Should You Worry About Gas Water Heater Backflow?

Flashback is a hazardous situation where toxic combustion gases are not properly vented. Instead of rising up the chimney and venting outside, some exhaust enters the home. Flashback is primarily a problem with atmospheric emission gas water heaters. So how to avoid this situation? Read on to learn more.

With atmospherically vented water heaters, the hot exhaust air is designed to rise naturally and exit the chimney. If the vent is not installed properly, such as if the vent pipe is angled too much or slopes downward, the exhaust will not be able to reach the top of the chimney on its own. Also, if the vents are clogged, this can force exhaust air down the ducts and into the home.

The good news is that tracebacks are relatively easy to test or identify. Here are some ways.

- Run your hand around the vent hood (the tapered vertical pipe at the top of the water heater) and see if you feel warm, moist air

- Put a small mirror next to the fume hood and look over your shoulder to see if the mirror is fogging up, which indicates the presence of moist air.

- Check the vents for soot, which is a dark residue.

- Check to see if the plastic cover on top of the water heater is melted or deformed.

- Look for corrosion stains on the top of the water heater, this could be from vent condensation; likewise, if you see water/moisture on top of the tank, this could be due to sucking back.

If you notice signs of backfiring or suspect that your gas water heater is leaking exhaust into your home, don't ignore the problem. The most immediate thing you can do is improve the ventilation in your home, such as in the bathroom or kitchen, by opening a window or running an exhaust fan nearby. Next, have your water heater inspected by an experienced HVAC technician to see what can be done. Vent settings can be corrected, missing vent caps replaced, or power supply vents installed.

Depending on the age of your water heater, you may want to consider replacing the unit. Atmospheric gas water heaters are usually entry-level appliances. A safer option might be a vented water heater with a fan, which helps move combustion gases out of the home, rather than relying on the natural rise of the gases. This type of ventilation greatly reduces the chance of backflow.

The above briefly introduces some related problems of gas water heater backflow. If you want to buy a new gas water heater, please contact us.

Greidea is a professional custom gas water heater manufacturer with more than 20 years of experience. In our R&D department, 12 engineers are hired to guarantee our R&D advantages and innovation advantages. Test rooms and assembly lines have been upgraded. Spend 3% of revenue annually on research and development. With an excellent manufacturing team and QC team, the annual output of gas water heaters is 500,000 sets, with first-class quality.