Standard water heaters are popular in North America, but not as efficient or as safe as they could be. To address these issues, some companies sell power-vented water heaters. A power-vented water heater consists of a large storage tank and a burner, just like a conventional gas-powered storage water heater. However, that’s where similarities end. This new and safer water heater also includes a fan. It draws outside air into the combustion chamber and forces combustion gases out through a vent. This is important for two reasons.
Bringing outside air in helps prevent leakage through cracks in the building envelope that reduces the overall energy-efficiency of a home. Power venting also actively expels combustion gases and the pollutants they contain. This ensures that pollutants produced by the combustion of natural gas or propane are vented to the outside and can’t enter the room air, causing health problems.
Spillage is also prevented by a closed combustion chamber. It contains the fire and the combustion gases, unlike a standard water heater, making it impossible for them to escape into our homes.
Power-vented water heaters are not only safer, they’re more efficient — usually at least ten percent more efficient than standard gas-fired storage water heaters. In fact, they’re so much more efficient than standard storage water heaters that they can be vented with plastic flue pipes rather than the metal flue pipes of conventional water heaters.
While safer and more efficient, these models do cost more and they use electricity to run the fan. Your gas bills will go down, but your electric bill will go up a tiny bit. It’s not a big deal, however. The increase will hardly be noticeable.
Read about tankless water heaters on ecomii.
What is a Solar Hot Water System?
Share This Article
