What is FVIR?
Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistance is a technology developed for gas-fired water heaters that resists ignition of flammable vapors that may occur outside and in close proximity to a water heater as a result of the mishandling of flammable products. |
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For years, water heater designs proved themselves safe and reliable when installed, used and maintained properly. Unfortunately, occasional accidents were caused by the improper use and storage of flammable-vapor producing liquids near gas-fired appliances, such as water heaters and other common household appliances. To address this issue, a group of water heater manufacturers came together, in cooperation with the Consumer Products Safety Commission, to form the Joint Research and Development Consortium. The goal of this alliance was to develop technologies for gas-fired water heaters that would resist igniting flammable vapors that result from the mishandling of gasoline and other flammable products.
This ongoing, voluntary industry-approach to developing FVIR technologies calls for manufacturers to invest their own resources in new product designs and the methods to test them. The resulting efforts capitalize on the industry's extensive product and applications expertise.
Bradford White’s version of the new technology is called The Defender Safety System®. It was initially designed to meet The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard of FVIR compliance for conventionally vented (atmospheric), 30-, 40- and 50-gallon gas-fired water heaters with inputs of less than 75,000 BTUs.
A second version of the Defender Safety System® was designed to comply with a second phase of the ANSI standard affecting 30, 40 and 50-gallon power-vented, gas-fired water heaters under 75,000 BTUs.
The Defender Safety System®, for both conventionally and power-vented models, is basically a combustion technology that resists the ignition of flammable vapors that can occur outside of the water heater.
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