RinnaiV53DeN Tankless Water Heaters, Euro White

This is a review of the V53DeN. This is my second Rinnai tankless. The first was for the main house, this second for a master bedroom addition. I've had the first for more than 5 years and it's been wonderful. We didn't need 5.3gpm for a shower and a sink, but I trust Rinnai so I went with them again for the second heater. So far the unit has been great. My complaints have to do with the installation. I could have done it myself, but I hired a professional to help to make sure everything was to code. Neither of us could figure out the electrical from the enclosed instructions. We chased the wires in the diagram enclosed in the heater itself and figured out how to wire it, but no one should have to go through that effort to connect 3 wires. Also, the fitting for the electrical conduit on the bottom of the unit is machine thread not pipe thread. There must be a pipe-to-machine thread adapter that was missing from my unit. I will call Rinnai to find out. Again, the electrical shouldn't be this hard. It wasn't with our first unit. Finally, the box says "Wifi Enabled" but there's nothing in the instructions about how to connect. I don't care because I'm not connecting anyway, but it's just another way Rinnai really flubbed the documentation.Edit: I finally finished the electrical connections 2 months later, no thanks to Rinnai customer help, who eventually stopped responding to my emails. The connection at the unit looks like 3/4" compression to me. I've attached pics in case they help anyone. It's a tight fit and getting at the cleanouts for yearly descaling is going to be tough. I'd skip this model and look for a different from Rinnai.

My unit did not work upon installation by a certified plumber. If you do not use a certified plumber for installation Rinnai will not even talk to you. You are on your own. It was coding a #19 which was said to be an unusual code. The plumber called Rinnai for assistance did some things got it working. The extra fussing cost $128 labor that I had to pay. 8 days later the unit stopped working. Called the same plumber. The service call and diagnostics was another $193 only to find out the unit is totally defective. Rinnai did send a replacement at no charge but I had to pay the installation charge at $384. Rinnai likes to have what is called a kit put on at installation. It is used to flush the heater as maintenance. This requires a pump vinegar bucket and hoses. You would need to purchase these things or have a plumber do it at a cost. This should be done at least 1 time each year. So the install price including the Kit and all other necessities was $656. Plus the extra labor charges for a grand total of $977. This does not include the price of the heater. This is my experience in Texas near Dallas. Nearly 2 thousand dollars for a water heater so far and the clock is still ticking.

I've installed a few of these now but this is the first one for outdoor installation. ALL of the previous ones (not Rinnia brand) came with an electrical plug and a temperature controller that was attached with a long cord so it can be placed in a convenient location. This one you will have to shell out another $150 for a temp controller connect it to the device. You will also need to hard wire the device to a 110v service disconnect mounted within a few feet of it. You'll need to add a flush kit also. So you're looking at about $250-300 more, not counting any plumbing you need to run. What I'm most disgusted with is the online instruction manual that you can read on the product provided by amazon says the temp controller is included. The instruction manual in the box that you receive says that it's not included and must be purchased separately. I delayed the install for a few months while other things were going on and so I'm stuck with this POS. Now I have to shell out another $150 and delay the install even longer.Updated: we’ll the temp controller went out after a couple of months. That supplier replaced it free of charge. This unit is way under-powered. It is nonrecirculating so I expected the hot water to take a minute or so to reach full temp, but you can expect at least 5 minutes and even then it is luke warm. The rinnia controller only allows a max temp of 120 degrees and so faucets that are farthest from the heater will only reach 105 degrees. If you open another tap the temp is even colder…don’t waste your money!!!$@&?!!

I think this is a great buy. It installed easily (but needs mains electricity which most tank water heaters don't need, so plan on that wiring), no leaks, very tidy ...everything I was hoping for, except I underestimated the lag time before getting hot water. It is mounted just beyond the bathroom for primary use, but, even with a short run, most people are done washing their hands and disappointed before the warm water shows up. Its not the fault of the unit, just something you wouldn't think of until after. I like the unit, so when I have time, I will transfer it to our main house where it will service the bathrooms in the back half. It's design will definitely keep up with showers. I will just need to find a smaller, faster heating unit for the casita, but almost impossible to get small in natural gas.

Never thought I would be able to afford a tankless but when my 30+ year old water heater died God provided a way! Great brand. Plumber installed it in a couple of hours. It is perfect. Love my tankless 😍