20 Best Non Condensing Tankless Water Heater (2023 Updated)

I’m writing a point form review because I don’t want to spend any more time on this very average water heater. We have two installed in different areas of our house and both behave identically, so it’s not a “lemon” problem.

1. They both make a loud groaning noise when they fire up. I’ve tried everything – including increasing the gas pipe diameter and changing every setting I can – and still they groan. We may have to move one unit because it is disturbing a neighbor.

2. We wanted to use these as solar water backups. Once the inlet water falls below a certain temperature, they should kick in and maintain hot water. Nope; they don’t fire up unless you increase the flow rate to a ridiculous level, eg full hot in the shower.

Then you have to wait until they start and deliver hot water. Yes, flow rates during normal usage – eg, shower – are well within spec. This is the real deal-breaker. A fundamental design fault. Did anyone at Rinnai ever test these things? 3.

They do NOT come with a controller. We knew this but figured we’d buy one, use it to set each unit up and then disconnect it. Nope; if you disconnect the controller, the unit reverts to non-controller settings.

Dumb. 4. Totally agree that the manual is a joke. It’s as if it was written only so that someone could tick a box and say, “Comes with a manual”. (We also have two Rinnai FC810N vent free wall heaters and they also have inept manuals as well as having some crazy-stupid design faults such as a child proof lock that unlocks if the power goes out!) 5: Rinnai service is non-existent.

They just say to contact a registered installer. There is ZERO support in any way for these things. 6. The mechanical build quality is quite high, very solid and good machine tolerances and finish. It’s just a pity that the things don’t work very well.

In short, I would never buy another Rinnai product ever again. And this is after thinking that they were a good, solid Japanese brand I could depend on. Nope!.

The poor reviews are clearly from DIY installs where the installer is taking on a project they shouldn’t be, or “professional” installs where the installer is clueless to the gas supply requirement. Folks don’t understand that 199,000 btu of gas is equivalent of 3 average furnaces.

You can’t run 1/2 or even 3/4 gas supply for more than just a few feet. This is a great unit when installed properly. People also need to realize that the 9. 4 gpm is based on a 35° temp rise. If you want 125° water at 9.

4 gpm, you better figure out how to get a 90 degree water supply. If you are running two showers at the same time, your hot temp will remain constant, but your volume will decrease substantially. Don’t bash the product just because you didn’t know what you were buying/ installing.

Description of Complaint:I have a Rinnai tankless water heater that was installed in my brand new home in 2016. The water heater started throwing an error code and the water started going cold within 2 years in our home.

I have had the system repaired (2) times out of pocket and the problem remains. I have contacted Rinnai on several occasions only to get the runaround of why the system can’t be replaced and attempts need to take to place to repair it!! I have DONE THAT!!! This is the rep I spoke with a month or so ago and recently sent an email asking “WHY” haven’t you responded to my email.

This is RIDICULOUS and I want my system replaced as it’s clear it faulty equipment. I don’t recommend this company service any residential or commercial entity until they stand behind their equipment.

Michelle Mesko Rinnai Case 448472REPLACE your faulty equipment PLEASE!!!.

I get the concept of why a tankless system should be better than a traditional tanked heater, however, my Rinnai consistently fails to deliver hot water on demand. I have had several people, installers, sellers, etc.

, tell me that my unit is fine, however, when you turn on a tap to shave, wash dishes, wash the dog, etc. , you may or may not get hot water. I was finally told by my water expert that the problem is insufficient water pressure.

So that when we use the bath or shower enough water goes through the unit to cause the unit to respond, however, the sinks may not call for enough water for the unit to realize that it should produce hot water.

If I have to spend a couple of thousand dollars on a system to increase the water pressure, it defeats the purpose of having the tankless system. We have a well, but I would not have said there was a pressure problem but for this heater.

When you turn on the taps you get a good strong flow. But not enough for this heater. I am extremely angry that no one told me of the possibility of this problem when I was shopping for the heater.

This heater works like a champ for my purpose with a couple exceptions. I’m using it in a combination heating and domestic situation and that is going well. Let me be clear that the heater is working as designed but my situation is extreme in its located at 9700 feet in elevation and the temperature of the water out of the ground is very cold.

Because I am running it in a heating application I have a commercial control and have it set at 170 with a mixing valve on the domestic to bring it back down to 130. This works fine for all fixtures except for a high volume tub that given the ground water temperature and amount of temperature rise to 170 the unit resricts the flow to accomplish this.

This is however what it’s supposed to do as rinnai heaters guarantee the water leaving the unit to be the temperature set and by restricting flow to produce all the water it can or is being asked to by flow of a fixture.

The unit adjusts the fuel usage to burn just enough to heat the amount of water to the temperature set. Like I said it works wonderfully on lower volume fixtures and really OK on the higher volume tub it’s just not what I was used to when I had 40 gallons of water stored hot, but a little patience pays off as I don’t run out of hot at some point.

