Rinnai V75IN Tankless Hot Water Heater, 7.5 GPM, Natural Gas, Indoor Installation

Previously, I had an old Electric water heater. I can't complain, it lasted 17 years with minimal maintenance. Decided to look into a tankless due to the electric costs being so high. I purchased an outdoor unit, since I didn't have any previous vents to the outside. It is super quiet and sometimes I have to go outside to make sure it is working when the hot water is on. The new Rinnai tankless has only been installed for a month but works great! Even survived the cold Northern Indiana winter so far. The heater has sensors to keep the pipes warm within the unit but be sure to protect the outside piping going to the unit from the cold. Hot water everywhere in the house and at the same time. Never installed a tankless water heater before, but with many videos on you-tube about Rinnai water heaters, made it easy and answered all the questions to know what to do. Two settings, Factory default is 120F, tested with a temperature gun and was getting 117F at the faucet. 140F degree setting is producing 133-135F at the faucet. If it saves on electric cost, it should pay for itself within a year. Should have done this years ago. Definitely has exceeded my expectations so far!

I've waited nearly 2 months before I wrote a review. Here's my summary: 1. The installation is easy if you are replacing an existing unit, I replaced dual tank water heaters and relocated the tankless heater closer to the majority of the water users in the house so the installation was more time consuming and difficult. The instruction manual is awesome, take the time and read thru it (prior to buying) and follow it strictly. I bought a gas fired unit, had the gas company come out and validate the inlet pressure and ran all the calculations recommended. Installation took 4 days since I had to run additional gas piping, extend hot and cold water lines and install the vent piping to the exterior. 2. After you've read the manual, plan your installation carefully (vent, water in, water out, gas piping in, power). These all converge around the unit which isn't large and will take planning to make it fit and functional. Purchase all the vent pipe ($$$), water piping, gas piping, and valves for the unit (the bundle of all of these are not inexpensive) 3. The unit fired up after the second try (it had to vent the air out of the gas line on the first attempt). The start up was very easy. 4. My wife likes HOT water, the unit is delivered with a maximum of 120 degree output. I queried the internet and found the program button sequence to get it to 140 degrees. It worked instantly, but after an hour the unit reset back to 120 degrees and the process wouldn't let me place it back to 140 degrees. I called the service desk and gave my number for a call back. 30 minutes later, the call came in. The service tech asked a few questions so she knew which unit I had purchased and then I communicated to her what I had experienced. She told me that the code I had used was for a different unit and she directed me step by step how to program the unit. (I had the panel open and performed as she told me each step). It took 30 seconds and the unit has worked correctly ever since. 5. The closer the unit is to the usage point the faster the water heats up, so don't have expectations that you'll get instantaneous hot water when there is 20+ feet of cold water in the pipe that has to be pushed out by the hot water, but it does heat the water extremely fast and it's on the way as soon as you open the hot water faucet!

The piping that, in my case went up through the crawl space, then through the roof was tricky to install. Ordered all new pipe after measuring carefully and cataloging the fittings I'd need (45's, 90's, and so on). Make sure to order the right diameter double-walled pipe. Look online. I ordered online and the company actually shipped the same day, and it came the next, which is nice if, like me, you are without hot water in the interim. S. Brewer's review is excellent. He covers all the crucial points very well. He explains clearly what you will be faced with if you decide to DIY the job. It was challenging. When you get to the point of lifting the unit up to hang it on the wall while simultaneously marrying it to the vent pipe, a second set of hands would be a major plus. I did it myself, but a second set of hands would be real boon at that point. I was able to use the existing hole in the roof, but, as it turned out, the contractor who built the house preferred to cut a gigundo hole in the roof instead of doing the geometry to accurately predict the penetration location and hole size. To compensate, I created a plywood insert with a proper hole cut into it, pre-drilled the screw holes, and then used light cord to pull the "mask" up from above, up on the roof. Once I had it placed properly, I used a right-angle drill to drive in the screws from underneath. Don't forget that you'll need a flashing unit on the roof to make a good waterproof seal, and also some roofing tar to further seal it. Be careful when lifting the shingles to slip the flashing unit under them to avoid breaking them. If you do some minor damage to the surrounding shingles, use the roofing tar to compensate. Once installed, the unit works very nicely with the caveat that it does not seem possible to set the temperature above 120°F. That's really sufficient, but my old unit was set at 125°F. Not a deal breaker. If you've not had an on-demand heater before, be aware that when running hot water, there's a lag before you actually get hot water. With this unit about 20' from the kitchen sink, that's about 30-45 seconds before the water warms up. Overall, very happy to have hot water again, and this unit outperforms the previous, larger capacity unit it replaced. Install a phosphor filter upstream from the unit to reduce maintenance flushing. Do install the valve set that will later permit de-scaling the boiler tank. This is important for the longevity of the installation. TIP: use the woven steel, flexible pipes to connect the unit to gas, inlet, and outlet pipes. These are much easier to work with than their copper counterparts, which are hard to bend-- MUCH easier. Good luck. If you prepare well ahead of actually doing the job, you will greatly reduce the stress factor in carrying out the actual installation. Do your homework. YouTube is your friend. ... and DO read S. Brewer's excellently written and potentially very helpful exposition on the entire process of installing these units. p.s. If you need hot water in a hurry at your taps, you'll want to spend the extra spondoolix for the unit with a recirculating pump: it's a luxury, but if you prefer faster delivery of hot water to your taps, you'll want that version of the heater. Cheers, N.

