Installing Liner for a Hot Water Tank Exhaust Vent (Recommend you install Stainless Steel Liner)

This video will guide you through the process of installing a flexible liner for a hot water heater/tank into an existing chimney.

PLEASE NOTE:
IT IS RECOMMENDED TO INSTALL A STAINLESS STEEL LINER and NOT an ALUMINUM LINER.
The installation can still be done as shown in the video by substituting "Stainless Steel liner" wherever "aluminum liner" is shown. The reason is that Aluminum liners will likely corrode and crumble over time whereas Stainless Steel will not.

The installation is rather simple and requires a length of string with a weight at the end (tied to another length of rope), sheet metal cutters, duct screws, a screw gun or impact driver, silicone and a caulking gun.

The procedure is as follows:
1. Lower a string with a weight (from the roof) down the chimney to your wall opening.
2. Have a helper at the bottom find and pull the string through the opening when you lower it down.
3. The string is pulled (with the rope) until the rope reaches the wall opening and the rope is marked at the top.
4. Pull out the rope and use the measured length to pull the liner to the length measured on the rope.
5. Attach the roped to the handle of the liner and lower down the chimney.
6. Have your helper pull the rope and liner down while you guide from the top.
7. Pull the rope through the wall opening until the liner reaches the opening.
8. Pull the liner through the wall opening and remove handle.
9. Secure end of liner to your hot water tank rigid vent piping with screws.
10. Apply aluminum foil tape around the joint between the liner and rigid vent pipe.
11. Fabricate a chimney cap from the flat sheet metal provided in the liner kit, to make a rough box (as shown in the video).
12. Install the chimney cap to ensure a good fit then remove and apply silicone on the top edge of the chimney (as shown) and reinstall cap.
13. Pull the liner through the chimney cap and slide the sleeve that comes with the liner kit over the liner.
14. Install the Vent Cap into the liner and secure with screws.
15. Apply aluminum foil tape around joint between liner and vent cap.
16. Lower the liner and cap into the sleeve.
17. Apply silicone on the inside edges of the chimney cap and secure 4 corners with a screw.
18. Apply silicone around the bottom of the sleeve and the chimney cap.
19. Seal the wall opening with cement.
20. You are done.

You will need to purchase a Flexible Stainless Steel Liner Kit. I purchased my aluminum liner from Noble. It was manufactured by Don Park (2259 Markham Road, Scarborough, ON, M1B 2W3 - www.donpark.com). Not sure if they also sell Stainless Steel Liners.

Good Luck with your installation.

Vito Mike Casola, P.Eng.
Fix It Yourself.