In conclusion I highly recommend this unit but there is a learning curve from what we’ve become used to.

I previously had a Rinnai c85i-1 (REU-V2532FFUC-US) and was highly satisfied with it but it sprang a massive leak and needed to be replaced. The new unit is an RL94i (REU-VC2837FFUD-US) and is MUCH louder than the previous unit, to the point where I’m hesitant to use hot water because I don’t want to disturb the neighbors.

I called the installer back out, and he said the volume is normal for that unit. I contacted Rinnai support and they said it shouldn’t be obnoxiously loud, and suggested that maybe the fan blade was damage.

However, they didn’t offer to connect me with another authorized installer. I frankly don’t trust the original installer’s assessment (normal volume), and feel that Rinnai could have taken more initiative to dispatch a second authorized installer to verify the original installer’s assessment.

If the new unit really is significantly louder than the previous unit, I’m dissatisfied with the product and would shop around in the future for a unit that is better designed acoustically.

This is a “Value” series of Rinnai tankless water heaters. Installation is not easy as noted by other reviews of this product. Be prepared to spend considerable effort in installing this product. The most significant issue is venting.

The installation manual only references “local codes and ordances” which is not much help for a DYI install. This product was purchased to replace a Bosch tankless which used a Type B vent however Rinnai requires as special ” Condensing Ventilation” which is completely different.

If you purchase this product you must add cost of the specialized ventilation components which are are more that the Type B ventilation components. The most information for DYI installation is YouTube as the manual constantly references a “certified” Rinnai contractors.

The other major issue is that you must connect this product to a 120 vAC source for the NG model. This requires running a 120 vAC to the tankless water heater connected to a Uninterruptible Power Supply (UPS) to provide operation during power outages.

This product will only be used on rare occasions when guests are will be be using Hot Water outlets which is a good application for a Thankless Water Heater. If you are not a DYI installer total installed cost must include the ventilation components, UPS and Hot and Cold water valves.

I like the fact that this heater takes up a small amount of wall space and that there’s no opportunity for it to ever leak hot water on the floor or have mineral buildup inside it. I was surprised its a bit loud when turning on to do its thing (it sounds like a small engine revving up).

So, I’m glad this is in my basement. If one were to install it in the main living area near a location you want to keep quiet, I suggest you reconsider. My salesman told me it may take 2-3 years to pay for itself in savings.

I look forward to that. All-in-all, this is an awesome product.

I have 2 Rinnai tankless heaters in our house, and we have been living in this new-build for 3 months now. The systems perform well once the hot water is delivered to your faucets. It does take quite awhile to get the hot water to the sinks closest to the water tank (close as in 5 feet away from the faucet).

Once the flow of hot water has started, it is quite good! A few quirks in the system that our plumber has said to contact Rinnai about: Sometimes the hot water and cold water will reverse places. This sounds odd, I know.

I didn’t believe my son at first when he told me there was cold water coming out of the faucet when he turned on the hot water, and really hot water coming out of the faucet when the cold water was turned on.

However, we have experienced this “switching” event in the bathroom and kitchen faucets, which are on different tank systems. We plan on contacting Rinnai about it upon the advice of the plumber. He said he has heard of this happening before, and that.

My first one was propane same model ran it hard 13 years never cleaned it once never ever had a problem. The plumber never installed the clean out flush valves due to them not available at that time.

I just fired this new natural gas one up today purred just like the old one. I installed the flush out valve kit for cleaning the unit. I used the old vent pipe but had to change the end with a male connection to the unit.

The hot water pipe is off set a half inch than the old model but gas and cold inlet in same location on bottom of unit. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND this Rinnia model. My old one will be cleaned inside just has some build up nothing some soaking in vinegar won’t fix and off to her new home at the cabin for many more years of dependable use.

I hope this helps you on how dependable the Rinnai is even when it’s not been maintained propperly. My advice put your flush kit in!.

Before this Rinnai, I had to return a different company’s unit to the big internet company, it was not for altitude over 2,000′. At 6. 700′ the Rinnai V75IN works great. Supplyhouse did some great packaging, nothing missing, nothing broken, arrived perfect.

Before ordering I called Supplyhouse to precheck their customer service. The young woman answering the phone was personable, knowledgeable of the products and helped with my selection of a tankless water heater.

I be happy, thanks folks.

Quite expensive to install (a plumber and electrician are involved and the plumber spends hours on it). The tank purchase does not include a separate $400 parts kit. It takes a long time for water to heat.

Even though it’s gas, because electricity is involved, when the power goes out, so does the hot water. The upside is that you can run multiple things at once using hot water and it doesn’t run out of hot water.

