Non-Direct Vent installations, combustion air is taken from indoors or ventilated attic or crawl space and flue gases are discharged outdoors. See Figure 2 and Figure 3 for application involving roof termination.
What is a direct vent exhaust system?
Direct Vent In direct-vent appliances, you use special direct-vent pipe recommended by the supplier. The direct-vent system involves two parts, one part for the exhaust and one for combustion air intake. The appliance itself is a completely sealed combustion chamber and no air from the house is used for combustion.
What is a direct vent fireplace?
Direct vent is a term used to describe a specifically designed fireplace that performs differently from the traditionally vented fireplace which use a chimney. This type of fireplace has a sealed combustion chamber that allows it to blow out a hole in the wall. Ventilation is the process by which air is drawn into the fireplace.
What is the difference between a B-vent and a direct vent?
Direct-vent appliances are typically higher in efficiency than b-vent appliances and put out a lot of heat even with a low flame setting. Cons: Direct fireplaces have a sealed glass front and typically a smaller flame than a b-vent fireplace or a vent-free fireplace.
How does a direct vent air conditioner work?
The direct-vent system involves two parts, one part for the exhaust and one for combustion air intake. The appliance itself is a completely sealed combustion chamber and no air from the house is used for combustion. The exhaust vents can go either out through a sidewall or through the roof.
What does direct vent mean in HVAC?
Direct Vent A direct furnace vent features two pipes of different sizes in the heating system. One pipe draws in air from outside the house to bring it to the combustion chamber, and the other pipe lets the gas escape once it is used. It can be installed either vertically or horizontally.
Is direct vent furnace better?
The safest and most efficient venting option is direct venting. As the name indicates, direct venting conveys outside air to the furnace via a sealed pipe. A sealed second pipe — usually parallel to or encompassing the smaller supply pipe — conveys hot combustion gases from the furnace to the air outside your home.
What does direct vent mean on a boiler?
A direct-vent sealed-combustion furnace, boiler, or water heater brings combustion air directly from outdoors to the sealed combustion chamber through one sealed pipe and exhausts the byproducts of combustion (carbon dioxide and nitrogen) to the outdoors through a second sealed pipe (Figure 1).
What is the difference between a direct vent and power vent water heater?
The difference is that a power vent water heater pulls in combustion air from the space around the appliance, then uses a fan to propel the exhaust through the vent. A direct vent system pulls in air from outside and then vents the exhaust through a horizontal pipe.
What's the difference between direct vent and non direct vent?
Direct vent (two-pipe) vent system – This system uses one pipe to bring in outside air for combustion and another to remove exhaust gases. Non-direct (single-pipe) vent system – This system uses only one pipe to remove exhaust gases.
Why does my furnace have 2 vents?
Most high-efficiency furnaces have two pipes coming out of the wall; one to bring combustion air into the furnace and the other to blow exhaust gases back out. It's important for the exhaust gas to not get sucked back into the furnace, so manufacturers will usually give several ways to do this.
How can I tell if my water heater is direct vent?
The difference in terms of venting direction: A direct vent unit directly vents out the exhaust gases vertically. Straight to your vertical vent or chimney. It's also called the standard vent water heater. Meanwhile, a power vent unit vents out the exhaust gases horizontally.
Why do I need a direct vent water heater?
Power direct vents are used when the space in which you are installing a water heater lacks sufficient air for combustion and requires flexibility around the installation. Consult a professional plumbing contractor to make sure that you need power direct venting before going down this installation path.
Why are direct vent water heaters so expensive?
Power vent water heaters have more moving parts, which makes them more complex and costlier to install. They can use either a vertical or horizontal vent pipe as the blower or fan provides the momentum to move the exhaust gases.
What happens if a water heater is not vented properly?
A vent connector is the thing that takes the exhaust gases from the top of the water heater (draft hood) to the vent. If a vent connector isn't properly installed, the potential for the water heater to backdraft increases.
Can you vent water heater and furnace together?
Vent connectors serving equipment vented by Natural draft (typical water heater) Shall Not Be Connected Into Any Portion of Mechanical-draft systems (80% and higher efficiency gas furnaces). This Means: With Any New Furnace Installation — A Gas Water Heater Must Then Be Separately Vented.
