Top Rheem Direct Vent Water Heaters

Rheem direct vent water heaters for residential and mobile homes. An overview of the available models, specifications, and top features. Tips for installation of the direct venting system.

All Rheem water heaters with the direct venting system reviewed here are for heating potable water and are designed with the closed combustion chamber, so all the air for gas combustion is taken directly from the outside and without the use of the electric power. The air for combustion and ventilation must not be supplied from the occupied space of your home, and the exhaust gases are safely moved to the outside atmosphere making the site safe for its owners.

Rheem Company offers two groups of gas water heaters with the direct venting:

• Fury direct vent
• Warrior direct vent

Fury direct vent

Rheem direct vent water heaters come with the vertical and horizontal venting options and are designed in two, the most popular sizes: 40 and 50-gallon, both equipped with the Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant, FVIR, technology. They are factory built to use natural gas but can be converted to use propane gas also.

When comparing these models with other from Fury series, direct vent models come with the energy factor close to the 0.59, which doesn't qualify them as the high-efficient and Energy Star. The recovery rate is 36.4 GPH for water heaters with the vertical venting, 38.4 for horizontal, while the first hour delivery is 66 and 80 GPH.

Rheem direct vent water heaters utilize the adjustable coaxial (pipe inside a pipe) venting system for easier and convenient installation. The combustion air is drawn in through the outer pipe, while the products of combustion are transferred through the inner pipe, out. The roof jack in the vertical installation is sold separately and must be installed per manufacturer's instructions. The horizontal vent is also adjustable and coaxial type and can be rotated 360 degrees for venting flexibility.

All Fury direct vent water heaters have a pilot light which is lit by a piezoelectric spark found on the gas control valve. At the front of the valve, there is a thermostat dial which allows you to set the temperature between 80 and 160 F. As most of the heaters; Fury DV models are also equipped with the standard magnesium anode rod that protects the tank from corrosion, factory installed TPR valve and brass drain valve.

All models come with the warranty of 6 years, but Rheem offers an extended warranty of 10 years, where it includes better protection against corrosion.

Warrior direct vent

Rheem direct vent water heaters from Warrior series are specially designed, certified, and approved for manufactured housing. There are two types here: Warrior DV as the direct vent and Warrior DVX as the vertical co-axial and direct vent model. All units are FVIR compliant and are featuring the Guardian System, allowing all the units to comply with the standards for flammable vapor ignition resistance. As with the Fury series, Warrior series uses the combustion air from outside.

Warrior DV series offers three sizes, 30, 40 and 50-gallon, all working on natural gas or propane. The first hour rate is in the range from 51 to 67 gallons, the recovery rate is from 30.3 to 32.3, and the energy factor is from 0.58 to 0.61, so they don't meet the Energy Star requirements.

Warrior DVX has two models with the 40 and 50 gallons’ capacity, which feature 36.4 recovery rate, 66 and 78 FHR, and an energy factor of 0.59. These two models utilize the EverKleen system, which is a self-cleaning system that fights the sediment buildup.

The venting system consists of the adjustable roof jack and direct combustion air inlet, are sold separately. The air is drawn directly into the combustion chamber and through the air inlet fixed to the base.

It is very important to comply with the manufacturer's instructions when installing the venting system, to eliminate the danger of the unsafe operation of the water heater. Rheem direct vent water heaters are correctly used if they have an adequate air supply and discharge products of combustion directly to the outside atmosphere. Also, the water heater must be installed with the factory approved venting pipes, and the old must be replaced with the new vent system.

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