Can electrical wires touch or run inside a water heater vent chase?
Running non-metallic sheathed cable (Romex) inside or touching a hot gas water heater flue violates safety norms due to excessive heat exposure risks. This uncertainty leads DIYers to improperly bundle wires or enclose them in undersized chases, creating potential fire hazards.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1relocating or tying back wires to maintain clearance
- 2reducing the size of the chase
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“The wires touching the pipe are a no go, but the chase could be significantly smaller than it is and still be code compliant.”source ↗
“I plan on zip ties for the black and white wires. Didn’t know if the yellow will get too hot being enclosed.”source ↗
“Well, I'm not an electrician but I don't typically see romex IN the chase with a flue.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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