What is the code for venting a hot water heater?
Clearance to combustibles: for gas fired water heater vents: 6" minimum clearance from single-wall vent pipe or flue-vent connector to any combustible material. Single wall vent pipes cannot pass through a ceiling, floor, firewall, or wall.
How should a high efficiency furnace be vented?
Proper sidewall venting requires installing separate vent pipes horizontally so that they vent to the outdoors through a wall of your home. These ventilation pipes should be isolated from the furnace combustion chamber and made airtight to eliminate the possibility of combustion gas leakage.
Does a high efficiency furnace need a chimney?
That's because high-efficiency systems don't need a flue or smokestack for exhaust. Instead, they use PVC piping. The piping runs horizontally and out of the home through a wall. With a high-efficiency gas furnace, then, our homeowner didn't need his chimney.
How does a direct vent furnace work?
A direct-vent wall furnace is a self-contained sealed combustion heating appliance that warms inside air by recirculating it around a sealed chamber, and discharges combustion byproducts outside the home via direct-vent. They are permanently attached to the structure of a building, and are not connected to ductwork.
Can I vent my furnace out the side of my house?
If your furnace has an AFUE rating of 90 percent or above, it will have a flue pipe that goes out of the side of your house. That's because the combustion byproducts are in a liquid form, so they need to be drained out of your home in a similar way that the condensation from your air conditioner is drained outside.
How does a direct vent fireplace work?
Direct-vent technology describes a gas-burning appliance that uses two pipes - often one smaller pipe within another larger pipe - to both exhaust the flue gases and bring in fresh air for combustion. They are one of the safest, most convenient, and most popular ways of adding a gas fireplace to your home. The area where the fire takes place, often called the combustion chamber or firebox, is sealed with a glass panel and gaskets protected by a safety barrier screen. This allows you to enjoy the view of the fire while preventing fumes from coming into the home or already-heated room air from escaping out the chimney.
Can you install a direct vent fireplace?
Whether you are installing a built-in direct-vent fireplace, a direct-vent insert or a direct-vent freestanding stove, the principles are all the same. You get clean-burning, efficient heat from a gas burning appliance that looks like its burning real wood! Again, make sure to consult the appliance manual and local code to assure the installation is done properly.
Can a fireplace be vented vertically?
Built-in fireplaces can be vented either vertically or horizontally with the proper direct-vent piping and vent caps. This allows for flexibility when selecting the location of the fireplace.
Can you vent a fireplace through a chimney?
While you can exhaust a direct-vent fireplace out a chimney and flue, it is not required. They also can be vented vertically through the roof or horizontally via a sidewall. This eliminates backdraft so harmful gases don't get sucked right back into the home.
Can a pellet stove be vented horizontally?
A direct-vent pellet stove gives you the benefits of gas stoves with maximum efficiency. Some wood pellet stoves can be vented horizontally through the wall much like gas fireplaces . However, certain manufacturers discourage this due to safety concerns, so check the product information before proceeding. 3 years ago.
Can a furnace be used as a construction heater?
Often, in new construction, the furnace has been used as a "construction heater" in violation of the manufacturer's installation instructions, which may void the manufacturer's guarantee.
Is a furnace a direct vent?
The furnace is set up for non-direct vent (only has the one vent flue for the exhaust). The intake vent opening is just has a 90 degree elbow sitting on it drawing air in from the unfinished basement that it is in. This is how the builder put it in and that is all that the code in my area calls for, I live in Southern Indiana if that makes a difference.
How does a direct vent work?
The direct-vent system involves two parts, one part for the exhaust and one for combustion air intake. The appliance itself is a completely sealed combustion chamber and no air from the house is used for combustion. The exhaust vents can go either out through a sidewall or through the roof. Pros: Combustion fumes are vented outside.
What is a natural vent?
Sometimes referred to as Natural Vent - B-Vent appliances use pipe (b-vent) that must be installed through the home and terminate above the roof. They also use room air for combustion, but the amount of air they use is minimal.
What is vent free fireplace?
