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 Water heater vent draft hood flue baffles improper damaged missing, hints from a home inspectorWater heater vent draft hood flue baffles improper damaged missing: exhaust vents are found on all fossil fuel burning appliances. An exhaust vent is used to "exhaust" the combustion by-products into the atmosphere safely that is, high enough above the building that the byproducts are not released into the living quarters through attic vents, windows or fan intakes, such as evaporative coolers. One major consideration when venting fossil fuel burning appliances is to maintain some separation between vents and combustibles the vent can get very hot. A "combustible" means, of course, anything which will burn. Vents should not be split or rusted out which could allow combustion by-products to be released into the building. Vents should be pitched upward at least 14" per foot. Vents penetrating ceilings or a walls should be double-wall approved appliance vents and should be one to two inches from combustibles. Vents passing through enclosed spaces and vents exposed to the weather should also be the double-wall type. Sometimes vents have to be built of such great length that they come apart at their joints under their own weight. These should be screwed together at the joints with sheet metal screws usually three per joint. Replacing appliance exhaust vents is one of the easier jobs in a building, if the vent is readily accessible. Parts are available at almost any building supply outlet all you need to take with you is a drawing of the "setup" and the diameters of the vents involved. If the inspector indicates that the vent is too close to combustibles, it may be necessary to chisel away some of the combustible or route the vent pipe around the combustible. Do not attempt to protect the combustible with asbestos or sheet metal since the separation distance is the issue. Many draft diverters are built into the appliance and are not readily recognizable. The most obvious draft diverters sit atop water heaters between the flue and the vent. There are several reasons why a draft hood or draft diverter should be in place on fuel burning appliances. Placed atop a fossil fuel burning appliance, draft diverters help prevent puffs of air at the top of the vent stack from blowing out the burners or pilot light. It also helps cool down the vent as it allows air to be drawn up into the vent along with the hot rising air. A draft diverter also allows the flue gases to escape in the event of vent blockage and also neutralizes the effect of stack action upon the operation of the appliance. Stack action refers to the speed hot air rises in a vent. Sometimes it rises so fast that it draws too much heat away or may "suck" the flame out. Baffles inside the flue also slow the heat-rise down and should be in place and secure. Baffles sometimes fall down onto the burner. Draft hood size the particular size of draft diverter may be available at home improvement centers. If not, you should contact a sheet metal, air conditioning, or heating plumbing contractor. Usually the contractor will have a draft diverter from a used appliance that will suffice. Water softener water treatment device Hot water circulating pump Natural gas energy supplied to property Propane-butane-propane Heating oil tank above ground or underground Coal wood burning systems Water shut-off at municipal connection Water shut-off at building tank Spade type water shut-off valve
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