Hot Water Heater Improper Vent Pipe Danger

fritzycat1

Hello,

I live in southern California and have a hot water heater in a an outdoor vented galvanized steel enclosure. I've just noticed a few possible dangerous issues with this installation (see photos).

1. The exhaust vent pipe has obviously become detached at a joint (based on the lack of screw holes in the pipe it was never properly attached). Would it be possible for leaking flue gasses to fill the enclosure enough to snuff the pilot light, or even seep into my bedroom window next to the heater?

2. Even if the pipe was properly connected in the current configuration, wouldn't flue gasses flow up the sides around the crimped edges? Shouldn't the vent pipe be connected such that the crimped end is facing upward and mates into a non-crimped end above it?

3. The vent stack rises about 4 feet above the enclosure and is about 5 feet below the roof line. Shouldn't this extend above the roof line? (It appears the vent once did extend through the roof - you can see a hole in the eaves that has been roofed-over.)

Thanks for your help everyone!

Fritz.

Click on an image below for a more detailed view:

MACPLUMB

YES YOU SHOULD BE A PLUMBER YOU GOT IT RIGHT ! !

THE VENT SHOULD BE ENGAGED & POINTED UP AND SCREWED AT EACH JOINT

TO PREVENT DISLOCATION FROM A EARTHQUAKE !

THE WAY THAT HEATER IS VENTED A LARGE PORTION OF EXCESS GAS TO GO

INTO THE ATTIC VENTS, AND " IF CONDITIONS " ARE RIGHT COULD GO

THOUGH YOUR OPEN WINDOW THE BLOOD HAS A HIGHER AFFINITY FOR

CARBON MONOXIDE THEN OXYGEN SO IT JUST KILLS OFF YOUR BRAIN CELLS

WHILE YOU ARE SLEEPING ! ! THIS IS THE EFFECT OF LOW LEVEL
POISONING

__________________

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35 YR. MASTER PLUMBER WITH PH.D IN WATER HEATERLOGY, MASTERS DEGREE IN DRAINLOGY,
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PLUMB ANY PIPE, SNAKE ANY DRAIN, MAKE COLD WATER BOIL ON A FREEZING DAY
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fritzycat1

Thanks MacPlumb,

I replaced the vent pipe with a proper 'Type B' flexible gas vent. The stuff that was on there was thin-walled - something you would use for venting a bathroom fan.

While I had the vent stack off I also replaced the anode (the heater is 10 years old) and insulated the hot and cold water lines.

Thanks again for you help,

Fritz

Attached Images