Rinnai RC80HPi Indoor Natural Gas Condensing Tankless Water Heater, 8.1 GPM

by Rinnai

Product Description

From the Manufacturer

For outdoor installation. 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. 157,000 max BTU.

Product Description

* Qualifies For Federal Tax Credit

* ENERGY STAR qualified
* Up to 95% thermal efficiency
* Condensing technology for greater efficiency and significant energy savings
* Capacity to supply continuous hot water simultaneously to multiple plumbing demands
* Significant space savings over tank-style water heaters
* More sanitary hot water
* Long-lasting design and reduced risk of flooding
* Available in Natural Gas or Propane(email for LP availability
* Flexible indoor installation options
* Meets California and Texas NOx Emission Rules
* 12-year heat exchanger limited warranty for residential installations (5 years on parts, 1 year on labor)
* Pair up with an air handler for efficient home heating

Product Details

• Shipping Weight: 75 pounds
• 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: B00309XQKY
• Item model number: RC80HPi-NG
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,470 in Home Improvement (See Top 100 in Home Improvement)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Easy Installation, October 26, 2010

By 

John Eaton "johnnyapollo" (Atlanta GA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rinnai RC80HPi Indoor Natural Gas Condensing Tankless Water Heater, 8.1 GPM (Tools & Home Improvement)

This is the second tankless unit I've installed (the first was a Rheem unit bought at HD) and by far the easier of the two to install. The main differences between this and the Rheem - with a condensing unit you need to plumb in a condensing pump. The Rheem unit has an external keypad that has to be wired while the Rinnai's control unit is built into the face. And the most significant is the plastic duct in the Rinnai rather than the stainless steel for the Rheem. This unit conveniently comes with a full-size paper diagram to determine placement of the unit which is a plus. Everything is fairly straight forward - however the installation manual really isn't written for a consumer while the Rheem unit is written with step-by-step instructions that are easier to understand. The Rinnai manual boils down to safety verbiage and a schematic-like diagram. If I hadn't already installed one I think it would have been more difficult to do so, but I already understood the context from the previous install - this pushed my rating downward. This unit is normally installed by Rinnai crews via their system of certified installers - so I'm assuming the manual is written with them in mind rather than a casual consumer - something to keep in mind.

The default thermostat setting will probably be too low for most US residents - I upped it to 120 degrees. Due to some extra piping the hot water takes longer to get to the spigot - the only thing my wife complains about. Otherwise it's hot and continuous, just as advertised. There are only two of us in a 2400 sq ft home with 2 full baths. In the summer my gas bill is around $33 and fairly consistent (most of the bill is made up of the regular monthly minimum charges). After installation my bills went to $27 so having the unit has decreased by gas usage. My previous water heater was a 50 gallon tanked unit that was installed in the mid 90s (so about 15 years old). I replaced it due to leaking. The hardest part of the install was getting through the block wall and really, it wasn't that bad.

One thing to consider is your exhaust pipe run - the units that require stainless steel can make this part of the install quite expensive. Due to the plastic piping that can be used with condensing units, you can save quite a lot of the costs by going this route (more expensive unit but cheaper ducting). If you have a long run from the unit placement to an outside wall,this can be significant.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will NEVER have a tank water heater again!, March 8, 2011

By 

lectricblu - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rinnai RC80HPi Indoor Natural Gas Condensing Tankless Water Heater, 8.1 GPM (Tools & Home Improvement)

We installed an electric SETS tankless water heater in our last home, then moved and had a traditional tank water heater in the new house. We really like the endless hot water that the tankless offers and quickly made the decision to install a tankless in the new home. With the tank water heater, we could not all take hot showers, the last person was always mad & cold! This time, however, we have gas, and this gas Rinnai is definitely MUCH better! Our family of five can take consecutive or simultaneous showers (2 bathrooms), AND run the dishwasher AND washing machine (all at the same time!) and NEVER run out of hot water. If you'd like to stand in the shower for an hour, go ahead, it'll keep the hot water coming! Tankless water heaters are definitely more expensive than the tank kind, but well worth the money. We haven't gotten our first bill yet for the gas, but I'm sure it's going to drop from previous months. In the last house, our electric bill dropped significantly, but we couldn't use hot water in more than one faucet at a time with an electric - I would not recommend an electric whole house, if you are more than a 2 person family.

The Rinnai has to be installed by a professional, but I was able to get a better deal from Amazon than going straight through the plumber. They installed without a problem or complaint. The temperature setting is on the outside of the unit and very easy to change quickly.

I highly recommend a Rinnai tankless water heater - choose based on your house & family size and what you are looking to accomplish at one time.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent product and service!, April 12, 2011

By 

Justin - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Rinnai RC80HPi Indoor Natural Gas Condensing Tankless Water Heater, 8.1 GPM (Tools & Home Improvement)

The heater arrived promptly. I was concerned about the unit when it first arrived because the box was quite flimsy and looked like it had beaten up a bit, but it was fine when unpacked. This heater does have very high priced flue pipe (stainless steel) so be ready to pay out a lot for the exhaust venting. This is a proven brand in Japan and has a solid history. It has no problem keeping up with a 3-bedroom home with a few visitors and it fairly quite when operating.