Insulation Blankets; Air Requirements - A.O. Smith Gphe 50 Instruction Manual

in an alcove or closet, the entire floor must be covered by the panel.
Failure to heed this warning may result in a fire hazard.
Minimum clearances between water heater and combustible
construction are 0 inch at the sides and rear, 5.5" (14.0 cm) from the
front and 12" (30.5 cm) from top. (Standard clearance.) If clearances
stated on the heater differ from standard clearances, install water
heater according to clearances stated on the heater.
Adequate clearance 24" (61.0 cm) for servicing this appliance should
be considered before installation, such as changing the anodes, etc.
A minimum clearance of 5.5" (14.0 cm) must be allowed for access
to replaceable parts such as thermostats, drain valve, relief valve
and condensate drain.
When installing the heater, consideration must be given to proper
location. Location selected should be as close to the wall as practicable
and as centralized with the water piping system as possible.
FIGURE 4.
A gas water heater cannot operate properly without the correct amount
of air for combustion. Do not install in a confined area such as a closet,
unless you provide air as shown in the "Locating The New Water
Heater" section. Never obstruct the flow of ventilation air. If you have
any doubts or questions at all, call your gas supplier. Failure to provide
the proper amount of combustion air can result in a fire or explosion
and cause death, serious bodily injury, or property damage.
fIGure 5.
If this water heater will be used in beauty shops, barber shops,
cleaning establishments, or self-service laundries with dry cleaning
equipment, it is imperative that the water heater or water heaters
be installed so that combustion and ventilation air be taken from
outside these areas.
Propellants of aerosol sprays and volatile compounds, (cleaners,
chlorine based chemicals, refrigerants, etc.) in addition to being highly
flammable in many cases, will also react to form corrosive hydrochloric
acid when exposed to the combustion products of the water heater.
The results can be hazardous, and also cause product failure.

InsulatIon BlanKets

Insulation blankets are available to the general public for external
use on gas water heaters but are not necessary with these products.
The purpose of an insulation blanket is to reduce standby heat loss
encountered with storage tank heaters. Your water heater meets or
exceeds the Energy Policy Act standards with respect to insulation and
standby loss requirements, making an insulation blanket unnecessary.
Should you choose to apply an insulation blanket to this heater, you
should follow these instructions (For identification of components
mentioned below, see Figure 1). Failure to follow these instructions can
restrict the air flow required for proper combustion, potentially resulting
in fire, asphyxiation, serious personal injury or death.
• Do not apply insulation to the top of the water heater, as this will
interfere with safe operation of the blower assembly.
• Do not cover the outer door, thermostat or temperature & pressure
relief valve.
• Do not allow insulation to come within 2" (5.1 cm) of the floor to
prevent blockage of combustion air flow to the burner.
• Do not cover the instruction manual. Keep it on the side of the
water heater or nearby for future reference.
• Do obtain new warning and instruction labels from the manufacturer
for placement on the blanket directly over the existing labels.
• Do inspect the insulation blanket frequently to make certain it
does not sag, thereby obstructing combustion air flow.

aIr requIreMents

For safe operation an adequate supply of fresh uncontaminated
air for combustion and ventilation must be provided.
An insufficient supply of air can cause recirculation of combustion
products resulting in contamination that may be hazardous to life.
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