Hot Water Heater Breakdown

Originally Posted by Mechanic688

This is a natural gas heater and if I understand correctly it is so you can have the chimney go sideways and exit the house thru a wall instead of the roof.

Ya, its called a direct vent. Very helpful for builders so they dont have to build chases up from the basement or first floor to vent out of the roof. Also, takes away 1 opening in the roof that could be a potential leak problem later on. Gas furnaces are another example.