Your video gets a like simply for lighting up a cigar while you're teaching. I'm setting up an off grid system with an exterior Rinnai. My water source is 3000 gallons of external tank. Most of my source pipes are above ground so my best protocol is probably just going to be to power down, drain everything and get all the water out of my entire system until the weather passes. All power we have is from our solar system. Additional heating elements are not practical. Temp outside this morning is 23 F. The beginning of your video was most helpful when figuring out how to drain the system. Thanks!
Talked to Mike at length about a water heater problem . He spent almost an hour talking me through every scenario. Really good guy and most knowledgeable. His channel is one of the most beneficial for home improvement projects. If you have a water heater issue, watch his videos.
Mike really stepped up to help those of us in Texas who had Rinnai tankless heaters that suffered damage due to the freezing cold and power outages. Great guy and extremely helpful!
Thank you for the info and advice. Sometimes we are prepared for weather events like winter storm uri, sometimes we learn from them and become more prepared for the next one, whenever that is. Your willingness to share your knowledge is much appreciated. See you in the next video.
Mike - God bless you for your insight and response to us Texans! I have a Navien, but the physics and functions are the same. Your videos are a great big ‘ole help. Youse speak like my Lonk Island relatives, and the cigar was the icing on the cake. Thanks very much. I’m a new subscriber. I’ll watch just for the NY accent! P.S. For all you Texans trying to interpret Mike’s ‘youse’ and ‘youse guys’, just think ‘y’all’ and ‘all y’all’. Then, ‘y’es’ is ‘yours’.
I'm from Texas, born and raised. Your NY accent is absolutely wonderful! Really! In the USA, we have a great treasure of regional, localized accents, dialects, and I find each one of them interesting.
Mike, your video was super helpful. Too late to save my brand new unit but helped me understand what failed and the new heat exchanger is ordered, though of course on back order. The rip in the tube on the hot side is even bigger than in your video.
I contacted Mike and discussed my issues. I found that this video along with the others were of great value with me. He covered many of the issues that I was having and offered suggestions to solve my problems that I was having. He IS GREAT with his help and service. If you are having problems, watch this. Especially if you were caught in the 2021 Texas freeze. Thanks Mike.
Great tip with the moving blanket. I would add to cover it all with a tarp or plastic sheeting so that if it rains or snows, it will not turn into an ice blanket.
I used to be a Rinnai guy 100%. In the last six months I decided to start using Navien. I find the technology to be a little more advanced, easier to work on and being able to install without having to add or replace a lot of gas piping helps keep the cost lower with installation.
Lol same here, I was approached by Navien last year( I did get a lot of question about them over the channel) to see what they can do about being added to my channel. I asked for two unites so I could look at them. Once I took them apart and put them back together I was sold.
Thank you for all the help with installing a recirc pump, finally got it all installed, and wrapped everything up this morning. It works like a charm! best person for advise on tankless systems out there!
Mike, a superior video! Blessed are those who are willing to pass their knowledge on in a format that all can learn from. The detail and effort you have unselfishly imparted to your audience speaks volumes about your character. You may not remember me, but you were a tremendous help to me in installing my first Rinnai Tankless water heater. The Bugatti guy.
Hi Mike, I live in Dallas and I have 2 tankless R94 One of them kept working through the cold weather because I have installed a recirculating pump and made it come on every hours to keep water flow through the unit. The other tankless stopped working due to hot water discharge pipe frozen in the attic. The unit did not froze and I was able to make it run by opening the relief valve. I had previously stuffed all the pipes with wall insulation . I got lucky on this one. Thanks for all your videos
As a texan I'm very appreciative and thankful you took the time to explain all this. We are about to have another winter storm this coming Thursday and Friday. Mine is in the garage against exterior wall and the piping freezes easily. Would leaving the hot water on a small tiny amount in bathroom sink help prevent freezing?
Thanks! We have had freezing temps here for two weeks and now its suppose to get even colder in next few days. Does your running water method also apply to well water pumped water? Two years ago when I moved here I just let the water trickle and the pump cracked in two places. I have let the water stream since during cold weather. What is your advice for well water with the tankless outside?
Great video, thank you Question, i have a mountain cabin that we do not heat or visit during winter. We have indoor tankless water heater in a closet inside kitchen. If i gravity drain all water from house system, leave power and gas on, am i ok? Temp iside house can get into 20s What process should i use each year to “winterize” cabin water heater?which of your videos show this process?
Did you ever find an answer for this question you asked? I am thinking of doing the same thing you are asking about. I'm wondering if the water heater would be ok without any water in it. ?
