A conventional furnace vents these combustion gases through a vertical exhaust system that is attached to the furnace.
High efficiency furnace exhaust through roof.
In contrast modern high efficiency condensing furnaces exhaust much cooler gasses and need only plastic pipe materials such as pvc cpvc or abs for their exhaust vents some high efficiency furnaces also include a plastic pipe for intake area and all types.
The condition of the chimney is a factor because new super efficient gas furnaces do not vent up the chimney they are vented outdoors horizontally through a wall by a small plastic pipe.
High efficiency furnaces produce high amounts of condensation moisture in the exhaust vent which is designed to run back into and through the furnace in order to drain out into either a floor drain or other approved draining system.
Read more elaboration about it is given here in respect to this can a high efficiency furnace vent through a chimney.
A high efficiency furnace uses a different type of venting system because it extracts the heat that remains in those combustion gases before venting the resultant mixture of water and carbon dioxide.
You can capture that heat with a high efficiency condensing furnace.
The efficiency rating of a furnace is called afue annual fuel utilization efficiency.
Traditional gas fired forced air furnaces produce hot combustion exhaust gasses and therefore need metal vent pipes or chimneys.
It uses a venting system to extract that heat before venting.
This allows your furnace to get more heat out of the gas that it consumes.
A high efficiency condensing furnace can achieve efficiency ratings of 90 or above.
However these combustion gases contain residual heat that is lost through the ventilation.