We have had the unit for 2. 5 months. Pro’s We love the clean professional look, colour and very small footprint. It mounted nice an neat on the wall in the laundry room, but could go almost anywhere in the house that there is a gas line and cold water.

Unlimited supply of good hot water for our family of three although I don’t think we have tried two showers at the same time. The app is neat and useful for remote control if you have the urge to turn off the unit if you are not home, but lacking in providing helpful information ie.

usage which goes in units of 100hrs??? You can use hot water right out of the tap, if already hot, in the kettle or for cooking because the water is clean and fresh VS a tanked heater. Con’s We are in Canada and it is winter although not very cold this year, so far.

Unless you are using hot water constantly, you will either have to get used to wasting a lot of water waiting for the water to get hot at your tap. probably waiting at least 1 minute for warm and 1. 5-2 before close to hot.

Inlet water temp is about 42F according to the app. The app does not help by providing useful information that would be helpful to be a “Green user” which is one of the reason for the purchase and the reason may be obvious.

I would like the app to show daily or hourly usage patterns by month to help be a green user. The app runs both on our Anderoid and iPhones. IMHO this is definitely not a green option. Because we are in Canada and the intake water is cold, you waste a lot of water in order to get hot water to the sink unless you always want to wash your hands or dishes with cold/warm water.

Normal would be at least 1-2min the first time of the day and at least 40 seconds during the day as long as you run the water every 30 min or so. We tried using the Recirculation feature and Our gas usage doubled that month so that is not a green option.

The default max temp is 120F and that doesn’t do much to reheat your bathtub or sink of dishes if the water gets colder. You can change the Max temp to 140F. Cost More than 4. 5 X cost(++$4500 install and tax) of a new 50G Gas tanked heater($1000 and anyone can install) with certified install that you must do in order to get a warranty.

Gas and water usage patterns went up and costs went up. Maintenance We have not had to do any yet but you certainly need to take this into account because if you are to hire a service company to do it, you are looking a $200-$250/yr bill in some areas.

Noise Every time you turn on ANY water on in the house or flush a toilet, a annoying fan starts up on the unit and runs. Why, when running cold water does the fan run? Our unit is in a furnace room with Rockwool in the walls but the vibration from the unit can be heard in the whole basement so install in an area away from a living space or bedroom.

It is just annoying to hear it constantly reving up and down. Overall Fit and finish, Excellent! Seems like an Excellently built high tech unit! Space saving and convenient small install options, also Excellent! Life expectancy, according to the documentation, also Excellent! Maintenance costs alone would pay for a new tank water heater every 5-6 years.

So after 16 years you still would have paid $8800 vs $2500 if there were no other repair costs. Based on the Rinnai recommended yearly maintenance at about $200. If you are wealthy, or space is a serious issue and you are not looking for an environmental option, this is an Excellent choice.

The water heater seems to deliver hot water when demanded. They should have left it at that and not tried to do something modern beyond their abilities. The mobile apps, wifi connection, cloud control, recirculation control, “alexa integration” are all highly unreliable and inconvenient.

You repeatedly have to reconnect the heater to your wifi because it drops and/or reauthorize the alexa connection (of course right when you want to use it because that is how you find out it is not working AGAIN).

At times reconnection is impossible due to Rinnai background issues that days later mysteriously resolve. You cannot simply dump the app because you need it to do things like schedule any recirculation and adjust the water temperature.

Very frustrating for this level of high-end product to be so poorly supported. I have only had the device a couple of months but even in that short time have had constant issues with the “smarthome” features to support convenient and economical recirculation (w.

The unit is fantastic. Makes hot water fast and it never runs out. Looks great seems to have excellent build quality. As a hot water unit I give it a 10/10 But… consider these things. As a retrofit in a 2400 sf two story home with the unit in the basement it takes about 1 1/2 2 min to get he upstairs.

The recirc valve does little to improve this. Since I was doing a full home renovation I installed a dedicated insulated recirc loop. Now I walk around the house and say hey Siri hot water on and it heats up the loop and I have instant hot water at all taps in the house.

The unit pump comes on and vibrates the whole house since it was installed on an interior wall. Very annoying!!!! Rinnai should sell a isolation kit and document an installation method to prevent this.

I uninstalled the proffetiinal install and installed the unit on a 2×10 leg that is isolated from the wall. Problem solved. This was a big deal in the basement and family room above the install The remote wifi unit.

I had the RINRUR199 Tankless water heater installed October 2021. I think it could use some better insulation for the New Hampshire winters. My basement this winter has been extremely cold since this was installed, and I can feel the cold around the unit.

Piping inside of the unit cools way too fast. If I go back to use hot water after about 45 minutes or so, the water is warm until the pipes from the faucet to the unit gets used up. Then the water gets cold until the unit can get caught up.

