Concentric Vent Kit for Vertex Water Heaters, 100111100

Quick install

A good solution for brick or masonry walls since you can drill one hole. One 5 inch hole is recommended, and that's what we drilled, leaves a 1/4 inch margin all around for caulk which is perfect. 10 minutes with a drill and we were done-4 inch brick and then 10 inch block. SDS max and a core bit. Another benefit is that using the one piece unit gives you some additional placement options when you have to work around windows and door openings. Read the vent code carefully, intake and exhausts have different location restrictions than the combined so be careful with placement. The price is the only drawback, for what it is some PVC pipe and a couple of specialty fittings it is over priced. Even counting some labor advantages for one hole, one weatherization point, and benefits to placement it wont be worth the cost in all situations. But for this install it worked well and allowed us to run 15 feet rather than 40 due to code restrictions at termination points.

I purchased this with the Vertex water heater and it made for a nice clean installation.

In the manual for AO Smith hot water heaters (specifically GDHE-50) it is permissable to use 2"-3"-4" PVC for intake and exhaust. One would assume that the concentric vent would permit use of 2" PVC, however, the manual does not make this allowance and only specifies 3"-4" PVC as acceptable. On a functional level it should not matter as the volume is larger than a 2" concentric vent, however, if you have a strict building inspector you might have a hard time squeezing it past him. ALSO NOTE, the clearances stated in the concentric vent install manual are different than those of the water heater. So spend the time reading carefully and you will not run into issues with your inspector.

Was installed by my HVAC guy & looks to be doing great.

Works Great for dual purpose applications.