Understanding New Water-Heater Regulations - This Old House

In this video, This Old House plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey explains how new energy-saving regulations affect today's water heaters.
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Key points:
1. Small-capacity gas-fired water heaters, in the 30-gallon to 50-gallon range, must now have at least 2 inches of insulation on the sidewalls of the tank and 2 to 4 inches at the top of the tank.
2. Gas-fired water heaters with 55-gallon or larger tanks can no longer be vented into a chimney.
3. New condensing water heaters must be connected to a PVC vent and direct-vented to the outdoors.
4. The new electric-powered water heaters with 55-gallon and larger tanks will be hybrid heat pumps that use 50 percent less energy but are much larger and taller than previous units.
5. The new regulations don't affect on-demand tankless water heaters.
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Homeowners have a virtual truckload of questions for us on smaller projects, and we're ready to answer. Ask This Old House solves the steady stream of home improvement problems faced by our viewers—and we make house calls! Ask This Old House features some familiar faces from This Old House, including Kevin O'Connor, general contractor Tom Silva, plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey, and landscape contractor Roger Cook.
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Understanding New Water-Heater Regulations | Ask This Old House
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