I use the remote button to start the unit recirculating a minute or so before needing hot water and that helps immensely! I did not want to use the APP method on my cell phone. I love the fact that I have continuous hot water.

I have not tested the multiple showers at once operation, but I did loose the hot water in the shower when the wife turned on the kitchen faucet. Don’t like that at all. Without the recirculating feature I would be totally unsatisfied having to wait so long for for hot wat.

Unlimited Hot water, especially in winter when 4+ members take a shower around the same time. For those moments when hot water needed was off schedule, the ability to ask Alexa “Ask Control-R for hot water” is certainly a welcome feature though a bit awkward.

Downside: When we had a newborn, the need for hot water could not be set on a schedule. We opted to run the circulating pump 24/7 for about a year which sort of defeated the purpose (in my opinion) of a water heater that is not continuously keeping hot water tank hot.

Rinnai did account for this and you could see the unit only heat up when the temperature of the hot line drops a certain temp while recirculating. I do believe we did not gain much efficiency that year but I don’t have comparable data to prove that.

Dislike #2: During a power outage, where typical gas hot water heaters can still operate due to continuously running pilot light, with Rinnai, no power = no hot water. Overall still very happy, there are moments I do wi.

DIY project if you can follow directions and have common sense. Be prepared to run gas line and relocate the water lines as the old ones will not line up. You will also need isolation valves and venting so add that to your costs.

This was my second tankless hot water heater so I was prepared for the delay in getting hot water. Think about it, there is no hot water waiting to be used. You turn on the faucet, the system detects flow, turns on the burner and then starts to heat the water.

It will take at least an additional ten seconds to get hot water to the tap so be prepared. There are recirculation pumps that can be installed but IMO it kind of defeats the concept of the tankless not using energy until you need it.

I realized a reduction in my utility bill on my previous unit, expect the same on this one. Four stars because I live in the sticks and the closest authorized plumber is over 50 miles away. It has me worried if a warranty claim is needed.

I’m hoping for the best.

Very nice unit, it heats up quite quickly. Silent operation and works as expected. Really nice improvements from my 20 year old “generation 1” tankless hot water heater. The condensing exhaust is really impressive.

The installation took a few more trips to the local hardware store than I expected, due to my poor skill in soldering pipe joints. That’s not the fault of Rennai. One note: I believe that many people put too much hot water heater capacity in their homes; carefully consider the capacity you need!.

Just what we needed for our vacation home. Our old propane fired tank unit was starting to leak and I was tired of paying for propane to heat water when we weren’t using the house. The unit itself was easy to self install and was about the same price of a new 40 gallon gas fired water heater.

Depending on where the unit is to be installed you can run into some substantial additional costs for isolation valves and extending gas and water lines to the new location. Once installed all I had to do was to set the dip switch for the “short run” vent line, plug the unit in, turn it on and set the desired temperature.

That’s all there was to it!! Hot water takes about the same time to get to the far side of the house as a tank water heater. We have a well with 55 F water and there is no issue with heating the water.

Should have done it years ago.

While i do appreciate the selling point that one may have endless hot water, the amount of cold water one has to run before the water becomes hot is nothing short of wasteful, given the draught in California and the water shortage around the world.

By the time we had installed the first tankless water heater and removed the venting for a traditional tank water heater, the cost or reinstalling a traditional tank water heater would have been costly.

We also learnt that in order to save water with a tankless water heater, a special system would have to be installed to keep the warm water, warm; thus, it would not take as long for the water to reach a desired, heated temperature.

If one were to choose the route of installing this circulating system that keeps the water warm, one will have to pay more for gas bills. As a home owner, if you choose to install a tankless water heater, decide if you would like to waste gallons of water throughout the life of the unit or pay more in gas bills.

Unless the technology improves, tankless water heaters are not efficient. Also, be advised, that the cold water must be heated before one is able to run the dishwasher. Remember, the water must become hot before the lid, at where the soap is stored and dispensed, is opened.

Therefore, a homeowner must let the water run in the sink until the water becomes hot before he or she may start the dishwasher. If one were to start the dishwasher before the water becomes hot, the lid to the soap dispenser will not open.

If I had install a water heater, I would surely install a traditional tank-filled water heater. I challenge Rinnai to post this review and use this review to make changes to its products. Leslie Benjamin.

We very much like our Rinnai water heater. It definitely saves us in energy costs and we like that it runs on natural gas. Moreover, the endless hot water is great; we run two showers at once very often and we are very comfortable.

The downside is that it takes a little longer for hot water to get places, the pipes are more exposed to outside temps (we had our unit freeze over the winter, which required I put heating tape on the pipes in the unit (not fun)), and we were told that if we want to adjust the temperature higher than 120 degrees then we would have to have someone come and open up the outside unit.

