Bargain Rinnai RC98HPi Indoor Natural Gas Condensing Tankless Water Heater, 9.8 GPM Best Price
Bestseller Rinnai RC98HPi Indoor Natural Gas Condensing Tankless Water Heater, 9.8 GPM – Price
- Commercial-grade Heat Exchanger for Residential and Commercial Applications
- Condensing Technology for Greater Efficiency and Significant Energy Savings
- Up to 93% Thermal Efficiency
- Pre-set at 120-Degrees F
- Meets California and Texas NOx Emissions Standards
Rinnai’s condensing tankless water heaters deliver more efficiency than ever before. Available in four models, suitable for mid- to large-sized home, Rinnai’s condensing tankless water heaters offer all the same benefits builders and homeowners have come to expect from Rinnai.Natural Gas and Propane Models AvailableMeets California and Texas NOx Emissions StandardsEnergy Factor of 0.94 for Both Gas TypesCompatible with Full Line of Rinnai Digital ControllersTemperature Range with Controllers: Re
List Price: $ 1,950.00
Rinnai is very good,
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).
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|lots of consistent hot water,
Ok, this is long, but I go through some of the install details. In short, very happy with the unit. Water temperature is consistent, heats up as fast or nearly as fast as old 50 Gal, depending on which faucet you’re measuring from. Enough capacity for large homes. Install is capable of being done by advanced DIY’ers.
I installed the Natural Gas version of the RC98 recently to replace a 50 Gallon tank that just wasn’t cutting it. We have a 3.5 bath house with 4,000 sqft finished, along with an unfinished 2,000 sqft basement ready for another two bathrooms. Having to wait 30-40 minutes between showers and making sure that laundry or the dishwasher wasn’t just run is only a minor hassle for a family of three, until we have guests and we have 8 or more people trying to get ready. Really, this wasn’t a huge immediate problem, but something that needed to be tackled reasonably soon.
As far as solutions, we considered putting in a 100 Gallon tank, or a second 50 gallon, but in the end it just amounted to more space used, more water heated all of the time, and still potentially running out during high demand times like holidays or when guests are staying with us. As a stop-gap measure, we had been running with the water heater thermostat turned up a bit, the idea being that we could use the hot water more slowly by mixing it with cold.
We did a self install, which wasn’t too difficult with proper planning. We have a 1 1/4″ gas line coming into the unfinished utility room, branched off from a 1 1/2″ into the house. After consulting with a few online calculators, I decided to tee off from the 1 1/4″ and feed the unit with a 1″ line. It required a little disassembly and rebuilding of the line to the furnace, but it wasn’t too bad. I saw it suggested somewhere that for an appliance with a 3/4″ inlet, it’s a good idea to use a 1″ ball valve since a 3/4″ ball valve has a more restrictive inner diameter than normal 3/4″ pipe, which I did since I needed the 1″ anyway to get the BTUs to the appliance. Note that the appliance did come with a 3/4″ gas valve, so if you can use it with your setup that will save you a few bucks.
We used the ubbink/rinnai double walled vents, which are a little pricey but easy to install. I’d recommend picking up some lithium grease to lubricate the seals, otherwise you’ll have a hell of a time getting the pieces to join properly and seat as deeply as they should. If you use something other than lithium grease, make sure it’s safe for rubber and won’t degrade the seals. We have a stucco home, and we ended up using a 6″ hole saw to cut an opening to the outside since I could not for the life of me find a 5.5″ one (which the instructions call for) at the local hardware stores. The gap was still manageable at .5″ all the way around the vent, and we were still able to seal it properly with fire rated silicone sealant. Note that the vent is just barely under 5″ in diameter (not counting the cuff on one end that slips onto subsequent vent pieces), so a 5″ hole saw can be used, but that doesn’t leave much room to slope the vent and I’d rather fill the gap with sealant than just go around the outside of the vent with a bead of silicone, that way even if the vent comes loose from the sealant the wood substrate of the wall under the stucco will not be susceptible to seeping water.
One other thing, if you self install, pay attention to the dip switch settings, namely there is one for vent length, and two to set for altitude.
As far as performance, I had read mostly good reviews, but a few that felt it took forever for the water to get hot, so I decided to take a few measurements before and after. We have a manifold system with a 1″ incoming supply @ 70psi, and only the piping from the heater to the manifold has changed. Our kitchen sink is about 15 pipe feet away from the heater, and our master shower is about 25. With the 50 gallon heater, the sink took ~16 seconds to get hot water, now it takes ~19. Surprisingly, the shower took ~22 seconds before, and still takes ~22 seconds. These measurements were taken first thing in the morning on different days, when the heater/pipes should be cold. If I had to wager a guess as to why, I’d say that it takes a few seconds for the water to heat up, but the flow is higher on the shower, and the water is moving faster through the pipes, so the few seconds it takes to heat up is offset by the faster water speed on longer runs. Just a guess, no idea really but we’re happy enough. It makes me wonder if those reporting a minute or more for warm water are getting enough BTUs to the unit, have the altitude set wrong, or aren’t accurately measuring time.
We live in a cold climate, and being winter our water temp is currently in the 55 degree range. I can say that this heater provides enough hot water to multiple faucets that the issue becomes volume/pressure of the system…
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|Absolutely love it,
I bought this to free up some space in a rather small closet that my 30 gallon tank was in. Myself and a friend did the install with a breeze in about 3 hours. We used unistrut lag bolted to the studs then bolted the unit to that for ease of hanging due to its weight. Once installed I turned the gas and water on and had hot water within a few minutes. I am able to run 3 faucets at once with equal hot water to each one. WE LOVE IT and would recommend this to anyone looking to purchase a new hot water heater.
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