Hi Mike, I just bought a never installed Rennai RUC98i. I thought in one of your videos you mentioned that it has the software for recirculation but, the pump needs installed externally. When I go to Rennai website, it does not recognize the model number. This unit was originally purchased by a friend of mine who never installed it due to venting restrictions. I would welcome any thoughts, guidance, or links. Especially on getting the correct pump and how to wire and set it up.. Thanks!
Hello, thanks for the video I was hoping you could give me some input on a similar situation. I'm running an interior unit (V65ip) but live in a very cold climate in Fairbanks, Alaska. We are having issues with the 5-in Plastic Vent Kit frosting and causing an error 10 each time the heater engages. Once you put the pipe with a heat gun this issue goes about for about 12 hours, but this is not a sustainable solution. Do you have any suggestions for preventing this from happening? Our next possible action is to install similar insulation as this video discusses to the outside of the Plastic Vent Kit to try and insulate the air a bit more. This has only really been an issue when the temperature drops below -20 F. Thanks for your videos!
Can I put in one of these battery packs into my Rinnai Combination boiler, about 8 years old, so when loosing power it doesn’t lock out until you push the reset button, when your not at home? Thank you
My unit is having a problem igniting in very cold temps, is this normal? I am getting a code 11. Really dont have this issue when the temp is more normal for Texas and not freezing
Thank you for your videos they are a big help. I was able to replace my heat exchanger that froze and busted on my outside unit. My local plumber was wanting to charge $1,000 just for labor. Do you think that is fair?
I am from Dallas, I have RUR98i, my water pipes froze, and after the storm, I opened the cold water inlet to tankless heater, found that the water is flooding out from the tank, today I opened heater front door and found it is coming out from heat exchanger. I ordered new heater after checking that the replacement part is not available online(back ordered), my question to you, is RUR199iN the replacement for RUR98iN. By the way I ordered RUR199iN.
Yes a RUR199IN is the replacement for a RUR98IN The piping will be a little different due to the relief valve is separate mounted directly to the unit. You should have some play in the pipes to move the wster lines. I hope this helped. Mike
Thank you very much for all your videos they’re very helpful. I do have a question for you as I repaired my own unit by bringing the return bend on the left side of the heat exchanger, which busted, back together and then soldered it. It has held for almost a week so far. I do however want to purchase a copper return bend, and eventually replace that section with a more permanent fix. My question is what size copper pipe would I be replacing? 12mm,12.7mm,16mm, 19mm Thank you very much I can also supply a picture however, I don’t have the tools to measure the actual inside diameter Without Cutting into the pipe which is currently holding in supplying us hot water.
Mike, so we should turn tankless off/power off and leave cold and hot water on drizzle? When you have power, can you just turn on the faucets WITHOUT turning tankless/power off?
Mike..our plumber is having a difficult time installing the freeze protection solenoid on our external unit. They cannot seem to get the electrical correct to make the solenoid valves work. Sonething about AC or DC problem. Any way you have detailed info. Gail
We installed a Rinnai interior tankless in the garage. We are baffled when it has been extremely cold the unit has appeared to turn itself off overnight. We had. Tankless in the same place where there was one for10 years, that unit never did this. Is this normal? It literally is off in the AM. I insulated the pipes today and place a blanket over the unit so we will see if it’s on tomorrow AM since it’s supposed to be in the 20s tonight
Hello Mike! I replaced an 80 gallon electric water heater yesterday. It has been in operation like 6 hours and lukewarm water. The water heater sits outside in an addition shed built for it. 240v powers the elements, both elements have 12 Homs of resistance, current draw on top element 19.7 amps. Thermostats are set to 120 Degrees. Everything checks out but no hot water. Any ideas? the old one was not leaking but stopped heating water and both elements and thermostats with dip tube were replaced to no avail. Finally decided to buy a new water heater and the problem is still there. please help!
Hi Mike, we lost hot water this morning when it reached 18 degrees in Austin, TX. I watched the Rinnai video for protecting your tankless and got the hot water working again by turning off the hot & cold lines and using the pressure release valve. I also opened the service caps and let it drain; I did not connect a hose to the cold line or use an air compressor. Unfortunately, the hot water pressure is okay with one sink on but weakens if more than one faucet is turned on. Glad to have hot water back but still unable to shower due to the low hot water pressure. Any suggestions on how to improve the hot water flow?
Great comment. I’m dealing with my rinnai acting up right now. No hot water. It’s not even making a sound when we try to turn hot water on. I’m in San Antonio btw. Also, did you turn off the power to water heater before draining or leave it on?
