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• The New Standard
  
• Schedule for Compliance
  
• Direct Impact on Consumers
  
• Expected Price Increase
  
• Summary of Changes
  

Improper use and storage of gasoline and other flammable liquids pose a safety hazard to homeowners.

When volatile liquids are spilled near a gas-burning appliance, the vapors can ignite, causing fires. Even though gas-storage water heaters are safe, the water heater industry - in cooperation with the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) - has established a new safety standard.

The new standard mandates that gas-fired residential water heaters must not ignite flammable vapors outside the water heater from gasoline spilling onto the floor.

The New Standard
On July 1, 2003, a new voluntary safety standard for residential model water heaters, of 75,000 btu's or less, sold in the U.S. and Canada went into effect.

This standard requires that all new conventional (i.e. atmospherically-fired, natural draft vented) 30, 40, and 50-gallon residential gas water heaters incorporate new design features to make them resistant to igniting flammable vapors outside of the water heater.

Water heater models incorporating these new design features are commonly referred to as Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant (FVIR) water heaters.

The new regulations were adopted by the US Dept. of Energy under ANSI code Z21.10.1-2001. The new design will be required on all water heaters manufactured in the US after July 1, 2003, according to the following schedule:

Residential Compliance Implementation Schedule
Status	Water Heater Model Type	Implementation Date
	Gas-Fired Conventional 30 - 50-gallon Includes: Amospherically-Vented Natural Draft Vented	July 1, 2003
	Gas-fired Power-Vented 30 - 50-gallon	Current Status - Delayed January 1, 2006 (revised) July 1, 2005 (revised July 1, 2004 (original)
	20 DEC 05: Notice Compliance Implementation on Gas-fired Power-Vented delayed until further notice for all manufacturers
	All other Gas Fired Residential Includes: larger volume heaters units for manufactured homes	To Be Announced January 1, 2007 (revised) July 1, 2006 (revised) July 1, 2005 (original)

Impact on Consumers
These changes have a direct impact on consumers

The new standard will not require replacement of existing units, and older models remaining in inventory in distributors warehouses can continue to be sold until depleted.

The cost of these new units will be considerably higher than existing units, possibly as much as 50%.

Summary of Changes
Current designs expose burner flames to household air, including any flammable vapors that might result from an accidental spillage of gasoline or paint thinner. That could result in catastrophe should these vapors come in contact with the combustion flame.

A rupture in a natural gas line elsewhere in the house could pose a similar hazard. While explosions are rare, the US Consumer Products Safety Commission in 1994 attributed 2000 fires a year to the ignition of ambient flammable vapors.

In an effort to safeguard the home against this risk, a new type of combustion changer has been developed that traps inlet air and keeps burning vapors from escaping into the room where a fast-spreading fire may result.

This is accomplished by means of an arrestor plate, which is a perforated steel plate that controls the burning of vapors and prevents flashback into the room. It is augmented by a series of baffles that prevent lint, dust, and oil from clogging it.

Preventing the flame arrestor from becoming clogged by lint, dust and oil (LDO) is a challenge faced by all water heater producers.

Some manufacturers design changes include a
cartridge filter that must be replaced monthly by the consumer.

Rheem eliminates the Filter
Water heaters from Rheem do not use such cartridges, and are virtually maintenance free.

Rheem's new Guardian system takes air from the sides of the water heater rather than the bottom.

This air passes through a series of baffles that causes many changes of direction of the air flow, thus filtering lint, dust and oil before it enters the combustion chamber. Inside the combustion chamber, if flammable vapor ignition occurs, the system shuts off automatically.

Should a spill incident occur, the Guardian System shuts off the gas supply and the air supply preventing a sustained vapor burn in the combustion chamber.

This one-of-a-kind, air-and-fuel shut-off device provides extra reliability and ultimate protection.

• A unique air intake pre-filters 100% of all incoming combustion air.
  
• Air enters the combustion chamber from the sides of the water heater, not from below, where Lint, Dust and Oil (LDO) tend to accumulate.
  
• A unique air pathway has special baffles that cause a significant amount of LDO to drop down and away, so it won't clog the arrestor plate.
  

The Rheem GUARDIAN SYSTEM is truly maintenance free. Nothing to reset. No filters to clean.

Standard Replacement Parts with the Guardian System incorporate a standard gas valve and thermocouple.

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