A.O. Smith BTX-100/GDHE-50 – HOW IT WORKS

This section of the Service Manual will cover operation, common service procedures and water heater construction. The water heater covered in this Service Manual has a helical coil shaped heat exchanger that is submerged in the storage tank. The water heater uses a top mounted down fired radial burner. This is a forced draft burner; hot burning gases are forced through the heat exchanger under pressure and exit through the exhaust/vent connection located at the bottom of the water heater.

Starting at the top combustion air and fuel gas are drawn in by the blower (page 10) and Venturi (page 14). The hot burning gases exit the radial burner (page 11) and are forced through the coil shaped heat exchanger.

Flue gases spiral through the heat exchanger and exit the water heater through the exhaust/vent connection at the bottom.