In essence, although there is a temperature control unit in our master bath, we cannot adjust the temperature beyond 120 without someone going outside, taking some stuff apart, and making adjustments from there.

I understand this might be for safety sake, but this doesn’t really allow for the flexibility you think. So, if you know this stuff before hand, you can have the installer put heating tape in there for you and have them adjust your max temp a little higher in case you want that flexibility.

I just want to be clear, I don’t think I will ever go back to the old tank system, but knowing some of the tank-less systems quirks before hand leads to fewer surprises down the road.

The Rinnai delivers limitless hot water to your home at a very affordable price. This is my second unit. We moved and the first thing I installed in my new home was the tank less hot water heater. I would recommend putting the hot water heater indoors (garage), although many installers want to install it outside.

The reason I put mine in the garage was to prevent insects, like wasps, from nesting in the interior of the unit. I also HIGHLY recommend using a water softener in your home to avoid mineral buildup in your tank less hot water heater and home pipes.

Once you get the hot water running through your pipes you have excellent performance. One drawback is the length of pipe that you have to “heat up” before you are getting hot water at your tap. You can waste gallons of water waiting for the hot water to reach the tap.

That length depends on the size of your home. I put in a recirculating pump with a timer so that in early morning and evenings I recirculate hot water during.

I purchased the model 310U to replace a 23 year-old Takagi TK-2 that finally failed. Some careful measuring told me that I could install the new heater in approximately the same location as the old one without making any changes to the existing flue piping, and this turned out to be true.

Gas and water piping required rework since all the connections are on the bottom of the 310U as opposed to the left side on the TK-2. I strongly recommend buying a new isolation/service valve set for the installation.

My local M*n**ds had the Watts LFTWH series valve set in stock. SupplyHouse carries the A. O. Smith version, but it would ship separately from the heater and take an extra couple of days to arrive, so I opted to buy it locally.

It really does simply the installation, and makes draining or flushing the heater so much easier. plus the pressure relief valve is included, so that’s one less item to shop for. It feels a little strange to me to have an appliance like a water heater with a cord-and-plug rather than being electrically hard-wired, but this eliminates the need for an electrical disconnect at the water heater, so I just replaced my disconnect with a duplex receptacle.

The 310U worked perfectly from the first powerup. The control panel is excellent and easy to navigate. Otherwise, it works very similarly to the TK-2 it replaced. The 310U does seem to deliver warm water slightly more quickly than the TK-2, but it might just be my imagination.

The startup sounds are more noticeable with the 310U, but not what I would call loud. While running, it’s nearly silent. SupplyHouse. com was amazingly fast processing my order and getting the heater shipped (free).

The new heater was delivered in 2 days. The whole ordering process was extremely easy and efficient. They also offered this heater at the lowest price I saw anywhere. There was no need to shop around — SupplyHouse.

com was a no-brainer, and they have definitely earned my business in the future.

I built a new house 15 years ago and explored installing tankless water heaters. One of them was electric and ended up being useless so installed a large electric tank heater and a large propane tank heater.

Both finally started having issues so decided to make replacements instead of repairs. I replaced the propane tank heater with the Takagi tankless. I got the largest model to avoid any lack of however.

It is amazing. Endless amounts of hot water. I have it set at 130 degrees which is extra hot. When showering in a very large walk in shower with 6 heads it has no problems keeping up with demand. I live out in the country and am on a well and private septic system so have unlimited endless water.

I typically take 30 minute very hot showers and this heater keeps up. This heater services the master wing of the house including one laundry room. I will be replacing the electric tank heater with another Takagi tankless propane heater to service the other half of the house.

Then I will be replacing the electric tank heater in my detached workshop with a tankless. The main reason for going tankless was endless hot water. A side benefit will be lower energy consumption and maintenance.

With a little preventative maintenance these units likely will last over 30 years.

When I bought my house, 4 bed 2. 5 bath, in Toledo, OH, I had an electric water heater. It didn’t take me long to realize it was costing $55/month for hot water. My options were a direct vent (6 year warranty) or a tankless water heater.

I opted for this Takagi tankless water heater and I’ll never go back. We run vinegar through it for about 90 minutes every fall. Water hardness is 7 gpg here and have no issues. I do notice calcium build up on the pre-filter screen but again we flush it annually as part of the maintenance.

I mentioned the size of my house because two showers, dishwasher and washing machine have all wrong at the same time with no issues. I upsized out of fear the low temp water and temperature change would be too great.

We keep it set at 120, except when I hook up a garden hose to fill the hot tub (side benefit). Using the tankless to fill the hot tub saves like $30 in electricity to not heat the water up from 40 to 101.

Overall I could not recommend this tankless water heater enough. I am so glad I read the reviews before purchasing and found this brand. Flawless so far! 4. 5 years in.

