On Dec 10, 2:14*pm, Steve Barker wrote:
On 12/10/2010 9:45 AM, wrote:





Going through the quote process for my new furnace and AC and came up
with two questions:

1 - Are new refrigerant lines required or recommended? *The existing
system is 26 years old, still working
no burned out compressor, etc. *One company says they have to be
replaced, other I didn't talk with
on that specific subject, but their quote calls out flushing and re-
using the existing ones.

2 - *The new furnace will be direct vent, so it leaves the gas water
heater orphaned on the existing chimney that was shared with the gas
furnace. *Is a chimney liner required or recommended? * Chimney is
clay flue lined, most of chimney is entirely within the house, except
the last 5 ft or so which is in a wood siding chase above the roof
line. *Don't have the exact measurements of the flue without going on
the roof, but guessing it's about 9 X 6 or so. *Again, one company
says must do, the other says not needed.

I can answer only #2, because i've ran into this exact situation 3 times
now. *The answer is to have a liner installed. *The clay flue will never
run hot enough to stay dry, and much caustic condensation will run back
down it. My HVAC man recommends a 4" liner, properly capped on top,
hooked to b-vent pipe to within a couple feet of the water heater. This
minimizes condensation as much as possible.

--
Steve Barker
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Pardon my ignorance, but what is a b-vent?