Tankless Hot Water Heaters, Efficient, Effective, Endless.
Tankless Brands
Home Depot Tankless or Rinnai
May 12th
Bosch vs Rinnai Tankless
|
There has been quite the buzz regarding tankless water heaters lately. Claims of their superior energy savings and efficiency have been touted by every company pushing the units. Yes they do reduce the amount of gas or propane you use but they also provide endless hot water. If you take a 45 minute shower your more than likely using more energy than you would with a conventional tank that simply runs out of hot water after 20. Yet if you are reasonable and shower for the same duration, you have great potential to see some real energy (and money) savings with a tankless water heater.
Now that you know you want a tankless you have two options…
Option 1 – Go to your nearest Home Depot and purchase one from there, then hire a gas fitter and a plumber to install it
or
Option 2 – Look for a professional tankless installer who has the specialty to preform a stand-up job.
Being the person purchasing the system cost will obviously be a factor and I guarantee Home Depot will be the cheapest option (If cost is your only driving force you should click the link and head to Home Depot now).
For those of you that stuck around I will explain why the second choice is probably the best choice.
Firstly if you call around to a few tankless installers you will quickly realize that none of them sell Bosch tankless heaters (Bosch is the only tankless brand Home Depot sells). The reason why these companies don’t offer this brand is due to the fact they offer extended warranties and guarantees. They are on the line for the products they sell and thus they go with quality products they know will stand up and remain reliable.
Enter Rinnai.
Ask these same tankless installation companies if they sell the Rinnai brand tankless water heater and I bet you find that 99% of them do. Rinnai tankless water heaters are built to last and this is why industry professionals install this brand. Lets compare the Bosch and Rinnai tankless models and see some of the differences.
Bosch Aquastar Tankless Water Heater 1600H compared with Rinnai R75LSi Tankless
Bosch Tankless Verses a Rinnai Tankless
| Bosch 1600H | Rinnai R75LSi | |
|---|---|---|
| Tankless Weight | 33 Pounds | 50 Pounds |
| Power Input (NG) | 30,735-117,000 Btu | 15,000-180,000 Btu |
| CSA Certified | Yes | Yes |
| GPM | 0.6 – 3.5 GPM | 0.6 – 7.5 GPM |
| Energy Factor | 0.8 or 80% | 0.82 or 82% |
| Heat Exchanger | Residential Grade | Commercial Grade |
| Cost or Price | $939 + installation and Vent | $2850 or $39.95 rental |
As you can see there are some definite differences, probably the most glaring is the amount of hotwater that can be provided. The Rinnai is able to produce more than twice as much, meaning you won’t run into problems when running more than one appliance or faucet..
Of course this doesn’t take into account all the benefits that you get from a professional install like:
- Proper venting, tankless systems have very specific code requirements
- Correct sizing so that you always have enough hot water
- Additional warranty and workmanship guarantees
- Maintenance guarantees, service plans, and emergency tech service.
Sure any Ontario Home Depot has the cheapest system but I hope I clarified why they’re some much cheaper. Now those of you still left reading option 2 and didn’t click on the Home Depot link you are obviously interested in a tankless. These systems can’t go in every home due to venting issues so we send out a technician to make sure everything will work and what size tankless your home would need. This is a free service, so just fill out the form below and we will call you to schedule a time for someone to come by. Typically only 15-20 minutes.
Technicians are fitting and sizing tankless water heaters in all of the greater Toronto area as well as, Hamilton, Burlington, Oakville, Etobicoke, Mississauga, Rexdale, Richmond Hill, Vaughan, Markham, North York, Scarborough, Im sure I have missed some cities but you get the idea, if in question just send us an email.
Outgoing
Mar 22nd
Noritz Tankless Video
|
Here is a video on the Noritz 842 condensing tankless. It is a YouTube video, its informative but tailored to the American market. Keep in mind that with and Eco Energy Audit you can get access to 750$ rebate from the Canadian and Ontario government. This program will end in 2011 so get your D audits done soon or you may miss out. You can find out more about an Energy audit or even Book One.
Norits Tankless Water Heater
Mar 22nd
Norits Tankless Hot Water
|
We are now starting to install the Norits tankless systems to replace the Navien that we have had some troubles with.
The Norits is a condensing tankless that is able to provide sufficient hot water for the typical 3 bedroom 3 bathroom home.
