What is a Direct-Vent Water Heater?

Maytag® Series 6 direct-vent gas water heaters are designed to vent the by-products of combustion from the water heater to the outside air horizontally, through an outside wall. This makes them different from “standard” gas water heaters, which are designed to vent vertically, straight up through the roof of the home. Direct-vent makes sense when replacing an electric water heater (which requires no venting) with a gas unit.

A direct-vent water heater is an option to consider for homes where installation of a new vertical chimney or replacement of an existing chimney would be too costly or impractical. An example of a “direct-vent situation” would be the opportunity to replacing an electric water heater (which requires no venting) with a gas unit.

In addition, direct-vent water heaters draw all “makeup air” needed for proper combustion from outside the home. This is accomplished through the use of a “two-channel” vent pipe, that draws air into the water heater through an outer channel, and vents through an inner channel.

This differs from “standard” gas water heaters, which draw makeup air from inside the home. Direct-vent design is beneficial in homes where the water heater is to be installed in a closet or other enclosed space, or in other applications where indoor ventilation is inadequate for proper combustion.

Maytag Series 6 power direct-vent gas water heaters are also available and deliver the same benefits of standard direct-vent models. These models allow much longer air intake and vent runs, because they are equipped with a built in blower (requires electrical power to operate).

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