Thread: Combustion air for water heater

Gas water heater with inducer fan, I could not figure out how this gets combustion air. The burner compartment is sealed and I didn't see any intake on the fan.

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Intake and exhaust through same vent. High effiecency unit

From their website, it is a counter flow with air spent gases pushed out of the lower pipe by the blower on top. Were there vents or openings in at the top?

Is that earthquake straps on the tank?

AO Smith has plenty of information on the Vertex line on the AO Smith support page, including install guides that explain how to properly vent the appliance.

http://www.hotwater.com/Resources/Li...Manual-197835/

No vents or openings at the top or on the blower. And the exhuast vent def does not act as in intake.

Yes they are straps and here is a pic of the vent.

Looking at the AO Smith web site, it looks like the vent is installed like they show it should be. Interesting video on U-Tube about this unit.

Matt, I think what might be throwing you off is that the burner is on top of the unit with exhaust gas being blown down to the bottom mounted exhaust vent. The air intake is at the top where it is drawn into the burner assembly, backward of what we normally see. Hope this helped.

So the utility room needs to be equipped with combustion air?

Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

So the utility room needs to be equipped with combustion air?

Pic 3 looks like combustion air is plumbed in?

Not sure where picture 3 is, but it looks to me like this should have two vents, if the installation instruction in the link refer to the model. Part of the instructions are apparently generalized information, like installation in an enclosed room (Fig 16 I've seen elsewhere, too). The vent installation procedures really start with Fig 18.

"THIS UNIT CONSISTS OF TWO VENT TERMINALS - AN INTAKE
VENT TERMINAL AND AN EXHAUST VENT TERMINAL. THE INTAKE

VENT TERMINAL IS A 2” 22.5° PVC ELBOW(-) WITH A MESH WIRE
SCREEN AND THE EXHAUST VENT TERMINAL IS A 2” 22.5° PVC

ELBOW WITH A MESH WIRE SCREEN."

Originally Posted by Kristi Silber

Not sure where picture 3 is, but it looks to me like this should have two vents, if the installation instruction in the link refer to the model. Part of the instructions are apparently generalized information, like installation in an enclosed room (Fig 16 I've seen elsewhere, too). The vent installation procedures really start with Fig 18.

"THIS UNIT CONSISTS OF TWO VENT TERMINALS - AN INTAKE

VENT TERMINAL AND AN EXHAUST VENT TERMINAL. THE INTAKE

VENT TERMINAL IS A 2” 22.5° PVC ELBOW(-) WITH A MESH WIRE

SCREEN AND THE EXHAUST VENT TERMINAL IS A 2” 22.5° PVC

ELBOW WITH A MESH WIRE SCREEN."

Kristi, counting from reft to light of OP, the third pic has 2" PVC with a glue joint. That should be the intake but can't tell for sure due to pic angle.

Oh, silly me, that picture 3! I thought you meant in the instructions. The same one is in photo 2, going through the wall, and I agree, it should be intake. But why does it have a condensate line? I thought there wasn't a 2nd vent at the bottom? If so, that solves the puzzle. ...arrgh, now I see it. Pay attention, woman! So I don't get what the problem is - one vent in the top, one out the bottom. I guess that thing on the top vent is a condensate/moisture trap. Interesting.

Manual says it is a condensing water heater.

Oh! I see the line you are talking about now. Don't know? If I had to hazard a guess, I would say the original installer thought the top was the exhaust vent instead of intake and put a condensate trap in.

saw this unit build on how it's made on tv. the blower is under the yellow cap on top. check out utube or how it's made video's on the discovery channel

Originally Posted by mathew stouffer

So the utility room needs to be equipped with combustion air?

Off the link provided by Dom D'Agostino:

Vertex™ 100 Power Vent DV Manual (317443-002)

Just a side note; the blue glue looks like Christy's PVC cement which is a single process glue and I am pretty sure that the code requires a two part PVC glue for vent piping.

Maybe someone that is more up to date on this requirement could comment.

I'm new here so I'll give my 2 cents. The Vertex is a condensing unit but there are 3 different models of the unit. Only the 96% efficiency units require outside air for combustion.

This unit appears to be a GPHE-50 (based on the controls at the bottom of the unit). Its a 90% efficiency unit and gets the air for combustion from the room but where it's located on the unit I don't know. The condensate line is on the vent pipe .

I only know this because I just bought one but haven't taken delivery yet. Here is the correct manual,

http://s3.pexsupply.com/manuals/1329..._PROD_FILE.pdf

As far as the vent pipe, code in my area is 636 PVC. Primer needs to be used only when installation temps are less than 32f.

J.

Originally Posted by Jay Ferrari

. . .
As far as the vent pipe, code in my area is 636 PVC. Primer needs to be used only when installation temps are less than 32f.

J.

Ah, good to know, thanks for jumping in. I knew someone would know better than I on this issue.

And welcome!

[QUOTE=Jay Ferrari;

As far as the vent pipe, code in my area is 636 PVC. Primer needs to be used only when installation temps are less than 32f.

J.[/QUOTE]

Jay, since your profile says you're from the US but you refer to the Canadian std. 636, can you clarify which side of the border you're from?
Welcome aboard and thanks in advance.

I live in Canada but work in the US