Can You Vent A Tankless Water Heater Into A Chimney

Here are a few things your installer should consider for effective tankless water heater venting.

Can you vent a tankless water heater into a chimney.

Yes venting tankless water heater with furnace is possible. With a condensing tankless water heater you don t need metal venting. Most building codes require 4 inch flue pipes on water heaters. The gases contain carbon monoxide.

However the key here is to install the vent pipe in the size required by the water heater. The vent pipe must be made of stainless steel designed for venting corrosive gases. Be sure to check your gas water heater annually for cracks or leaks in the flue. Non condensing tankless water heaters typically transfer to the water only about 80 percent of the heat they generate.

It really is not a good idea. Technically you can vent your tankless heater through the chimney but only in certain circumstances. Here s how to vent a water heater to a chimney. This is because most homes have water heaters and furnace sharing the same exhaust vent.

The tankless heater cannot share vent piping with any other appliance and it cannot use a masonry chimney flue for venting. The remaining heat creates a hot exhaust gas that requires metal venting typically stainless steel or thick aluminum. However it doesn t have to be an expensive hassle to vent. I would like to replace my tank type water heater with a tankless rheem rtg 74pv in the same location.

Vent to the outside. The standard galvanized vent from your old storage tank heater would quickly rust away if your tankless heater vented. Water heater installed close to the roof framing would need at least 5 long vertical vent pipe single wall vent pipe requires minimum 6 of clearance to combustible materials general rule the chimney should not be outside a window or other house opening. The reason is because like a standard water heater they create dangerous combustion gases when they fire.

The biggest issue is that the condensate is very acidic and will corrode the masonry of a chimney. 5 above the flue collar e g. Chimney chimney flue must terminate min. Electric tankless water heaters do not need to be vented but gas tankless heaters do.