Nortis Advantages
- 0.5 GPM low flow start up requirement
- Direct ignition
- Condensing so
- Greater than 93% efficient
- Digital thermometer for accuracy
- Dual copper primary heat exchangers
- Multi-system compatibility
- PVC (636) venting capabilities
The Noritz 842 tankless water heater also uses a dual flame in its burner. This is a system that recirculates the exhaust gases back into the combustion chamber to burn off any excess fuel and particulate mater so as to increase efficiency and provide, essentially free heat.
Single Burner
Dual Burner
These energy efficient models use dual heat exchangers to increase efficiency to over 93%. Available form Norits are the N-0842MC and the N-0842MC-DV, the tankless come in either direct or power vent.
Fill out this form and see if the Norits tankless will work in your home. CLICK FOR FORM
Noritz is correctly spelled with a Z instead of an S but its a common mistake.
Navien Problems
Mar 18th
Navien Problems
|
Navian was the first to come out with a condensing tankless water heater and thus they are bound to have some issues. This post is aimed at addressing some of these problems.
Issues
- Navien flow sensor issues
- Navien Control board failures
- Navien Heat exchanger cracks
The flow sensor
Early Navian models had flow sensors that would easily corrode and shut the unit down as the buildup would impair operation. There is a temporary fix where you take the two clamps off the sensor, pull it out and blow on it. The fix that Navien has made is to change the sensor over to stainless steel, you can replace the part to prevent this unexpected shut down. Also an additional fix is to install a 5 micron filter in the water inlet right before the Navian.
Navian Control Boards or Motherboards
These do fail relatively frequently and symptoms would be that the unit turns on, then off, then on, and then off repeatedly or possibly, fails with error code 03 (ignition failure). There are a few other issues that the board can cause but the only real solution is to power cycle the unit (un-plug and plug back in) or replace the Navien control board.
Cracking Heat Exchanger
This isn’t near as frequent as the problems listed above but it is an issue none the less. A heat exchanger should be replaced immediately; it’s a breach containment allowing exhaust gases to enter your home. The heat exchanger is under Navian warranty.
More Help
Here is some places and information you can use to find additional help.
Navien Technical Help Line – 1-800-519-8794
Navien online trouble shooting – Go HERE
Navien Warranty details – Find out more HERE (should be accurate for Canada and Ontario)
Additional Issues – Read Here
UPDATE – here is a complete list of Navien error codes – Read HERE
If all else fails post a comment and we can try and trouble-shoot any issues here.
Rennai Tankless water heater
Mar 17th
Rennai Tankless water heater
|
Rennai tankless or Rannai tankless is actually spelled Rinnai, it is commonly misspelled as Rennai condensing or Rannai condensing. Here are some more spelling errors for Rinnai tankless water heater.
- Rennai Tankless
- Rinai Tankless
- Renni Tankless
- Rinni Tankless
For the Record it is Rinnai.
Here are some Rinnai Facts
- Uses concentric venting which results in only one hole drilled in your wall but this results in a reduction of venting options.
- Lowest failure rates.
- 10 years parts and labour warranty
- Made in Japan
- 8.0 GPM hot water production on most units
- More than 30 million units installed world wide
- No pilot light (direct electronic ignition)
This picture is an example of the vent pipe that a Rinna tankless uses. Basically there is a pipe inside a pipe, one directs exhaust gases out of the house, while the other allows fresh air to flow in from outside directly to the combustion chamber.
So for the record it is Rinnai.
Takagi T-H2 Manual
Mar 16th
Takagi T-H2 PDF Manual
|
This is the Takagi tankless water heater manual for the condensing unit. It is for both the indoor and outdoor units, although I don’t recommend that the outdoor unit be installed
here in Toronto.
FOR : T-H2-DV and T-H2-OS
You must have Adobe reader to view this file. Get it HERE if you dont.
Click on either of the two below to access the manual.
Takagi Condensing Tankless Review
Mar 16th
Takagi Condensing Tankless
|
Here is the Takagi T-H2 Condensing Tankless hot water heater, there’s a lot to cover so lets get started.
Takagi Tankless Benefits
- PVC venting
- 95% efficient
- 4.6 GPM in dead of winter
- 8.5 GPM in the summer
- Direct vent capability
Info
The T-H2 model is available as a direct vent or an Outdoor model only. Takagi’s T-H2 “2nd Generation High Efficiency Tankless” unit, is a very energy efficient tankless unit (up to 95% in thermal efficiency) in the Tankless industry. The T-H2 was apparently designed for residential and light commercial use and offers Takagi’s Easy-Link to join multiple units.
The T-H2 can provide upwards of three showers’ worth of water simultaneously in colder climates.
The T-H2 can be vented with PVC, providing 0 clearance for DV installations. PVC venting can be used in all applications and apparently Takagi says that 3″ exhaust venting is now available (previously it required a 3″ intake and a 4″ exhaust).