Firstly I want to thank you so much for your videos. I was based in Austin TX and I was able to leverage your videos to help get one of my tankless units back online. Basically the control panel was mounted outside in the unit and one of the wires corroded and the system shut off. I was able to reconnect the wires. Should I have the control panels moved into the house ( I have two units). Second question even thought the hot water seemed to have freezed it is now working, if there was a leak in the tank would the unit still be working and should I check for a leak at the heat exchanger?
I also live in Austin, and my water heater (tankless, outdoor) froze up. When the temperature thawed it out, water spewed everywhere, so it was obvious (to me) that there was a leak. It was a burst pipe near the top left of the heat exchanger.
another Austinite here. Just ordered the freeze solenoids along with my new rinnai to replace the one that froze and burst last week, which seems to have happened to most EVERYONE i know that has an external tankless in town. appreciate this video.
I live in Dallas my outside unit froze and busted the heat exchanger, I was able to find the replacement in our local plumbing supply store, after a couple of hours and 300 dollars later is running again
My external Rinnai burst in the storm last year. Now we're gearing up for the 2023 round of cold weather, which will probably take down the Texas grid again. We're getting our first blast tonight and this vid, while bringing back some ptsd, is a lifesaver. Rinnai is being incredibly irresponsible on this issue. They're intentionally ignoring the info in sales material, bordering close to fraud. Honestly, when would you want hot water the most? In the middle of the winter. In the meantime, these units failing will only increase along with climate extremes.
Your video gets a like simply for lighting up a cigar while you're teaching. I'm setting up an off grid system with an exterior Rinnai. My water source is 3000 gallons of external tank. Most of my source pipes are above ground so my best protocol is probably just going to be to power down, drain everything and get all the water out of my entire system until the weather passes. All power we have is from our solar system. Additional heating elements are not practical. Temp outside this morning is 23 F.
The beginning of your video was most helpful when figuring out how to drain the system. Thanks!
Expecting freezing temps again tonight in Texas, came here to avoid having to replace my Rinnai like I did last year. Thanks for the thorough video!
No problem
Mike is the MAN! Helped me out tremendously with my Rinnai RL75 Indoor Tankless Water Heater that froze up during the Texas storm.
Thank you very much
Great video got even better when you fired up the cigar. Got a new Rinnai tankless and now I can protect it. Thanks!!
Glad I could held
Talked to Mike at length about a water heater problem . He spent almost an hour talking me through every scenario. Really good guy and most knowledgeable. His channel is one of the most beneficial for home improvement projects. If you have a water heater issue, watch his videos.
Thank you very much
Mike really stepped up to help those of us in Texas who had Rinnai tankless heaters that suffered damage due to the freezing cold and power outages. Great guy and extremely helpful!
Thank you very much
Thank you for the info and advice. Sometimes we are prepared for weather events like winter storm uri, sometimes we learn from them and become more prepared for the next one, whenever that is. Your willingness to share your knowledge is much appreciated. See you in the next video.
Mike - God bless you for your insight and response to us Texans!
I have a Navien, but the physics and functions are the same.
Your videos are a great big ‘ole help.
Youse speak like my Lonk Island relatives, and the cigar was the icing on the cake.
Thanks very much. I’m a new subscriber. I’ll watch just for the NY accent!
P.S. For all you Texans trying to interpret Mike’s ‘youse’ and ‘youse guys’,
just think ‘y’all’ and ‘all y’all’.
Then, ‘y’es’ is ‘yours’.
Glad it helped
Thank you for all the information and for talking to me!!! Your videos are an excellent source of information 👏👌. God bless 😊
Glad it helped. Mike
I'm from Texas, born and raised. Your NY accent is absolutely wonderful! Really! In the USA, we have a great treasure of regional, localized accents, dialects, and I find each one of them interesting.
Mike, your video was super helpful. Too late to save my brand new unit but helped me understand what failed and the new heat exchanger is ordered, though of course on back order. The rip in the tube on the hot side is even bigger than in your video.
I’m glad it helped sorry for your problem. Mike
I contacted Mike and discussed my issues. I found that this video along with the others were of great value with me. He covered many of the issues that I was having and offered suggestions to solve my problems that I was having. He IS GREAT with his help and service. If you are having problems, watch this. Especially if you were caught in the 2021 Texas freeze. Thanks Mike.
Great tip with the moving blanket. I would add to cover it all with a tarp or plastic sheeting so that if it rains or snows, it will not turn into an ice blanket.
