Basically the difference between the two is that the power vent water heater removes combustion gases from the atmosphere via a powered venting fan while a direct vent water heater vents these gases into the outdoor atmosphere using a chimney or exhaust pipe.
Direct vent vs chimney vent boiler.
A direct vented system just by that one fact will be more efficient since you aren t throwing away internal already heated air outside and having to heat the new air coming in to replace it.
1 is the chimney being used to vent a furnace or does the house have a direct vent furnace vent out an exterior wall.
Two of the three power vent and chimney rely on internal air for combustion a direct vented system utilizes outside air for combustion.
You cannot remove if chimney being used by furnace unless you get a high efficiency furnace.
Plumbers install a direct vent gas boiler in case an air tight construction of one s home makes it pretty difficult for a heater to draw sufficient combustion air from the inside.
There is also the 3rd option of getting a new boiler but spending to move the whole system to the other side of the house where a direct or power vent would just be pointed into the woods.
On the flip side i can put that money toward a new power vent or direct vent boiler right now if i don t really need the chimney.
This article describes side wall vent systems for conventional mid range efficiency heating boilers furnaces water heaters we include for comparison low temperature side wall vent systems used by high efficiency or condensing boilers furnaces water heaters.
In this case the installation of a chimney or a vertical exhaust vent is impossible.
2 the structure of the brickwork does it span more than 1 level.
Going with the direct vent should not be a big problem.
Direct vent chimneys or exhaust for heating appliances.