Powered Vent ... plumbing suppliers don't stock 'em... Problematic?

[Clog]

Just called the top three plumbing suppliers in my area, looking for a 50 gallon powered DAMPER model. No one stocks them. Is there a problem with them?

Both the orange and the blue big box stores stock powered DAMPER models in both 40 and 50 gallon sizes, ready to go right now. Yet none of the plumbing suppliers do. And yes, I did the homework and looked up the appropriate model and part numbers for the Professional lines, knowing that the part numbers and model names are different than the retail lines sold in the bb stores. Even with the Professional lines, getting a powered DAMPER hot water heater from a supplier requires a special order, where I pay all the freight from across the country, and have to wait for 3 weeks.

Is there something about powered DAMPER models (ie, problems with reliability?) that relegate them to non stocking status among the supply houses that generally focus on stocking what sells? Why aren't powered DAMPER models selling? Especially with their Energy Star rating qualifying for rebates from some local utilities that offset their additional cost?

 

[Master Plumber Mark]

I have never heard of this issue.
as most real plumbing supplier have power vent water heaters....

Its usually the opposite issue with hardware stores not having them..
if you have to get one fast get the one from home depot which is basically
a better Rheem unit..

 

[Sponsor]

 

[Clog]

Interesting. I've been reading more of the archives of TerryLove on water heaters, searching powered vent specifically, (when I really should have been searching for powered DAMPER) and found that enough plumbers mentioned them throughout the country for me to believe that their rarity in my area must be anomalous.

The only thing that I can think of is cost. We are already in a jurisdiction where only the more expensive ULTRA Low Nox water heaters are allowed to be sold or installed. Low Nox alone is not good enough. The ULTRA designation can add a $100 to the cost. I am guessing that because of this, the plumbers select less featured water heaters in order for their quotes to remain competitive, and the supply houses only stock what the plumbers demand. This is just a guess though.

What I was really concerned about is if, in anyone's experience, there have been troublesome issues with the powered DAMPER models? For example, fan noise complaints? Heater shutting down due to damper mechanism sensor malfunction? Any type of functional or reliability issues that harken back to the days when FVIR systems first came out and were unreliable? In other words, do plumbers avoid powered DAMPER models in order to avoid call backs?

 

[Phog]

What I was really concerned about is if, in anyone's experience, there have been troublesome issues with the powered vent models? For example, fan noise complaints? Heater shutting down due to damper mechanism sensor malfunction?

There has always been some small segment of the population sensitive to the fan noise, and in addition to the fan/damper there are also a few other new parts related to the power venting system that can go bad (spark igniter and flame/ flue sensors). And if you live in an area that frequently loses electric power, you will notice that you lose hot water during power loss, unlike with atmospheric vent.

But for the most part the power vent systems run fine for many years and are considered "almost" as reliable as traditional atmospheric vent tanks. They have been common for well over a decade and at this point they are tried & true equipment. There isn't a big reliability concern over the typical 10(ish) year lifespan of a gas tank water heater.

I do prefer the utter simplicity of the atmospheric vent, and you will always find the one or two odd failures on any system that are the exception to the rule. But power vent is not a bad choice.

By the way, I am not a pro and do not intend to speak on behalf of those in the trade.

 

[Clog]

Need to make a quick correction in terms to sort out the variances marketing descriptions used by different companies. By "powered vent", I really meant powered flue DAMPER... an electrically operated butterfly valve at the flue of a water heater tank that otherwise is vented by an all metal 3" or 4" Class B pipe. I did not mean any type of squirrel cage blower with a PVC flue pipe to handle condensation. Since one manufacture (or retailer) description differs from another, it seemed important that I make a clear distinction.

I'm going to change my original post to say Powered DAMPER, as that better reflects what is not being carried by the supply houses. I can't edit the title though.

Specifically, the type of water heater I am looking for in the Rheem line is this part number: Professional Prestige PROP G50-38U-RH67-PD