Tankless Water Heaters

[Native NV Ducker]

My basement is a downstairs garage. Not conditioned.

Are you done trying prove I did or said something wrong?

 

[HaydenHunter]

When I did radiant floor systems on new building it was with "Flowable Fill" in between nailers for wood floors. Of course in a basement with concrete or something just routed it in the concrete. But the 2×4 nailers on a regular subfloor gave mass to the system. Worked a lot better than the osb products. You could then out regular wood flooring overtop. You had to plan for the extra inch and a half.

I have radiant floor heat in my house. Tubing embedded into the slab in the basement. On the two upper floors, we have PEX stapled down to the subfloor and then 1.5" of gyp-crete poured on top to create thermal mass.

 

[Lip Shooter]

My basement is a downstairs garage. Not conditioned.
View attachment 273032 View attachment 273033

Are you done trying prove I did or said something wrong?

LOL you are so uptight in no way did I intend to say you did something wrong. You have a great system for your needs and are actually lucky to have a smart, and honest HVAC person who helped you make your system work since this in not typical. 99% of HVAC contractors would have tried to sell you a different system for several reasons. Maybe you missed the part where I complimented your system, or glossed over it with you LSDS .

With a non-conditioned space you warm floor will pay for itself in a couple years being so efficient in your situation.

Lighten up Francis life is short

 

[DelFowl18]

I will say that Rinnai is probably the best tankless on the market. Be careful if you have untreated well water. This will void the warranty on the heat exchanger. New ones are stainless. ABSOLUTELY will need to be serviced once a year. Flush with white vinegar and blow out heat exchanger with 100 psi of air!

 

[GulfCoast]

We have a propane Rinnai for our house No issues other than when the power goes off from a storm, etc., I have to go outside, take the housing off and manually bump the temperature back up inside the unit. Some sort of "don't burn yourself" safety feature, I guess. Mine is 15 years old or so, the new ones might not have that quirk.

 

[Native NV Ducker]

Be careful if you have untreated well water. This will void the warranty on the heat exchanger.

The warranty doesn't say anything about 'untreated well water'. It says damage caused by poor water quality. That could be any water. I would imagine if you can't drink it, you might have bad water.

https://www.rinnai.us/system/files/2019-08/100000656_Warranty_Value (HE Series).pdf
This Limited Warranty does not cover any failures or operating difficulties due to the following: • Accident, abuse, or misuse • Alteration of the product or any component part • Misapplication of this product • Improper installation (such as but not limited to) − Product being installed in a corrosive environment − Condensate damage − Improper venting − Incorrect gas type − Incorrect gas or water pressure − Absence of a drain pan under the appliance• Improper maintenance (such as but not limited to scale build-up, freeze damage, or vent blockage) • Incorrect sizing • Any other cause not due to defects in materials or workmanship • Problems or damage due to fires, flooding, electrical surges, freezing or any acts of God • Any damage caused by poor water quality • Operating the water heater with anything other than potable water at all times • Force majeure

 

[nobands]

As for the ops original question.
At first I really hated getting a service call on one of them .
Lots and lots of stuff going on in that little box to make them work.
The new ones when properly installed, sized and maintained have been performing awesome.
Just have to figure out if it fits your needs.

 

[DelFowl18]

The warranty doesn't say anything about 'untreated well water'. It says damage caused by poor water quality. That could be any water. I would imagine if you can't drink it, you might have bad water.

https://www.rinnai.us/system/files/2019-08/100000656_Warranty_Value (HE Series).pdf
This Limited Warranty does not cover any failures or operating difficulties due to the following: • Accident, abuse, or misuse • Alteration of the product or any component part • Misapplication of this product • Improper installation (such as but not limited to) − Product being installed in a corrosive environment − Condensate damage − Improper venting − Incorrect gas type − Incorrect gas or water pressure − Absence of a drain pan under the appliance• Improper maintenance (such as but not limited to scale build-up, freeze damage, or vent blockage) • Incorrect sizing • Any other cause not due to defects in materials or workmanship • Problems or damage due to fires, flooding, electrical surges, freezing or any acts of God • Any damage caused by poor water quality • Operating the water heater with anything other than potable water at all times • Force majeure

I agree with your post, however my company has been experiencing warranty issues with both Rinnai and Navian. Obviously a decent plumbing/heating contractor would make sure that water quality would be taken care of. In my experience, the non condensing units fail quicker. Just my experience.

 

[Foxwood]

One con to tankless is that when the power is off, you got no hot water. At least with gas tank-style you can have that.

 

[darkvibe]

I design these types of systems for a living.

Tankless gas water heaters have advantages but for me, when I turn on the hot water, I want hot water in a few seconds. I don't want to wait for the heater to pre-purge, burner to fire, etc... before it starts sending hot water my way. If I wash my hands I don't want to be finished before I ever get hot water.

Every time I visit my sister I'm reminded of why I don't want one.