The primary heat exchanger is made of “Heat Resistant Alloy” HRS35 Copper, Takagi has also added a “High Corrosion Resistant Stainless Steel” #316L secondary heat exchanger to recover waste heat from the vent stack before it leaves the unit to preheat the incoming ground water. This second heat exchanger and the resulting condensation that forms from the high efficiency operation, classify it as a “Condensing” Water Heater.
Download the official Takagi T-H2 Manual Here. Must have a PDF viewer.
Specifications
| Natural Gas Input | Min. 13,000BTU | Max. 199,000BTU |
| LPG Input | Min. 13,000BTU | Max. 199,000BTU |
| Gas Connection | 3/4″ NPT | |
| Water Connection | 3/4″ NPT | |
| Condensate Water Drain | 1/2″ NPT | |
| Natural Gas Pressure Inlet | Min. 5.0″WC | Max 10.5″WC |
| LP Gas Pressure Inlet | Min. 8.0″WC | Max. 14.0″WC |
| Weight | DV = 73lbs. | |
| Dimensions | 25.6″ x 18.5″ x 12.4″ | |
| Ignition | Electronic Ignition | |
| Electrical Supply | AC 120V (60 Hz) | |
| Water Pressure | Min. 15psi | Max. 150psi |
| T-H2DV Manifold Pressure | Natural: 3.15″WC | Propane:4.6″WC |
As we all know Canada can has winter, and this affects our ground water temperature. The higher the tankless has to heat ground water up the lower the output flow of hot water is. Ontario’s ground water fluctuates with the coldest temperatures occurring in February and the warmest is September. Toronto, Hamilton, Brampton, Scarborough, Mississauga for example are places that rarely see ground water temperatures dip below 40 degrees Fahrenheit. Thus its safe to assume a minimum of 4.6GPM in the worst of conditions.
Download the official Takagi T-H2 specifications sheet here. Must have PDF viewer.
Conclusion
If you are looking for a condensing tankless that is relatively cheap and flexible for installation the Takagi condensing unit is definitely one that you should consider. This unit is $2575 our price and the Suggested Retail is $3920, which is considerably more.
Fill out the form below if you are at all interested in this or any other Tankless Water Heater.
Condensing Tankless Explained
Mar 11th
Navian Condensing Tankless
|
Navian Condensing Tankless Water Heater
To help explain “condensing technology” for a tankless water heater imagine the condensation that forms on the outside surface of a glass of ice water. This condensation is purposely created inside Navien’s condensing heat exchanger (thats the secondary heat exchanger) from the incoming cold water. This cold water works to cool the hot gases inside the unit increasing its efficiency. Navien’s stainless-steel condensing heat exchanger then traps this condensation and uses it, making the whole process incredibly efficient and economical. This condensation (or vapors and gases) would normally escape through the vents in a conventional tankless water heater. But with Navien’s technology the water heater reuses the condensation, providing one of the most efficient and economical tankless Water Heater a home owner can buy.
Thats how all the Navian condensing Tankless systems work.
Navien Tankless Error Codes
Apr 25th
Posted by administrator in General Info
4 comments
Navien Tankless Error Codes
This is the Entire list of Error codes for the Navien tankless water heater.
These troubleshooting tips are for models 180, 210, 240.
If you have any further questions send an email or post in the comments section and we will try to answer all inquiries.
3. Check the heat exchanger, remove and clean with a solution
3. Check the igniter for spark
2. Check the igniter for spark
2. Replace the thermistor
2. Replace the thermistor
2. Check and clean the fan motor
2. Check and clean the air filter
2. Check intake air pipe
3. Check the ground wire
4. Check power supply
2. Check the GFI
2. Clean the inlet water strainer
3. Check the automatic flow adjustment valve
4. Check the heat exchanger: remove and clean with a cleaning solution
2. Replace thermistor
2. Replace thermistor
2. Check and clean the air filter
3. Check the automatic flow adjustment valve
4. Check the heat exchanger: remove and clean with a cleaning solution
2. Replace thermistor
2. Replace thermistor
2. Replace leaking parts
2. Check the water flow sensor
3. Check the cold water main
2. Replace thermistor
2. Replace thermistor
2. Fill the LPG gas
There will be error codes on both the remote control and on the computer board on the main unit.
To reset a Navien tankless water heater either unplug the unit and wait a minute to plug it back in again, or press the power button on the remote control off and then back on again.
If Nothing else works call Navien’s Tech Support at 1-800-519-8794