strange addition to vent pipe

[John Arnold]

This is a gas water heater single wall vent pipe, that someone stuck a piece of copper pipe on, for some unknown reason. I could not get the right angle to see down into it, but I stuck a screwdriver down and it appears to not penetrate the vent pipe.
Any theories?

[Raymond Wand]

A spacer to separate the two pipes which has rotated out of position.

[John Arnold]

A spacer to separate the two pipes which has rotated out of position.

Wow. I wasn't expecting a theory that actually sounded plausible. That never occurred to me.

[tom daley]

1. The spacer possibility is a good call.
However, given that the vent is single wall type-A - which should have three screws at each connection, how would the pipe roll out of position?

Is that an adjustable length of vent pipe?


2. There appears to be a crack in the metal just below the solder blob.

[John Arnold]

1. The spacer possibility is a good call.
However, given that the vent is single wall type-A - which should have three screws at each connection, how would the pipe roll out of position?

Is that an adjustable length of vent pipe?


2. There appears to be a crack in the metal just below the solder blob.

Ha, ha, that's a good one. Three screws at each connection! Ha! Seriously, though, no, not screwed at connections, so could have rotated.

Yep, I didn't know about the crack until I saw the photo. Couldn't see it with my own eyes, I had to reach back there with the camera and kind of point it back at myself.

[Jim Luttrall]

Given the odd and hard to reach position, that might have been a make do handle the installer tacked on to wrestle the pipe into position.