We installed this on a shipping container Tiny Home. The pipe fittings were tight and well made. The installation confusion centers around the electrical connections. First, the rubber grommet where the power wires exits the unit obviously does not meet code fo an external application and the grey plastic fitting does not match any PVC thread size. Secondly, the wires themselves are only 20 gauge. These do not seem to meet any code out there however after much searching of the internet, it seems that even professional electricians just wire up to it. We connected 12 gauge wire with wire nuts inside the cabinet and called it a day. The electric connections are supposedly only used for the LED display and the spark that lights the flame so we assume that gauge internal wire is ok. As for the PVC connection, we saw varied approaches to try for a water tight connection and we came up with using a 1/2" Schedule 40 female threaded connector pvc glued into their plastic connector. This connects to Liquidtite connectors and from there using those connectors and pipe into the container. This is the best water tight installation we could come up with that meets code. Lastly, it functions perfectly and within 30 seconds the water is quite warm and within a minute quite hot. All in all a very good purchase and other than the electrical connection very easy to install. We would certainly recommend it to anyone considering a tankless heater.

Have had this up and running for almost a year. Have had no problems, works great. It’s outside and the lowest temperature it has seen is about 5 degrees. Worked great the whole time. No water pressure issues, and it gets hot very fast. 10/10 recommend

Tl;Dr version: READ THE INSTALL MANUAL before buying. I've scanned through some of the negative reviews for this unit and it's very clear a good percentage of them simply did not read the manual before buying and just assumed it would be a simple drop in replacement. Bad assumption. The manual spells out all the requirements and every additional item you will need to buy. Before you even try to answer the question of whether or not you can install this yourself, call your local city clerk and see if a permit is required to replace a water heater. If it is, then you're dead in the water before you even begin. You'll need it professionally installed. But if that's not the case... Things you need to know before purchasing: 1) Read the manual! Especially the section regarding gas line requirements. Depending on how far your water heater will be from the gas line point of entry, how many bends there are to get there, and the pressure supplied to your house, there is a chance that you will need to replace every bit of pipe between the meter and the water heater. 2) The gas inlet on the water heater is 3/4". Even if the rest of the pipe meets the specification, if you are putting this where a tank water heater used to be, the leg of pipe supplying it was probably 5/8" and will need to be replaced. 3) It requires an electrical outlet. It has an electronic ignition, and is controlled by a circuit board. It's basically a furnace that heats water instead of air. 4) You will NOT be able to use your existing tank water heater's vent pipe. You might be able to use the same hole in the roof (or wherever it exhausts to), but the pipe itself will have to be replaced. The replacement pipe is not cheap! Also, read the manual regarding pipe requirements. If it is so long or has so many bends, you will have to deal with condensate. Common questions regarding this particular line of water heaters: Q:) What is the difference between the Value series of Rinnai water heaters, and the Luxury series? A:) The Luxury series includes a built-in recirculation pump, and includes bypass valves. If you don't intend to use a recirculation pump, skip the Luxury model and purchase the bypass valves separately. Q:) So do I need a recirculation pump? A:) No one needs a recirculation pump. It is an add-on that gets hot water to your taps faster than you would be able to do so without one, but it is never a necessity. Q:) Should I get a mid-efficiency non-condensing or high-efficiency condensing tankless heater? A:) Unless you use a large amount of hot water, the efficiency gains you will realize with a condensing unit over a non-condensing unit are minimal. Condensing units are more complex, meaning more parts to worry about; they require both an inlet and and exhaust pipe (although there are adapters to combine them into a coaxial pipe); and you will be forced to deal with condensate, which is not a small task, as it is acidic. IMO unless you really have a need for that extra bit of efficiency, skip the condensing unit. Q:) Can really I run my own gas line? A:) Yes! Actually running the gas line was one of the easier tasks for me. You can purchase pre-threaded lengths of pipe from your local big-box hardware store, as well as the "pipe dope" sealant. Just make sure you plan your route beforehand, and draw it out so you'll know how many corner adapters and T adapters you'll need. Don't forget to include a trap. Usually if you find you need a section of pipe a certain length that isn't carried, you can build a pipe you need by coupling two other sizes together. I was able to complete the entire project without requiring any custom lengths of pipe. You'll definitely need at least two large pipe wrenches, however, and you'll want to learn how to properly check for leaks, of course! Q:) What was the hardest part of installing the water heater? A:) The exhaust pipe. In my case, I decided to avoid the hassle of trying to follow the existing vertical pipe, and used a 21" Rinnai kit to exhaust out the side of my house. If you have the option to exhaust out the side, this is going to be the cheapest and easiest way to go. BUT, you will have to make a 5.5 inch hole in the side of your house for the pipe to fit through. My house had thicker-than-average brick, so making that hole in the side of my house was like an entirely separate project. I ended up buying a 5.5 inch core drill bit (from Amazon) just for the task. So, with all of this in mind, what are some tips? Well, obviously read the manual first! But what else? 1) First off, if you are replacing a tank water heater, the first thing you should consider is, "Do I really need/want to put this tankless water heater where the existing water heater was?" Of course everyone's situation varies, but more often than not, you can save yourself a lot of headache and work by putting the tankless on an exterior wall or near an exterior wall, instead of trying to put it where the tank one was. Once you realize that you're not going to be able to use the existing tank heater's exhaust pipe or gas supply line, there's really no reason to keep it in the same place. In my particular case, I freed up a huge amount of space in my basement laundry/bath room by removing the tank heater and putting the tankless above my toilet. 2) Think about where you want to mount the heater, and determine if you'll need to build a mounting plate. In my case it worked out perfectly and I was able to screw the heater directly into a stud. But you may not be so lucky. 3) Look at where you plan to mount the heater, and think about where the exhaust will have to go. Then, read the manual, and make sure you can vent the exhaust while meeting all of the requirements regarding clearance to ground, clearance to another opening or window in the house, etc. 4) Look at the available exhaust kits and pipes and determine what you'll need beforehand, and take note of the cost. It's not cheap stuff. Also, keep in mind you may have to cut a piece of this special pipe, and there is a specific way it has to be cut. Check YouTube for the Rinnai Guy. So, can you really do this on your own? That really depends on you, and your mindset. For a lot of people, installing one of these might seem do-able at first, until they realize exactly how much will need to be done, then it may pretty quickly feel like they have bitten off more than they can chew. But if you are the type of DIYer that is confident in being able to rise to any task, then yes it can be done.

