Thread: water heater ventilation

I am a relatively new home inspector in Ohio that, though certified, has a lot to learn. I recently inspected a house with the gas water heater vented through the basement wall at ground level. Is this acceptable?

A few"ifs":
- If the venting is natural drafting the minimum vertical rise measured from the vent draft hood bottom to the outlet of the gas vent must be not less than 5 feet.
- If the above is correct, the maximum horizontal offset must be no more than 75% of the vertical height (I recall some condition allows for a maximum of 100% horizontal offset).
- And, last but not least, probably should be first, a minimum rise of 12" before any horizontal offset starts.
- And other requirements apply as well.

JP gave the rules for venting a natural drafting gas water heater.
The other 2 possibilities are power vented and direct vented. Those can certainly be vented out thru the wall.

Try to remember to collect as much data (and a few photos) as possible when you encounter an unfamiliar installation. Often times a quick web search of the make/model will reveal the installation details or instructions, and that can answer your questions quickly.

Dom.

Thank you, your expertise is much appreciated. I will provide more details and photos next time.