Rinnai RU160iN Condensing Tankless Hot Water Heater, 9 GPM, Natural Gas, Indoor Installation

October 2023 - The takeaway is that anyone who complains about these not working well did not install it correctly (and won't admit it). I am shocked at how well this thing works. I am still amazed how quiet it is. No further occurrences of errors. Works fine with furnace running even supplied through a 1/2in tee from a 1 in main supply to the basement. Sep 2023 Brief update: I had one occurrence of error 12 - flame out. But it hasn't happened again. I hope it was a fluke caused by our gas supply and nothing else. If not, I'll investigate and update my review afterward. Original review Aug 2023: My recent experience with the Rinnai RU199iN tankless hot water heater has, in a single word, been excellent! It's like the ninja of water heaters - quiet and incredibly efficient in performance. Getting it up and running was straightforward, similar to the typical expectations of setting up the necessary plumbing, gas, venting, and electrical work. However, it's important to note that this isn't like replacing a conventional tank where everything falls into place easily. Rather, it is like a fitting jigsaw puzzle into place, not easy per se, but not too daunting either. The most fun was renting a rotary hammer from Home Depot to bore the vent holes though brick. For anyone worried about gas lines like me, you may appreciate this little surprise. The unit appears to have an internal gas booster pump. Ingenious, right? I chose to run it off of an existing gas line which was originally fed from a 1-inch line from the meter, with a brief downgrade to a 1/2 inch, before returning to a 3/4 inch. Despite my initial concern, it seems to function flawlessly under these conditions. But I am not complacent, and plan to eventually test all my gas appliances together in full throttle, just to be certain that the supply line capacity holds up. One of the most commendable features of the Rinnai RU199iN? Stable hot water output. Not once did I experience any hot water fluctuations during use. An absolute win! However, I did notice a slightly longer delay to get hot water on a cold startup, taking approximately 10 to 15 seconds longer compared to traditional heaters. But once it gets going, it provides steady, continuous hot water supply. Oh, and I must add - I did the installation myself. So, for all the DIY enthusiasts out there, this little project is quite manageable and rewarding. In conclusion, the Rinnai RU199iN tankless hot water heater has proven to be a stellar addition to my home. It delivers consistent performance, minimal noise, and solid dependability. If what you're after is a top-notch appliance that couples functionality with ease of use, then the Rinnai RU199iN certainly fits the bill. Five stars for this one, without a second thought!

This unit outperformed my expectations in a big way. I live in the mountains at 8,000 feet and my cold water comes from a well. In the wintertime, the water is MAYBE 40 degrees when it comes out of the tap. I figured with a 7 gallon/min rating and the incredibly cold ground water, I would be lucky to get 3 or so gallons/min, which would be enough for a single hot shower. Nope! I've had no problem running two simultaneous showers along with the dishwasher in the wintertime. How this thing manages to heat the water by 70 degrees instantly is beyond me but it sure does! I had very minimal plumbing experience but I had no problem installing the unit after doing 10 minutes of YouTube research. I love the fact that the exhaust vent just uses standard Schedule 40 PVC, which is super cheap and easy to work with. As you can see in the pictures, I added a pre-filter to reduce mineral scale buildup as my ground water is very hard. I just swap out the cartridge every 6 months, just like the cartridge in the fridge. After 9 months of use, the unit hasn't yet told me it needs any descaling, but I expect that will come up by the end of the year. The procedure there is very simple. Otherwise, this is a very compact, very attractive unit. Zero issues after 9 months of continuous use.

