Tankless water heaters can be vented in two ways.
Tankless water heater outside vent.
Direct vent units pull in air from outside the home or building and have two vents one for intake and one for exhaust.
But if you have an outdoor unit then you don t need a vent as the exhaust is already outside.
Your vent should slope slightly downhill from the water heater s heat exchanger or be constructed with a condensate drain near the exhaust outlet.
See the use and care manual for important information regarding the venting installation and materials for your tankless water heater.
Power vent units use indoor air for combustion and simply vent the exhaust to the outside.
To make venting easiest install your tankless water heater on an outside wall.
Power vent and direct vent.
It doesn t matter if the gas is natural gas or propane this fact remains the same.
If you have a gas fueled tankless water heater that is installed inside the house it needs to be vented to the outside.
There s a risk of leaks.
This configuration allows tankless units to fit in smaller spaces.
The standard galvanized vent from your old storage tank heater would quickly rust away if your tankless heater vented through it.
Tankless water heaters can be vented in two ways.
Direct vent and power vent.
You need to take into account the room not just for the heater itself but also for plumbing and electrical connections as well as ventilation for gas heaters.
Direct vent units attract outside air from the house or building while power vent units solely need an exhaust vent and should be installed in a larger area for receiving sufficient air amount for combustion.
If the unit is installed on a basement wall the vent pipe can be run up just a few feet and then vented out the side with the use of a 90 degree elbow.
Although tankless water heaters require much less space than conventional tank heaters you will still need to dedicate a spot in your home for an indoor heater.
In fact tankless water heaters save up to 16 square feet of space.
Direct vent units pull in air from outside the house so they have two vents for intake and exhaust.
Power vent units use indoor air for combustion and simply vent the exhaust to the outside.
Some homes do not have good locations for venting to be installed for the water heater.
Why choose an outdoor tankless water heater.
Tankless water heaters are vented in two ways.
If the system is mounted outside of the home then the costs of ventilation piping venting and altering the structure are avoided.
Tankless water heaters are ventilated in two ways.
Direct vent units pull in air from the outside so they have two vents for intake and exhaust.