Christmas morning with hot water heater

Check with your AHJ. I know that around here, all gas work must be done by a licensed contractor. Not that I'd really do it myself anyway. It's not *hard,* mind you, but the consequences of getting it wrong are really, really bad.

nate

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Interesting question about the condensation. I agree you should be fine with a 5" flue as long as it's sound and condensation should not be an issue. But how are you going to watch for it? It would seem to me the condensation would just run down inside the chimney and you'd never see it. Unless you sent an inspection camera down the chimney on a cold winter day. Or had some inspection port you could access, etc.

That's one of the problems with condensation in a chimney. You don't know it's occuring and no easy way to see the damage that it causes.

here

Pop the cleanout open and look for a puddle?

rs

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What cleanout open? My chimney doesn't have any cleanout opening.

here

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Every chimney I've ever been associated with had one. Both chimneys on the old house I grew up in, the chimney in my first house, the one in my wife's first house, and the one in the house I now own. And every house I've ever worked on for my friends.. Mabee it's a "canadian thing". About 4X6 inch lift-off door at the bottom of the flue - most often to the inside of the house - but I've seen them on the outside of a chimey as well.