 Rinnai is very good |
| Review Date: April 11, 2010 |
| Reviewer: S. Frazier, St. Louis, MO USA |
| After much discussion, research, and general concern about the higher cost of tankless water heaters(at least initially) I purchased this unit. It has to be installed by a plumber that has been certified by Rinnai- or the warranty is voided. But after seeing how it was installed-I would leave it up to the professionals. There is a lot of various discussion about the pro's and con's of tankless systems on the internet-but I for one am very happy with this unit. I think you are only as good as your installer- because improper installation is the root cause of customer issues(according to the master plumber that installed mine). But this is what I am most happy about, 1) the sticker on the unit states that the annual operating expenses are $196, 2) I can actually fill my large corner tub-for the first time. Also Rinnai has a very good warranty, the plumber also pointed out the since these units are compartmentalized, if something does fail, years down the road- you are dealing with replacing a single component-not the whole system. Please do you homework- I not only qualified for the 30% energy credit on the unit, but also am getting a rebate from my state and utility company. Common sense still prevails-since you have unlimited hot water-taking longer showers than you used too, will diminish your savings. Also the plumber installed 2 shut off valves, where once a year, using 2 gallons on vinegar, 2 hoses(like on your washing machine), a bucket, and a inexpensive pump, you will want to cycle the vinegar through the system for approx. 45 minutes to take off the lime scale(hard water deposits). Not really a lot of maintenance required. Also for those with small children there is an optional remote where you can set the temperature for their baths, then easily readjust it for yours. I am not affiliated with Rinnai in anyway ,but really do think this unit is a good long-term investment. Also, get several estimates, because there was quite a large price discrepancy on the bids I received. I ended up going with a Silver rated Dealer(by Rinnai)that had the best estimate-and he did a really professional job(Rinnai has dealer locator on their website). |
Saves gas, Waste Water
|
| Review Date: May 6, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Bill, McLean, VA |
I had a Rinnai RC98HPi installed this week. I am very disappointed at how long it takes hot water to reach the tap. We had an electric tank, and much of the pipes are insulated, so there was hot water always some amount of hot water in the insulated pipes, heated constantly by the hot water tank. The distance from the basement to the master bathroom isn't great. It used to take 15 seconds for hot water to reach the tap. Now it takes a full minute. What a waste of water. It should have been a red flag when the sales guy showed me a devices that installs under the sink and pumps water from the hot water side back into the cold water pipe until hot water arrives at the tap. I thought this seemed silly at the time, but now I get it.
Part of the problem is with the Rinnai design. The hot water outlet pipe is on the bottom of the unit, rather than the top. This means an extra 3 feet or so of pipe is required than if the outlet was on top like in a conventional water heater. More pipe=more wasted water.
Also, the cold water sandwich effect is real. When you run hot water the pipes eventually fill with hot water. If one person gets out of the shower, the hot water is still in the pipes. When the next person gets in the shower and turns on the hot water, the water initially comes out of the shower hot, but the tankless water heater is turned off. It takes about six seconds for it to turn back on. So the water heater pumps cold water into the hot water pipe for 5 or 6 seconds. Then it starts putting out hot water. So, the second person in the shower gets hot water, followed by 6 seconds of cold water, followed by hot water again.
Tankless water heaters are great if you want an infinite supply of hot water. If you want to conserve water and save energy, a condensing tank water heater is probably a better choice.
|
|
No video reviews found for this product.