I used to be a Rinnai guy 100%. In the last six months I decided to start using Navien.
I find the technology to be a little more advanced, easier to work on and being able to install without having to add or replace a lot of gas piping helps keep the cost lower with installation.
Lol same here, I was approached by Navien last year( I did get a lot of question about them over the channel) to see what they can do about being added to my channel. I asked for two unites so I could look at them. Once I took them apart and put them back together I was sold.
Thank you for all the help with installing a recirc pump, finally got it all installed, and wrapped everything up this morning. It works like a charm! best person for advise on tankless systems out there!
Glad it helped Mike
You are my hero!!! Thank you for sharing your knowledge and expertise. Great teaching!
Mike, a superior video! Blessed are those who are willing to pass their knowledge on in a format that all can learn from. The detail and effort you have unselfishly imparted to your audience speaks volumes about your character. You may not remember me, but you were a tremendous help to me in installing my first Rinnai Tankless water heater. The Bugatti guy.
Hi Mike,
I live in Dallas and I have 2 tankless R94
One of them kept working through the cold weather because I have installed a recirculating pump and made it come on every hours to keep water flow through the unit.
The other tankless stopped working due to hot water discharge pipe frozen in the attic. The unit did not froze and I was able to make it run by opening the relief valve. I had previously stuffed all the pipes with wall insulation . I got lucky on this one.
Thanks for all your videos
I’m glad it helped
Thank you for the video. Very helpful.
Glad it helped
Great vid, love the cigar👍🇺🇸
As a texan I'm very appreciative and thankful you took the time to explain all this. We are about to have another winter storm this coming Thursday and Friday. Mine is in the garage against exterior wall and the piping freezes easily. Would leaving the hot water on a small tiny amount in bathroom sink help prevent freezing?
Thanks Mike for all your help! Your videos are so helpful and top notch! Mike even helped me over the phone.
Thank you so much.
You are a life saver! Thank you my man!
Thank you
Do you have a video on if water is dripping from the bottom of the tankless WH? And or if the condensation valve will be dripping?
can you provide a link to the cinch cord you used?
You can but it a Home Depot it’s in the isle with the rope snd chain
If I have a pipe cover enclosure on an external Rinnai propane unit can I pack that with Rockwool insulation to give me better protection?
Thank you for your awesome videos you post. I have question about concentric vent. Does the concentric vent needs a cap?
No it doesn’t both the horizontal and vertical vent have rain protection
Thanks! We have had freezing temps here for two weeks and now its suppose to get even colder in next few days. Does your running water method also apply to well water pumped water? Two years ago when I moved here I just let the water trickle and the pump cracked in two places. I have let the water stream since during cold weather. What is your advice for well water with the tankless outside?
Great video, thank you
Question, i have a mountain cabin that we do not heat or visit during winter. We have indoor tankless water heater in a closet inside kitchen. If i gravity drain all water from house system, leave power and gas on, am i ok? Temp iside house can get into 20s
What process should i use each year to “winterize” cabin water heater?which of your videos show this process?
Did you ever find an answer for this question you asked? I am thinking of doing the same thing you are asking about. I'm wondering if the water heater would be ok without any water in it. ?
Hi Mike,
I just bought a never installed Rennai RUC98i. I thought in one of your videos you mentioned that it has the software for recirculation but, the pump needs installed externally. When I go to Rennai website, it does not recognize the model number.
This unit was originally purchased by a friend of mine who never installed it due to venting restrictions.
I would welcome any thoughts, guidance, or links. Especially on getting the correct pump and how to wire and set it up..
Thanks!
Hello, thanks for the video I was hoping you could give me some input on a similar situation. I'm running an interior unit (V65ip) but live in a very cold climate in Fairbanks, Alaska. We are having issues with the 5-in Plastic Vent Kit frosting and causing an error 10 each time the heater engages. Once you put the pipe with a heat gun this issue goes about for about 12 hours, but this is not a sustainable solution. Do you have any suggestions for preventing this from happening? Our next possible action is to install similar insulation as this video discusses to the outside of the Plastic Vent Kit to try and insulate the air a bit more. This has only really been an issue when the temperature drops below -20 F. Thanks for your videos!
Hi Mike, do you still offer help with water heater questions?
Can I put in one of these battery packs into my Rinnai Combination boiler, about 8 years old, so when loosing power it doesn’t lock out until you push the reset button, when your not at home?