2yr ownership update: Aside from one breakdown due to a faulty part (which was immediately shipped by the manufacturer under warranty) this heater is amazing. Perfectly maintained hot water temperature for as long as you need it. Can run a bath, shower and dishwasher etc and not a slightest drop in hot water pressure. Awesome! I completely recommend this heater without any hesitantion. Our home is 4 bedroom single family home with 2 main bathrooms and 2 smaller washrooms. Firstly, the positives; Fast to heat up (within 1 minutes 2 floors above) Endless flow of hot water Can have 2 showers working and haven't really tested how many faucets we can run at the same time It is quiet and does exactly what we bought it for The only negative was the ordering process. I chose a water heater from Amazon that had a connected Amazon Installation Service option which I chose. The heater arrived quickly and in good condition. I called the Amazon approved contractor to confirm its arrival and they sent someone to come and install it. When the person came, they stated that they did not realize that it was a tankless heater and refused to install it unless they supplied it themselves. All down to Warranty issues apparently. Seeing as our existing electric tank heater had broken down2 days prior, we were left with an issue - no hot water and 3 young kids to keep bathed. I asked them to take a look at the electric heater to see if there was a fuse or something that may have gone wrong. They said that they could book the job for $150 and take a look at it but that it would most likely be the internals. (as it was, when we eventually managed to get a local installer for the new heater, he made the effort to come down and take a look at the existing heater. It was a case of taking off a small panel (4 small screws) and pressing a reset button. Sure enough, it sprang to life again) We then called Amazon to ask them to recommend another installers. The chap who dealt with us at Amazon installation services called around all the local plumbers and none of them would install a tankless heater that they had not sold. Amazon said that they would refund the installation fee and give us a $30 credit for the hassle. After a bit of phoning around we found a local plumber to do the work. I called the actual water heater manufacturer to check that the warranty would still apply and they confirmed that so long as he was a registered professional plumber then he could sign off on the warranty sheet. So the 5 stars is for the heater and only 1 star for the Amazon Installation Service

Not normally a review writer but... After having a prior Rinnai propane outdoor unit running heating and domestic water, then in my most recent house I replaced two 60 gal CNG standups with this unit. It is tied in with a 30 gal reservoir/storage tank and a recirc pump to maintain tank temp (not a domestic hot water loop). I have gas experience and previous mechanical/ building cert. so install was fairly straight forward. Planning and design are important. It condensed down a massive setup into a small compact space saving design. Ultra quiet and as advertised, unlimited hot water. Had a plumber I talked to give me a spiel about another no name brand he uses, having to upgrade my water pump and pressure tank etc. Be sure your installer knows what they are doing or it will definitely be a bad experience. Done properly you will be pleased. Update: Over one year later, no problems or issues with my heater. Still love this unit.

I installed the water heater in a 12x8 shed where I installed water filters, UV, washing machine and shower stall for our campers for the past 5 months. Used it daily with a 20lb propane tank. Conversion was easy. Switching propane tanks sometimes causes air long that takes a moment to expel, so bigger tanks would be a good idea in my case for next year.

Easy to install, works well. We have replace our Bosch with this machine. Very please with it. Be careful with the condensing water, there is a lot. We had to 3D print part to collect the water. But nothing you cannot buy. The most difficult part was to find the System 636 gas pipes (or other certified gas pipe). 2" pipes are best and very easy to use with this unit. After that ready to roll and WIFE happy.

Works better than expected, install was a breeze, came with the propane conversion kit that installed in minutes, is very quiet, hot water comes fast. Very nice looking unit. very impressed so far, been hooked up now for 2 weeks. water is HOT, Taking water from a 100 foot deep well in the winter (around -15C lately) and it can heat it to 140 degrees easily. ended up setting temp to 125 degrees. Well worth the price, I also installed an anti scaling filter as well for extra protection. Replaced a 40 gallon electric tank with this, lower element wasn't working, and the warranty period expired. This unit will definitely lower my electric bill. A couple of neighbours have similar units and say they use approximately 100 lb of propane a year, so that would run about $130 a year at current prices in my location. so hopefully this will save $300-500 a year for me on electricity

It is one of the best instant water heater. If you want to control using your smart phone you have to buy Control R module. I'll have installed to my cottage where I'm on solar system (no electricity grid). Use less electric power and using less LP. It is a super high efficiency product. I'll recommend it.