The new requirement has made water heaters safer for the ‘stupid fool.’
By now you must have learned about the new requirements for 30-, 40- and 50-gallon gas-fired storage water heaters. As of July 1, manufacturers must include a flammable vapor ignition resistant system on their water heaters. This requirement will be expanded to other size water heaters in the next few years.
There have been numerous questions regarding this change in requirement for gas-fired water heaters. First of all, the July 1 date doesn’t mean a thing to the contractor. This deadline only applies to the manufacturer. After July 1 they can no longer manufacture 30-, 40- or 50-gallon gas-fired water heaters without a flammable vapor ignition resistant system.