Common Venting

I Overview
Common venting provides a single exhaust flue for multiple gas appliances. These appliances generally include clothes dryers, ranges, water heaters and fireplaces in multifamily settings. They can also be used for multiple boilers in a commercial facility.

II Applications
Common venting is used in hotels, hospitals, office buildings, sports arenas, museums, schools, and vertical subdivisions (multi-family apartment or condominium buildings).

Common venting reduces the roof area needed for vents as well as the need for multiple vent pipes, improving the aesthetic qualities of the building. In some cases, the stack can even be terminated in a flower bed, or otherwise hidden from view

III Equipment Options
When common venting is used, building codes will require the installation of either fire and smoke dampers, or subducts and a powered fan. Subducts are small ducts that vent upward into the main duct.

Many modern common vent systems will include some form of computer control in order to function most efficiently.

IV Resources
1. Equipment Manufacturer Database