I replaced a two year old Rheem, with a Rinnai five years ago. The unit ran without any issues for about five years until it didn’t. I called the installer, who “fixed” it and got one shower before it stopped again.

He recommended replacement. I called another company who, for their diagnostic fee, didn’t even open the unit before they were ready to ell me a new one, with a while house water purification system.

I went on YouTube and found the RinnaiGuy, who was too far away to fix it, but he put me in touch with the local Rinnai rep, who also struggled with the installer, then found a different company. They diagnosed a bad initial install and the sloppy work that was causing the issue.

They fixed it and it’s working again. Qualified maintenance-no matter the quality of the product is a problem in this area. Rinnai has a good product and good support but they lose a star for their quality control on the ground-with Rinnai certified installers and repair is their only weak link.

It took 3 months to get it working again but it was well worth the effort to find the right people. Hat tip to Rinnai reps who know their product, and the best in their area to solve the problems created by lazy installers and hacks trying to upsell their customers rather than stand by Rinnai.

Partnering with Rinnai seems like a great opportunity for the right people-as many homeowners look for ways to become more energy efficient but perhaps Rinnai could do more to ensure the integrity of their certified repair and installers.

The guys who take shortcuts and lack attention to detail shouldn’t STAY certified if Rinnai wants to grow it’s US market.

I have three Rinna tankless hot water heaters on two of my homes. The system works fairly well however, pray you don’t have to have any service performed. It is next to impossible to find a qualified company to work on the unit.

The “Find a Pro” service was terrible. Rinnai provided two companies as Pro. Both companies refused to come out and service or repair my units. I found a third company thru Home Depot. They did come out but only wanted to replace my unit that was leaking.

They made no attempt to repair my leaking unit. The installers licensed thru Lowe’s only installs new equipment. I would not recommend Rinnai for this reason. I will purchase a unit that has ample service technicians to support the product in the future.

I am now faced with replacing the Rinnai unit just to get hot water back in the house.

Much to my chagrin, the Rinnai RL75i Tankless Hot Water Heater does not work well with modern single-handle showers equipped with a code-required pressure balancing valve, a safety feature to prevent scalding.

It is not possible to vary the water temperature over a continuous range from very hot to warm to cold. There is no fine control over temperature as it is either maximum hot or cold since the pressure balancing valve competes with the pressure drop through the Rinnai.

The installers were unable to provide remediation for this problem nor does Rinnai provide solutions to this issue although the problem is well-documented on the Web. Our present solution involves setting the maximum temperature to a compromise maximum of 120 degrees Fahrenheit and accepting what little adjustment to the temperature that we can achieve by fine tuning.

Not an acceptable solution for my wife. The Navient system gets around this problem by including a small buffering tank that it keeps hot all the time, defeating the purpose of a truly tankless system.

After paying $3700 for the Rinnai i would expect a hot water system with a capability to vary the temperature over a useful range at the shower spigot. When recommending the desirable features of the Rinnai to acquaintances, I am quick to point out issue it has with pressure balancing shower valves.

I purchased in order to have a user-accessible thermostat. I wanted to get rid of the gov’t-mandated mixing valve on the old tank heater, which forced me to waste energy heating to 140F then all I could get out of the tap was lukewarm (so I’d have to heat water on the stove to wash dishes).

However, I didn’t know and the sales people didn’t tell me that the option of a recirculatorexisted for your product. I would have asked for that if I’d known about it. That would have enabled me to save water.

Without recirculator, there is a long delay of water cooling off and reheating while running from the tap, often some liters wasted before it comes out hot from this tankless. It starts to cool off if one delays a few minutes before using hot tap again, and while doing dishes or other household cleaning that type of delay often occurs.

So I am back to saving tap-heated water in a pot and re-heating it on the stove (because it’s at least partially heated). This is frustrating after all the expense and the new holes that had to be put into the basement wall and more pipes sticking outside.

(You probably won’t want to share my comments! So please make sure that sales staff explain all options to customers!).

I had some misgivings going into this but my plumber talked me into it. Big mistake. Although in theory it has some great benefits, it also has some severe negative points. If I could I would go back to my original plan to put in a high efficiency heater with storage tank.

Almost instant hot water yes – followed by a blast of cold water after you are in the shower that lasts for maybe 10 seconds. Other times it will not turn on with water saver faucets because flow is too low.

Never had that problem with a tank. And then there is the timer for the recirculation. Wouldn’t you think you would have a timer that you could set differently for weekdays vs weekends instead of having to run down and manually change the timer (like a heating/cooling thermostat has)? Not this unit.

For this I had to punch more holes in my brick home, put in a condensation pump, return lines and pay the price of a couple of tank replacements to go backwards in convenience. All in all I am very disappointed in what I got for the money I paid.