Vent-free products are typically the most efficient of all fireplaces or gas logs since all the heat is generated into the room or home. Cons: Combustion fumes are vented inside the home which affect some people who are very sensitive to smell or allergies.
What is the difference between a direct vent and a b vent fireplace?
Direct-vent appliances are typically higher in efficiency than b-vent appliances and put out a lot of heat even with a low flame setting. Cons: Direct fireplaces have a sealed glass front and typically a smaller flame than a b-vent fireplace or a vent-free fireplace. The position and look of the logs in the fireplace cannot be altered ...
Do you need a vent for a vent free fireplace?
A vent-free fireplace uses no venting pipe at all which allows placement of the fireplace in many places otherwise unavailable to a vented fireplace. The burner of the fireplace or gas log set is designed to be 99%+ efficient, therefore there is no need to vent the appliance.
Is B vent efficient?
B-vent appliances are relatively efficient. Cons: B-vent must be installed through the interior of the home and terminate above the roof which may pose extensive installation labor costs or difficulties depending on the home. B-vent could potentially be a source of cool air into the living area if a downdraft occurs.
Does vent free expel moisture?
Vent- free products expel a fair amount of moisture as a result of the burn process which also is expelled into the home and can be a problem especially in a room with a lot of windows like a sun-room since the windows may drip from all the moisture. Typically there is a low flame with vent-free products and the placement ...
What is the difference between direct vent and vent free fireplace inserts?
For vent-free gas inserts to reduce the risk of emissions being transmitted into the home, the burn temperature of the fire needs to be higher . So, this higher temperature produces a less realistic, sometimes blue flame. When it comes to a direct vented gas fireplace insert, it produces a realistic flame because the temperature is controlled. This results in a flame that most closely resembles a wood burning fire. If realism and aesthetics are important to you, direct vent will always beat vent free.
What is direct vent gas insert?
Direct vent gas inserts use outside air for combustion. This results in no cold air coming in the house from windows, doorways, or other leaks to feed the fire like a natural wood fire does. As a result, this allows the room air to not lose heat and then warm up faster.
Why is a direct vent fireplace insert realistic?
When it comes to a direct vented gas fireplace insert, it produces a realistic flame because the temperature is controlled. This results in a flame that most closely resembles a wood burning fire. If realism and aesthetics are important to you, direct vent will always beat vent free.
What is vent free fireplace insert?
Vent free gas fireplace inserts are usually less realistic looking than a direct vent gas insert. If you are mainly looking for an aesthetic, you should go with the direct vent gas insert. However, if you prefer warmth over aesthetics, go with the vent free option.
How much does a vent free gas fireplace insert cost?
Vent free gas inserts, on the other hand, will cost between $1,000 and $5,000.
Can ventless fireplace inserts be installed in a bathroom?
In Massachusetts, ventless gas fireplace inserts cannot be installed in a bedroom or bathroom. They also cannot be the primary source of heat in the room they are installed in. So, you must have a conventional heating source in that room already, such as gas, electric, or oil heating.
Do ventless gas inserts have to be a certain distance away?
For example, this includes wood mantles and other combustible items that the gas insert must be a certain distance away.
What is direct vent?
Direct vent is by far the most common venting method and is the newest form of venting, invented by the founders of Heat & Glo in the 1980s. It remains a popular choice because of its efficiency, safety, flexibility and the fact that it does not require an existing chimney. But how, exactly, does it work? In direct vent fireplaces, ...
What is a direct vent fireplace?
The direct vent fireplace unit is sealed off from the home’s interior with a high-temperature glass panel and protective screen, so any flames or combustion byproducts are completely separated from the air in your home. This illustration shows how a direct vent can be routed from the firebox directly through the wall to the outdoors, and also the optional side and top venting routes.
Do you need a chimney for direct vent?
Given the venting flexibility, wide range of styles and the fact that a chimney is not required for installation, direct vent appliances are well-suited to just about any type of home and room.
Can a direct vent be routed through the wall?
This illustration shows how a direct vent can be routed from the firebox directly through the wall to the outdoors, and also the optional side and top venting routes. Direct vent gas fireplaces, stoves and inserts come in a broad range of sizes, efficiently producing heat almost anywhere in the home.
