Water Heaters - Which is quietest Power Vent?
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Handyman in Van
06-13-07, 04:49 PM
I am removing the chimney in my house which requires an alternate venting method for my gas hot water tank. Since the tank is 10 years old, I'll replace the whole thing. Its not near an exterior wall, so if I stick with gas, a power vent model is the only option. However, the closet where the HW tank is located is right next to a bedroom.
All the ads for power vent models state they have "quiet" fans, however nobody seems to agree, with one posting stating his neighbour can hear his power vent running. The Johnwood SuperFlue (I think made by the same company as GSW) model claims to be the quietest in the industry, 25% quieter than the competition. Their tech support states it produces 54dB of noise (but did state at what distance that was measured). Does anyone have experience with this model to know if it really is any quieter?
Why do these powervent units allow PVC exhaust piping instead of steel? Does this mean they are high efficiency units?
Lastly, has anyone heard of a remotely mounted fan kit?
Thanks!
All the ads for power vent models state they have "quiet" fans, however nobody seems to agree, with one posting stating his neighbour can hear his power vent running. The Johnwood SuperFlue (I think made by the same company as GSW) model claims to be the quietest in the industry, 25% quieter than the competition. Their tech support states it produces 54dB of noise (but did state at what distance that was measured). Does anyone have experience with this model to know if it really is any quieter?
Why do these powervent units allow PVC exhaust piping instead of steel? Does this mean they are high efficiency units?
Lastly, has anyone heard of a remotely mounted fan kit?
Thanks!
hankhill6018
06-13-07, 06:14 PM
Some power vent heaters are quieter than others but unless you compare them side by side the difference may not be that significant. The noise is more of a white noise that you may not even notice after a while.
PVC is acceptable for use with these heaters because the flue gases are diluted with air cooling them off. This doesn't not make it a high efficient heater.
I do have one question, just to verify, you stated the water heater is "next to a bedroom". I hope you don't mean a bedroom closet. If it is in a bed room closet, I would find an alternate location for it. Generally speaking, water heaters are not allowed in bedrooms or bedroom closets unless it's a direct vent water heater. Also, being it's in a closet make sure there is enough ventilation in there for air exchange. The flame needs oxygen to burn. To seal it up in a closet will cause the oxygen to deplete resulting in the heater not burning properly. This in turn could cause the water heater to overheat shutting it down.
PVC is acceptable for use with these heaters because the flue gases are diluted with air cooling them off. This doesn't not make it a high efficient heater.
I do have one question, just to verify, you stated the water heater is "next to a bedroom". I hope you don't mean a bedroom closet. If it is in a bed room closet, I would find an alternate location for it. Generally speaking, water heaters are not allowed in bedrooms or bedroom closets unless it's a direct vent water heater. Also, being it's in a closet make sure there is enough ventilation in there for air exchange. The flame needs oxygen to burn. To seal it up in a closet will cause the oxygen to deplete resulting in the heater not burning properly. This in turn could cause the water heater to overheat shutting it down.
Handyman in Van
06-14-07, 12:26 PM
The closet opens to the bathroom and on the otherside, to a hallway. Both of the closet doors are louvered designs and the house overall, is old and very leaky. Regardless, I plan on installing a vent pipe to pipe fresh air into the closet from the outside of the house.
However, my 1st question remains - which brand of power vent HW tank is the quietest?
Plan B is to put a 1 hour timer switch in series with the fan motor. If the tenant in the basement finds the HW tank fan makes too much noise to sleep, he/she could shut it off for 1 hour until they get to sleep. In fact, if I were to shut power off to the fan for the hours of 11pm to 5am, through the use of a timer, would this save me any significant amount of gas?
Thanks!
However, my 1st question remains - which brand of power vent HW tank is the quietest?
Plan B is to put a 1 hour timer switch in series with the fan motor. If the tenant in the basement finds the HW tank fan makes too much noise to sleep, he/she could shut it off for 1 hour until they get to sleep. In fact, if I were to shut power off to the fan for the hours of 11pm to 5am, through the use of a timer, would this save me any significant amount of gas?
Thanks!
hankhill6018
06-14-07, 06:20 PM
I can't say for sure which is the quietest. I think the Bradford White's are fairly quiet. Never did a true comparison.
If you were to put it on a timer, I would put the timer on the outlet instead of splicing in to the water heaters wiring. You won't get any gas savings. Instead of the heater running for short periods to maintain temperature, it will run longer when the power comes back on for reheat the water.
If you were to put it on a timer, I would put the timer on the outlet instead of splicing in to the water heaters wiring. You won't get any gas savings. Instead of the heater running for short periods to maintain temperature, it will run longer when the power comes back on for reheat the water.