has the ability to heat water, even when the power goes out
Direct vent cons
slightly less efficient
has to be vented through the roof
not able to put the water heater in a more optimal location in my basement
Power vent pros
more efficient
I can put it in the best spot in my basement
I can run the exhaust out of the wall, instead of up through the roof
Power vent cons
more expensive upfront cost
can not heat water when the power goes out
So, my biggest worry is the losing the ability to heat water if we lost power for a significant amount of time. This could be fixed with a generator, but I am ignoring that for now, and just thinking the basics. Does anyone have any thoughts on this, preferablly from personal experience. I really want to move my water heater to the corner of the house. It would put it closer to the hot water faucets, get it out of the middle of the room, and get it closer to the sump pump hole in the case of a leak. I am leaning towards the power vent, but I am still on the fence.
I like to keep things simple, no moving parts. I still have more than one water heater from 1996 chugging along.
but then again I have 8 of them at multiple properties so simplicity is key for me. I don’t want a vent motor to stop working and make the unit not cycle 5 years from now.
Just a word of caution. If you go power vent and also have a high efficiency furnace that vents out the side, make sure you get your chimney capped. Without the heat from the exhaust, moisture will get in your chimney and slowly destroy the brickwork.
I have galvanized piping going up through my roof, not an old brick chimney for the furnace. :tup:
But, I do also have a brick chimney that I recently made inoperable, and I was told the opposite of what you just said. I was told if you cap it all up, moisture would build up inside and ruin the brickwork, so they recommend that I cap the bottom (I used rigid and spray foam), and then left the top-cap vented, so that air could flow throughout it.
My furnace is still direct vent (for now, I will replace it in the next few years), and when I do, I will be finding the best way to cap the vent. I would imagine capping it in my attic near the roof would be best, but I will have to tackle that job when it comes.
Oh yeah, I just meant not to leave it with no protection up top. I guess not putting some kind of cap when it’s still in use is a bad idea too. Unless you like dead birds in your chimney. “Capped” maybe isn’t the right word. Covered? Lidded?