Welcome! Here are the website rules, as well as some tips for using this forum.
Need to contact us? Visit https://heatinghelp.com/contact-us/.
Click here to Find a Contractor in your area.

Why sell a "blanketed" gas water heater?

Options
Jells
Jells Member Posts: 566
in Domestic Hot Water
I recently ordered and installed an AO Smith "40 Gallon - 40,000 BTU ProLine Blanketed Residential Gas Water Heater - Tall Model (Nat Gas)". It was one of the few 18" dia I found, larger would not fit the space. In the box came a tightly rolled insulation blanket!

Am I correct in guessing that this is simply a way of making an older model heater comply with current efficiency standards to be able to sell it? I'm assuming the heater is no more or less efficient than the 12 year old nearly identical dimension Rheem it replaced.

I'm dubious about the efficacy of the blanket, in my mind way more of the standby losses go up the flue pipe than out the jacket.

Comments

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 22,158
    Options
    The jacket loss depends on how cold the room where the tank is located gets. There is a formula for that calculation in one of the Idronics. If your chimney has a high draft, no doubt that is a big loss number

    I think you are correct that an 18” diameter tank may not meet the energy standard without a R3-5 blanket
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • Jells
    Jells Member Posts: 566
    Options
    hot_rod said:
    The jacket loss depends on how cold the room where the tank is located gets. There is a formula for that calculation in one of the Idronics. If your chimney has a high draft, no doubt that is a big loss number

    I think you are correct that an 18” diameter tank may not meet the energy standard without a R3-5 blanket
    It's in a heated room so not so cold. It's funny if it's one of those "fig leaf" regulatory compliance things, like the safety clip on a lighter everybody pulls off, or the blade guard on a table saw that never gets installed.

Categories