We had a 30 year old electric tank water heater. Our electric usage was way to high. We needed to replace our electric water and wanted to lower our energy usage/bills. We have a high efficient propane furnace, but it uses a lot of propane.

So we were worried that a propane tankless water heater might use a lot of propane. However we have 6 people (4 daughters) and we have had our Rinnai tankless for 9 months, and we feel it uses much less propane then expected!!! Overall we are extremely happy with it.

The only slight negative is we paid more for the recirculating model and went through the hassle of installing piping for the recirculating system, but it still takes a minute or more to get hot water when it hasn’t been on for a while.

Also the digital control panel is not easy to use and the recirculating settings are confusing. After reading the instructions several times I’m still not sure if I have it set up correct.

When I chose to go down the road of switching from tank to tankless water heater, I thought the project would be relatively painless. When you first start the project, you immediately recognize that the heater itself is a bit more expensive, but the long term value should be realized over a fairly short period (say 3-5 years).

What you probably don’t think about is the massive cost to re-plumb your water and gas lines from existing location to new location (mine went from closet under the stairs to an exterior wall). This requires permits and a lot of other potential headache, plus for me, an additional $7000.

Knowing that I would eventually cannibalize that old water heater space for an open concept kitchen in the future, I decided the cost was worth it. The other things you may not know about are the requirements to safely dispose of the condensate from the unit.

Many users can safety put it into a dirt pit a certain distance from their home. Other need to send it thru their sewer system. I needed to send thru the sewer line which meant I needed to drain the condensate to a receptacle and pump it to my washing machine’s drain.

Not a huge deal, but definitely an added expense. But, there was a problem that i didn’t understand until a couple months went by and I had to live with hot/cold water. I was experiencing sudden cold water in my shower after about 6-8 minutes of use.

Turns out a sensor in the unit was shutting down after detecting water in the condensate line (good right?). Reason this happened was the drain line was too far down in the sump pump and when it filled to a certain level, the sensor would go off and shut the heater off.

There was never any backup of condensate water, but the sensor was a bit too sensitive and it took me months of unhappy use to get it figured out. Because there are many factors involved, you’re not sure if its a defective unit, improper installation, or something else.

My issue was something else.

I considered tankless water heaters but because of the distance of our master bath from the water heater it takes about 4 minutes for hot water to flow. We put a recirculating pump on our tanked water heater and that cut the time for decent hot water to 15-20 seconds.

But, when I first looked at tankless, no manufacturer supported recirculating pumps. When Rinnai introduced their tankless model with a recirculating pump our HVAC and water heater provider called me, we priced it and installed a month or two later.

We have been very pleased ever since. We run the recirculating pump for only a scheduled 1-2 hour window of time each day and we turn it on for a few minutes other times of the day to warm up the water line.

When we go on vacation we turn the unit off and don’t waste any gas like a tanked system does keeping 50+ gallons of water hot. Within a couple months during the summer months, we noticed an immediate savings of $10-15 per month on our gas bill! I don’t know exactly how long it will take to pay off the tankless water heater with the gas savings but I don’t really care about that.

I love the fact that the unit is hanging on the outside wall of my house and I will never have to worry again about the mess that comes when a tank springs a leach (which they do!!!).

The product with the recirculating pump had surpassed our expectations. One of the most important points is to get a Rinnai experienced/recommend installer! We had a general contractor install it while he was doing other work on our house and he incorrectly installed the recirculating pump.

It did not function at all. Rinnai customer service technician walk us through the correct steps and it worked flawlessly! We can’t say enough how pleased we are about our Rinnai water heater and the Rinnai customer support!.

The install went on the outside of the house. This eliminated the need to have a water heater take up space in the garage. But for some freakish abnormal weather in late January 2018,, which caused a brass fitting to temporarily freeze up, the unit has been most reliable.

Water temperature is fine but it requires a little time to get hot water in areas of the house further away from the unit. We installed the unit when the house was built in late 2017 thinking in the long run it’s efficiency would save us money.

So far we have not been disappointed. It has met our expectations and we would recommend it to any of our friends.

This is my second Rinnai. My first unit lasted 20 years. I have had regular hot water heaters before my purchase on the Rinnai and I can tell you there is no comparison. The tainkless is by far the superior unit.

You literally never run out of hot water. In contrast, if you own a regular hot water heater, you can count on running out of hot water and also dealing with the inner and outer rust that your heater will incur after 4 or 5 years of use.

In closing, Rinnai is a German made product. You will this product to be superior like no other.

The water heater itself works okay, but I am having problems finding someone to service it. We have a code blinking on the thermostat, and I keep getting the runaround about service. Apparently SawyerGas, the company that talked us into buying it, and also installing it, doesn’t honor the warranty.

