The water heater should be installed as close as practical to the venting system to minimize the vent connector length required.
Water heater venting attic.
To avoid these water heater outages proper attic ventilation must be present.
A direct vent system pulls in.
When this occurs the water heater will not function.
The most common problem associated with water heater venting is a condition called backdrafting in which exhaust gases from the water heater fail to exit the home via the vent and instead end up in the house backdrafting can have many causes but it is most commonly due to poor vent design or installation and or an imbalance of air volume in the home.
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.
Single wall natural draft gas water heater vent pipe cannot be used in unheated areas like attic or garage even if only partially penetrating that space because such vent pipe installation will cause excessive condensation on vent pipe walls and compromise proper drafting double wall pipe b vent type is required.
Proper venting prevents backdrafting.