Rinnai R75LSi Natural Gas Indoor Tankless Water Heater, 7.5 GPM

by Rinnai

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

For indoor installation only. Stop planning your mornings and evenings around your water heater. Set your own schedule, thanks to the R75LSi. Ideal for two- to three-bathroom homes, the R75LSi delivers up to 7.5 gallons of hot water per minute (GPM), while saving energy and money. Mount your compact R75LSi in virtually any room, and vent directly to the outside with a single wall or roof penetration.

Product Details

• Item Weight: 51 pounds
• Shipping Weight: 54.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• Shipping Advisory: This item must be shipped separately from other items in your order. Additional shipping charges will not apply.
• ASIN: B002CIXMNU
• Item model number: R75LSi-N
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #44,879 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)
  • #89 in Home Improvement > Rough Plumbing > Water Heaters & Parts > Water Heaters

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

109 of 109 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent tankless water heater, May 12, 2010

By 

Jane S (Glen Burnie, MD United States) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rinnai R75LSi Natural Gas Indoor Tankless Water Heater, 7.5 GPM (Tools & Home Improvement)

I did a lot of research before buying this and having my licensed plumber install it to replace a very old 40 gallon gas water heater. I am very pleased with it, and its price here was better than anything we could find locally. So particularly with the tax credit available this year, I know that I will have paid for this (including installation) within 7 years based on our usage and current gas prices in our area. My plumber liked it too.
If you're thinking about a tankless water heater, however, you must realize that by definition it will take slightly longer to get hot water at your faucets. Right now hot water starts flowing from your big tank as soon as you open that faucet. With a tankless, the computer kicks in when you open the faucet, the gas flows to the burners, the electronic ignition creates flame, and the water is heated as it passes through the heater.
This heater seems to come on instantaneously when a faucet is opened (with a satisfying whoosh) and hot water reaches our faucets almost as fast as it used to. It may be fractionally slower to get there, but it's endless hot water, at a precise temperature, and those are the two things we didn't have before.
My other suggestion is to make sure you size your tankless properly for your use - this one is perfect for our 2.5 bathroom home. There is a larger one available if you need the extra capacity.

139 of 144 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hot, Hot, Hot!, February 14, 2010

By 

hot water lover "Hot water lover" (Dallas) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rinnai R75LSi Natural Gas Indoor Tankless Water Heater, 7.5 GPM (Tools & Home Improvement)

While doing a major remodeling which involved relocating our water heater, we decided to go tankless. Since we were upgrading our shower and installing a garden whirlpool tub, we knew hot water demand would soar. Also, we knew both showers would be running at the same time and the old water heater just would not be able to keep up. Our plumber/HVAC contractor is a specialist in energy efficiency, having previously been an executive with a large national energy efficiency company prior to the bust. His recommendation: the Rinnai NG Tankless Water Heater.

It takes longer to get one installed properly, with the extra venting and the materials required. Don't be part of the learning curve for your installer. Make SURE your installer has experience with tankless installations and ASK FOR REFERENCES. It is a different technology and the installation techniques are different from a traditional water heater.

It is a space saving unit, and extremely quiet. And it can flat crank out the hot water! No lags, no lukewarm spaces, no waiting, just all the hot water you want when you want it! Our gas bill dropped about 15% in a much colder winter - no more water heater constantly running to keep hot water hot, no more shortened showers, and a very happy family.

100 of 103 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not So Instant Hot Water, April 30, 2010

By 

Ace-Reviewer"Tom" (Hillsborough, NJ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Rinnai R75LSi Natural Gas Indoor Tankless Water Heater, 7.5 GPM (Tools & Home Improvement)

This unit competently heats and maintains hot water very well as advertised. However, since the water is heated on demand, it can take much more time for the hot water to get to the faucet than a conventional hot water unit. While the time will vary depending on the distance the water travels, this results in wasting a lot of water waiting for the water to get hot - which adds to utility costs.

Also, if you are looking to save on your gas bill with this unit...you won't. I have used this unit for 8 months (same household conditions before and after) and have seen no significant decline in my gas usage. When you consider the cost of installing this unit against a good quality conventional tank water heater, your payback on a tankless unit is quite long...C.R. says 22 years is the average, but I think that is generous. Also consider that tankless units cost far more to install, as special intake and exhaust venting is required. Rinnai uses an innovative 2 in 1 vent system that works very well, but is very expensive and can add significantly to your overall cost, depending on your particular application.

BOTTOM LINE: I bought this unit since I needed to replace my old tank unit and also needed a hot water heater with a small foot print (due to space limitations. I would add the federal energy credit benefit was a huge incentive...without it,I would not likely have purchased the unit. Therefore, unless you have space limitations and/or can benefit from the energy credit, I suggest looking for a good quality conventional tank hot water heater - the newer units of today are very energy efficient and probably a better choice than the tankless until the technology improves beyond present level.

Review Postscript
I purchased this item through the fulfilling store front vendor listed on the Amazon web-site - I am not listed as a "verified purchaser", since I dealt directly with the plumbing supply house. I needed several additional parts to vent the unit properly. They were a pleasure to work with and provided excellent customer service.