A homeowner in northeast Spokane, out past Bigelow Gulch where the addresses fall under Spokane County rather than the city, had a power vent gas water heater built in 1989 still running in the basement mechanical room. Thirty five years is a long run for any tank. This one was on borrowed time.
The Call
The homeowner wanted the unit replaced before it failed rather than after, which is the right instinct with a tank that old sitting in a finished basement. We went out, looked at the install and wrote up what a proper replacement would involve.
What We Found
The old unit was a 40 gallon A.O. Smith power vent. A power vent heater is not the same animal as a standard gas tank. Instead of drafting up a chimney on its own, it uses a blower on top to push exhaust out through a horizontal run of pipe to the side of the house. That makes it a good fit for basements and mechanical rooms with no usable chimney, but it means the venting is part of the appliance, not an afterthought, and it has to be sized and pitched correctly.
Alongside the heater we found a gate valve on a nearby copper line that had corroded to the point it would not have closed if anyone needed it to. That is a small thing until the day it matters.
The Replacement
We drained and removed the old tank and installed a new 50 gallon Bradford White power vent gas water heater, going up one size from the original 40. The vent run to the outside was replaced along with the unit rather than reused, so the new heater is venting through new pipe.
The rest of the install was brought up to current code. New ball valves went on both the hot and cold side so the heater can be isolated without shutting down the house. We added a thermal expansion tank, strapped the unit with earthquake straps, set a drain pan underneath and routed it to the existing floor drain, and installed a carbon monoxide detector in the space. The corroded gate valve was replaced with a new ball valve while we were there, and the old heater left with us.
The job was permitted through Spokane County and inspected the following week.
Before and After
Materials and Equipment
- 50 gallon Bradford White power vent gas water heater
- New vent piping to the exterior
- Thermal expansion tank
- New ball valves on the hot and cold side
- Earthquake straps per code
- Drain pan routed to the floor drain
- Carbon monoxide detector
- Replacement ball valve for a corroded gate valve on a nearby copper line
- Spokane County permit and inspection
- Old water heater removed and disposed of
Warranty
The tank carries its manufacturer warranty, and this install is covered by our five year warranty through the homeowner’s active Raptor Titanium membership.
Serving Northeast Spokane and Orchard Prairie
We work the northeast side of Spokane and out into the county, from Bigelow Gulch and Argonne across to Orchard Prairie, Pasadena Park and Millwood. Plenty of homes out here are on well water, septic or county permits, and plenty of them have basement mechanical rooms with power vent heaters that were installed once and never touched again. If yours is past twenty years, our water heater team can tell you what shape it is in and what replacing it actually involves, venting included. We also install tankless water heaters where the gas line and venting suit them, and we offer financing on full replacements. The Raptor Titanium membership covers an annual water heater flush and inspection, priority scheduling and a five year warranty on plumbing installations.
Need a water heater looked at?
Not sure whether yours is natural draft or power vent? We will tell you what you have and what replacing it actually involves.