Power Vent Water Heater Quick Lesson

Today we’re in the shop, here to show you how to tell what kind of water heater venting you have on your water heater!

Watch our Video and You’ll Learn:

  • Know-How Power Vent Water Heaters Work.
  • Learn How To Check If Your Power Vent Water Heater Is Working Properly.
  • How To Tell What Kind Of Venting You Have On Your Power Vent Water Heater.

Listen To The Audio

Enjoy this transcript below!

Troy: Hey folks, Troy, Champion Plumbing out of Eagan, Minnesota. I am in my shop where we have our training facility, right now. There’s a lot of talk about, I shouldn’t say talk, there’s a lot of need for venting to change on power vent water heaters, two or three-inch usually.

Unless you have a 75-gallon power vent then it could be four-inch. And yes, this is a what not to do. You’re supposed to use the J hooks. Anyway, power vent water heater, they’re gas water heaters. They’re a little more efficient. A lot of the builders are using them. Because you can open up your floor plan. They are, like I said, a little more efficient, not much. You’re not really going to notice it on your bill, but they’re in high demand right now. To start with, if this is black, in the Midwest it’s going to have to be replaced.

Black is ABS and we didn’t have solid core ABS up in the Midwest. We only have solid core PVC. So to figure out what kind of venting you have one if it’s black, it’s ABS if it’s white, it’s PVC, but you can see on them somewhere you will have an ASTM number. This one is ASTM. Sorry. I get away from that fan, I’ll find a different spot. ASTMD2665 and ASTMD1785. That is the solid core, that’s the good stuff.

That we can use, that’s what we have to use. In 2016, all the manufacturers got together and changed their manuals so that you can no longer use foam core or cellular core, same stuff, just different way of saying it. If you have foam core PVC, the letter would start with an F, and I’m not talking about this F that’s talking about Fahrenheit, 73 degrees Fahrenheit.

It would instead of a D here or a D here, there’d be an F. I don’t know those off the top of my head. I just know as soon as you see the F, or sometimes it’ll actually even read on the pipe, cellular core. Cellular core, foam core, bad, we have to replace it. Something happened quite a long time ago and a family didn’t wake up because carbon monoxide poisoning. So another important thing is get carbon monoxide detector in every room.

And for the plumbers out there, when you are putting this stuff in, if you can notice, you can see our lettering. This one got put in backward, but you can still see it. So we can identify it, the inspectors can identify it. It’s important to do. You’ll note that we have it throughout ours. You can read the pipe, that’s important.

So again, cellular core, foam core is bad stuff on the ASTM number, right after ASTM it would say F and then there’d be four numbers. That’s the bad stuff, unfortunately, it’s got to be replaced with solid core.

So I hope this helps power vent water heaters, the venting it’s kind of a big deal. It started in 2016, but it is what it is. We’ve got to replace it. So if you have water heater or any plumbing needs, give us a call (651) 365-1340. Or look us up on the web www.championplumbing.net, and click that subscribe button.

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We work Monday through Friday: 7:00 AM – 5:00 PM and Saturday: 7:00 AM – 12:00 PM. After hours emergency service is available. You can find us at 3670 Dodd Road in Eagan, MN 55123 during our open hours. You can also call us at (651) 365-1340 or email us.