TECHNICAL BULLETIN

Insulation blankets available to the general public for external use on gas water heaters are not necessary with A. O. Smith products. The purpose of an insulation blanket is to reduce the standby heat loss encountered with storage tank heaters. Your A. O. Smith water heater meets or exceeds the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act standards with respect to insulation and standby loss requirements, making an insulation blanket unnecessary.

Please note that the following change has been incorporated since the time that your instruction manual was printed. Contrary to the warranty exclusion listed on the back of the instruction manual that came with your water heater, the use of an insulation blanket will not void your warranty. 

Should you choose to apply an insulation blanket to this heater, you should follow these instructions (see Figure 1 in the instruction manual for identification of components mentioned below). Failure to follow these instructions can restrict the air flow required for proper combustion, 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 draft hood.
• Do not cover the outer door, thermostat or temperature & pressure relief valve.
• Do not allow insulation to come within 2" 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 A. O. Smith 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.