The water heater that I bought is the Rinnai V94XiN Tankless Hot Water Heater, 9.8 GPM, and at the time of this review, this option was not available on Amazon but a 5.3GPM variant is available instead. Nevertheless, when I purchased the 9.8GPM one, I saw a similar chart in one of the pictures for the product that claims that it is able to support up to 4 simultaneous showers if the ground water temperature if 77F, and at least up to two showers if the ground water temperature is lower. I live in Southern California in a place where it never snows no matter what the season is, and even during the summer this water heater isn't able to support more than a single shower at once! If we try having two showers running, the water heater will show an error number, start beeping, and stop supplying hot water until we close all the taps in the house. Even when we run only a single shower, anyone using a faucet to wash their hands will have to purposely run only a tiny bit of water so as to prevent the water heater from stop working due to too much demand. I find it ridiculous that even the smaller 5.3GPM variant claims to be able to support up to 4 showers when my 9.8GPM one can't even do more than one! Since this product has a lot of other good reviews though, I'm wondering if the one I got just happened to be defective or something. If we run the washing machine, we have to use cold water (we can't even use the warm water setting), otherwise the washing machine will single-handedly stop the water heater due to too much hot water demand. When I'm in the shower, it also takes around 2 minutes or so before the water is heated up to my desired temperature.

Our 12 year old Takagi Tankless DIED the first night of “Winter Storm URI” here in Houston. Curiously, it did not freeze, but apparently the controller board died and we could not get natural gas ignition. Ordered a Rinnai V75en the next day (Tuesday) and it arrived the following Monday (a day earlier than the revised Promise Date). From delivery to Hot Water was under three hours, including standing in line at plumbing supply place to get a longer natural gas yellow metal hose. Pros: INCREDIBLY easy installation. Just make sure you buy a diverter valve kit; I bought a new kit rather than reuse the old valves, but not really necessary. However, you should NOT reuse the yellow metal gas hose, as it has metal-to-metal seals which shouldn’t be reused.. VERY good quality. Lots of Japanese brands are now made in China, but these are still Japanese-made. GOOD quantity of hot water. Multiple users (e.g. shower, washing machine, dishwashing) is a cinch. PRICE is pretty reasonable; tankless heaters seem to last about 10 years with zero maintenance, much longer if you follow the back-flush recommendations to the letter The ONLY Con: If you use the included controller (interior mount only) you can get temperature control in 5 degree increments from the default 120 deg F to 140 deg F. If you DON’T use the controller , you can set a dip-switch for EITHER 120 -or- 140 degrees F, nothing in between. We are not set-up to use an interior controller (which would require major surgery) so we can either buy a weatherproof exterior box for the controller, or use the dip switches. You can not set the temp with the controller, then remove it, as without the controller installed the water temp reverts to the dip-switch settings. We’ve left the water temp at 120 deg F, which is a lot safer for the tiny grandkids, and we’ve squirreled-away the controller to use for diagnostics if later required. Not a deal-breaker, but sure would be nice to set temp with dip switches, then have a PLUG on the side of the unit for controller to use for diagnostics without removing the front cover... Time will tell if the Rinnai is durable, but the ease of installation was super important under the current circumstances; after this Big Freeze, plumbers are changing $100 just to GET ON THEIR LIST. Meanwhile, we took our first hot showers ina week only a couple of hours after the package appeared on the doorstep.