: For more information and updates, read our how-to guide by our professionals.

Venting Tankless Water Heater with Furnace

Most of you are curious to know if we can vent a tankless heater with a furnace or if you can share a vent with the furnace? The answer is yes; you can vent a water heater with a furnace or share an already vented heater.

This is because most people don’t have enough space to vent, or venting n the furnace is more beneficial than venting on the wall or any other place. However, some points are necessary to consider, including the pipe size for venting on the furnace and the venting type that fits perfectly for it. You can take a complete guide by a professional. 

Facts About Venting Tankless Water Heaters 

Here are some tips and facts about venting tankless water heaters quickly. Although the overall procedure is not simple yet, many points are necessary to consider. Let’s analyze these points one by one and know more tips for easy venting:

• Those heaters installed at the outside places receive air from the outside environment. Mostly, the outside venting is done in two ways, including power vent and direct vent. Also, the direct vent units inhale air from the hose, but the power vents are dependent on the exhaust venting. These vents are recommended to install outside because they require a larger surface area. 
• Also, those tankless water heater installed in the outside spaces means they provide free space to the outdoor area. It means that now you are free of the bad air available inside. 
• The condensing tankless water heater venting helps in decreasing the value of installation, so in that case, we recommend using a tankless water heater PVC vent. It works smoothly for condensing issues.
• Venting tankless water heaters means you are getting an ultimate level of safety. This safety level helps decrease the risks of entering the air in the hose. Even if any of the pipes are leaked, air will always remain in the hose, which is significant for venting the water heater.

Final Verdicts- Venting Tankless Water Heaters

Hence, we hope you know enough about venting a tankless water heater. Above is a complete guide and working procedure. Make sure to follow all the guidelines and considerations. Also, check our complete guide on tankless water heaters working to add easiness and knowledge to your venting system. 

Have a happy venting process!