Proper Venting on 20 yr. old Lochinvar Water Heater

[Laura L.]

We have a 20 year old Lochinar water heater. We just discovered that we have to replace our furnace & the tech said we should go ahead & replace the water heater as well because of how it is vented (with an accordian plastic tube), because there have been problems with that type of venting & it should be changed for safety (in case the tube cracks or gets a leak). There is nothing wrong with the heater & if we have to spend an un-planned $4000+ on a furnace, don't really want to add another $1200 to that if we can get around it.

Is there different venting we could use for the water heater that is safer? Since we are in Michigan & a winter storm is coming tomorrow, we need to act on this quickly.

Thank you.

[Gary Swart]

There is some good logic for replacing a 20 yo heater now, but until it starts leaking, it's not absolutely necessary. As far as the vent is concerned, that can should be easy enough to fix. Metal vent pipe is not expensive and is readily available. I would suggest you start saving for a new water heater though. Twenty years is way past normal life expectancy for these things. I don't know if $1200 is really necessary, but you local prices may be different than mine.

[hj]

Unless the "accordian plastic tube" is part of the water heater, there is absolutely no reason to change the water heater when all you need is a new metal vent pipe.