The code has been blinking on it since it was installed. I cannot increase the temperature beyond 130 degrees unless I have a commercial unit. Sometimes taking a shower, we’ll get a burst of ice cold water.

Going from a traditional large tank water heater to an upgraded tankless/wall-mounted water heater was a nice transition. We have more space in the garage now. The tankless heater is very quiet. It’s also very easy to maintain and keep running well.

We have had it for several months and the only complaint is that it does take a little bit of time for warm/hot water to register out of the faucet or bath/shower. The pros outweigh the cons, however.

It is still a great investment and it was a good choice for our family.

We bought a house with the Rinnai whole house heater already installed by the builder. The concept to save water and natural gas seems noble. The negatives. this seems to Waste water getting to where it Is hot.

Any fixtures close to it do get hot water in a minute, but our kitchen is farthest from the heater and we have to run water 5 minutes to make it acceptably hot to wash dishes. Water is Never so hot you have to remove your hand from the flow.

I had the Rennai installer out to evaluate. he said working to spec, needs no adjustments, and ‘you know how these tankless heaters Are’. This also needs yearly maintenance that costs $150-200 per the instructions and can only be done by a professional.

So. I only recommend if your house is small say 1500 sq ft or less.

We are very pleased with the tankless water heater. Since it hangs on the wall, it takes up no floor space. There are 3 family members living in our home and we’ve NEVER run out of hot water! The only negative about the water heater is that the builder of our new home would not allow us to upgrade the unit with the one that provides instant hot water.

Regardless, we are very happy with the water heater!.

This tankless unit was easy to install; in our case, it replaced an existing unit. The one it replaced was also a Takagi, installed in 2008 by the previous homeowner. This one is very quiet – more so than the one it replaced.

The price and quality are great! One thing that convinced me to purchase a Takagi was the call I made to their Customer Service prior to replacing the existing unit. They checked their records for date of purchase and registration, and options for repair/replacement of our existing unit.

Very helpful!.

First off I bought two Takagi Tankless water heaters from SupplyHouse. com over the years and I will certainly say SupplyHouse. com is FANTASTIC! You can order from them online and have it at your doorstep the next day usually! How GREAT is that! However, I cannot give Takagi 5 stars since my first unit (Tankless Model H3) died within 6 yrs and was not covered under there 10 yr warranty (sigh).

Nevertheless, I recently purchased a new Takagi tankless (Model H3J). It is the same form factor as my older unit so the install went very smooth. I have talked with Takagi’s service reps on a number of occasions and they all seem very knowledgeable.

The new unit has been running only for about a month now but is working as expected. These units are very energy efficient and very quiet.

There is nothing we don’t love about this HWH, we should have made this upgrade 3 years ago. There is almost instant hot water throughout our new plumbing in our new bathrooms. Of course it will depend on where the HWH is in relation to the rooms, as well as how big other factors.

That’s why we chose this size for our family of two, with the thought of a larger family moving into our home in the future.

Not all the necessary parts for installation are included in the initial purchase of the tankless water heater. A major component is not included. the manifold. which costs between $300 – $500 to purchase separately.

Furthermore, Lowes doesn’t stock the manifold that is required for the product. Extremely disappointed.

had this unit installed two years ago and not a single pronlem. Vert quiet and we have never run out of hot water. We have four bathrooms and four adults. We have installed it in a corner in the basement and it takes up little room compared to a tank.

We purchased a Rinnai RUR98i to replace a 16 year old 50 Gal power vent tank heater. The new Rinnai RUR98i is 100% a better product. We love the fact that it is exceptionally quiet and highly efficient (cut propane use by more than 30%).

We love having unlimited hot water at the tap every morning with no wait or wasted water. Even with a home full of guests showering at the same time, holiday meal prep and clean up we never run out of hot water.

The dual pipe air intake and exhaust has the added benefit of eliminating the constant draft from the power vent system resulting in less heat loss in the utility room and basement. The removal of the giant 50 gal tank freed up a large space for more storage.

My wife’s morning routine is more enjoyable, she ALWAYS has hot water ready and waiting for her, she loves it. It’s saving a ton of energy and money. My only complaint is I waited to long to get a Rinnai.

I am HIGHLY disappointed with the Rinnai hot water heater I have previously owned (2) other tankless hot water heaters (Nortiz and Jaccuzzi) and had great satisfaction with both of them. The Rinnai unit often fails and causes my family members to take cold showers.

If this were my first experience with tankless, it would be my last. The Rinnai unit is an overpriced, underperforming offering to the market. I have given several recommendations AGAINST THE RINNAI to family and friends.

They ask me for my experiences and opinions because they know I’ve had approximately 10 years experience with tankless hot water heaters. I cannot fully convey the amount of regret I have for having this unit installed.

OWNING THIS RINNAI HAS BEEN A MISERABLE EXPERIENCE!!!.