John Vastyan, Common Ground, Manheim, Pa.

Water heater specifications

View the full story, including all images and figures, in our monthly digital edition   Just a few years ago, specifying engineers routinely were challenged by an inability to easily place and locate commercial water heaters. The limitations of atmospherically vented systems, facility design, aesthetics, and close proximity to other buildings all factored in to the equation. Today it's not uncommon for building owners or managers to express late in the game an aversion to visible venting, based purely on aesthetic reasons. This is especially true in historic districts. Fortunately, many of the obstacles to easy placement of water heaters—at least those tied to building design and construction—are overcome with the emergence of new water heater systems, making it much easier to achieve manufacturer-specified combustion air or venting runs. The arsenal of commercial water heater products and associated technology has grown considerably, availing a wide range of fuel, venting, and combustion air options.