direct vent furnace

[wrench]

I got a direct vent furnace that will not stay lit in very windy conditions without turning the house out of the wind.

The vent only goes through a 2 inch wall and i heard that they need at least a 4 inch wall. Will it make a difference or shall I build a box around the vent[with louvers]? thanks

[Hookmaster]

I was in a rental house on Red Lake recently and they had a box around the outside vent without the top and bottom. It didn't restrict the vent but protected it from the wind. Does that make sense? Another of their houses in the same area had the same setup.

[JIGGS]

With a direct vent furnace the thickness allowed for the wall is very important. If the 2" wall does not have a spacer either between it and the heater or on the outside the heater will not function properly. There also could be a problem with drawing exhaust air in to the house as the fresh air and exhaust air are exchanged in the same area. You should be able to find manufacturers specs and recomendations for exact wall thickness required. I would look into it and make the adjustment. Safety first.

[cold one sd]

I think you need to put a vinyl siding kit on the outside or build the wall out on the inside to get the right wall thickness for your vent. I think 4 1/2 inches is minimum wall thickness, but I'm not positive.

[efgh]

Fish house suppy, a sponcer of this site, has extensions for the furnace that mount on the out side of the fish house. If you do not like the looks of this you can build a mounting plate that extends the furnace into the house, 2 by 4s screwed to the inside wall on edge with a 1/2 in. plywood face, this will move the furnace to about 6 ins between the outside wall and the furnace.