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Benefits Of Having A Water Heater Repair Technician Install A Direct Vent Water Heater | Sugar Land, TX
There are many water heaters out there, and you need to know which unit to install, especially when the cold season kicks in. So, should you install a conventional or a tankless water heater? Power vent or direct vent unit? If unsure, reach out to your water heater repair technician for advice. They will consider many factors, such as the size of your family, your hot water use habits, and the power sources available at your Sugar Land, TX home, to help you choose a suitable unit. One of the units that the professional may recommend is a direct water heater.
What Are Direct Vent Water Heaters?
A direct vent water heater is a gas-powered water heating unit. It burns propane and natural gas to heat water at your home. These water heaters are helpful in spaces that don’t have sufficient ventilation. But why? This is because they draw the air from outside your house rather than inside. It then uses this outside air for the combustion to arise. Hence, they cannot impact indoor air quality by venting the byproducts of combustion into your home. Is your condo or house space restricted? Talk with your water heater repair technician about installing a direct vent water heater.
Power vs Direct Water Heaters
People sometimes mistake power vent water heaters with direct water heaters and vice versa; maybe it’s because they both have the word “vent.” However, there are some differences, including:
Differences in the source of combustion air: While a direct vent water heater draws the combustion air from outdoors, power vent units draw air used for combustion from the indoor space. Hence, if you have a space-restricted home, you should have a water heater repair technician install a direct vent unit that draws and vents air from the outside.
The difference in terms of Direction of venting: In direct vent water heaters, exhaust gases are vented directly vertically through your chimney and vent. These units are also called standard vent water heaters. On the other hand, power vent units vent the exhaust gases out horizontally. To do this, they need more power and components. A power vent has an electrical fan that pushes these exhaust gases out of your home. They have a blower motor or a blower fan. This electrically powered fan pushes the exhaust gases via the horizontal vent piping. But where is this blower motor installed? It is located at the top of your unit. If the blower motors are damaged, you’ll need to have them fixed by a water heater repair technician.
The difference in venting pipes: Power vent water heaters exhaust the gaseous byproducts of combustion through a plastic or PVC pipe vent. In contrast, direct vent water heaters do this with the help of metallic venting. But why a metal vent pipe? This is because the metallic pipes can easily handle the higher gas temperatures from the direct vent water heaters. Plastic vents could melt in such heat.
Advantages of Installing Direct Vent Water Heaters
They Draw Air from Inside
This water heater is directly connected to the exterior by two pipes or a smaller pipe inside a bigger one, unlike non-direct vent heaters. This indicates that, rather than using air from within your home that may have previously been used to cool or heat your Sugar Land, TX home, the heater draws its combustion air directly from the outside. This is one component of the effectiveness of direct vent water heaters. The units can help you save between 10 and 14 percent on your yearly energy cost and exceed or meet the Energy Star requirements for water heaters. Do you want to save some money on water heating? Talk to your water heater repair technician about installing a direct vent water heater.
These Units Are Fully Sealed
Direct-venting water heaters are safer compared to power vent units. This is because they are made up of a fully sealed unit. Non-direct units are not sealed because they pull air from inside the space in which the water heater repair technician installs them. As a result, there is a chance of a reverse draft, which could bring gas fumes into your home and be hazardous to occupants. A direct vent heater always has access to enough air. In contrast, non-direct vent units could struggle to get enough air from inside, leading to inefficient functioning and negative air pressure.
Easy Installation
These water heaters are shipped in 40-50-gallon sizes. They have an input of from 40k to 69k BTU per hour. As mentioned above, they draw and expel air through different pipes. Unlike power vent water heaters with blowers, direct vent power units don’t, meaning that the water heater repair technician can easily install them at your home. It also means that the installation is cost-effective and more convenient.
Vent Vertically or Horizontally
Another great advantage of having a water heater repair technician install a direct vent water heating unit is that it can vent either vertically. They will vent through the roof and out from your Sugar Land, TX home. This makes it safer. Some vents that are lined with glass protect them from corrosion.
When Should You Install Direct Vent Water Heaters
Do you have a chimney at your home in the first place? Well, you need a chimney with a water heater. Your direct water heater will still work fine because of thermodynamics; that hot air will always rise as it is lighter than cold air. They will rise vertically and leave your home through the chimney. Do you now see the connection? You might want a water heater repair technician to install a direct vent unit only if your home can accommodate it.
Have the benefits above wowed you? Do you need to install this water heating? Contact us at bluefrog Plumbing + Drain of West Houston.
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