Thank you
My unit is having a problem igniting in very cold temps, is this normal? I am getting a code 11. Really dont have this issue when the temp is more normal for Texas and not freezing
Thank you for your videos they are a big help. I was able to replace my heat exchanger that froze and busted on my outside unit. My local plumber was wanting to charge $1,000 just for labor. Do you think that is fair?
Glad it helped. Mike
I am from Dallas, I have RUR98i, my water pipes froze, and after the storm, I opened the cold water inlet to tankless heater, found that the water is flooding out from the tank, today I opened heater front door and found it is coming out from heat exchanger. I ordered new heater after checking that the replacement part is not available online(back ordered), my question to you, is RUR199iN the replacement for RUR98iN. By the way I ordered RUR199iN.
Yes a RUR199IN is the replacement for a RUR98IN The piping will be a little different due to the relief valve is separate mounted directly to the unit. You should have some play in the pipes to move the wster lines. I hope this helped.
Mike
Thank you very much for all your videos they’re very helpful. I do have a question for you as I repaired my own unit by bringing the return bend on the left side of the heat exchanger, which busted, back together and then soldered it. It has held for almost a week so far. I do however want to purchase a copper return bend, and eventually replace that section with a more permanent fix. My question is what size copper pipe would I be replacing? 12mm,12.7mm,16mm, 19mm
Thank you very much I can also supply a picture however, I don’t have the tools to measure the actual inside diameter Without Cutting into the pipe which is currently holding in supplying us hot water.
Mike, so we should turn tankless off/power off and leave cold and hot water on drizzle? When you have power, can you just turn on the faucets WITHOUT turning tankless/power off?
What the answer Should I turn off water main valve drain all faucets and turn power off to heater. ?
Mike..our plumber is having a difficult time installing the freeze protection solenoid on our external unit. They cannot seem to get the electrical correct to make the solenoid valves work. Sonething about AC or DC problem. Any way you have detailed info.
Gail
how can you prevent cold air from going back into the unit. That is the reason why my pipes on the heat exchanger cracked.
You can’t it’s like rain getting in the only solution is to reposition the vent. Mike
At what temperature is a Rinnai tankless water heater set to turn on in the winter to avoid freeze?
I see people using pex pipe all the way to the unit. What are your thoughts on pex piping?
I never lost electricity. Mine froze at 16 degrees. Am I not understanding? What's the lowest temp it's supposed to handle WITH power supply?
We installed a Rinnai interior tankless in the garage. We are baffled when it has been extremely cold the unit has appeared to turn itself off overnight. We had. Tankless in the same place where there was one for10 years, that unit never did this. Is this normal? It literally is off in the AM. I insulated the pipes today and place a blanket over the unit so we will see if it’s on tomorrow AM since it’s supposed to be in the 20s tonight
My outside Rinnia tankless water heater is frozen. We have tried for over an hour to defrost with no luck. What else can I do?
We just had a power outage in freezing temps. How do we get hot water back?
If you have a generator or investor you can power the tankless. If it’s outside and hard wired it may be difficult
Hello Mike! I replaced an 80 gallon electric water heater yesterday. It has been in operation like 6 hours and lukewarm water. The water heater sits outside in an addition shed built for it. 240v powers the elements, both elements have 12 Homs of resistance, current draw on top element 19.7 amps. Thermostats are set to 120 Degrees. Everything checks out but no hot water. Any ideas? the old one was not leaking but stopped heating water and both elements and thermostats with dip tube were replaced to no avail. Finally decided to buy a new water heater and the problem is still there. please help!
Hi Mike, we lost hot water this morning when it reached 18 degrees in Austin, TX. I watched the Rinnai video for protecting your tankless and got the hot water working again by turning off the hot & cold lines and using the pressure release valve. I also opened the service caps and let it drain; I did not connect a hose to the cold line or use an air compressor. Unfortunately, the hot water pressure is okay with one sink on but weakens if more than one faucet is turned on. Glad to have hot water back but still unable to shower due to the low hot water pressure. Any suggestions on how to improve the hot water flow?
Great comment. I’m dealing with my rinnai acting up right now. No hot water. It’s not even making a sound when we try to turn hot water on. I’m in San Antonio btw. Also, did you turn off the power to water heater before draining or leave it on?
Firstly I want to thank you so much for your videos. I was based in Austin TX and I was able to leverage your videos to help get one of my tankless units back online. Basically the control panel was mounted outside in the unit and one of the wires corroded and the system shut off. I was able to reconnect the wires. Should I have the control panels moved into the house ( I have two units). Second question even thought the hot water seemed to have freezed it is now working, if there was a leak in the tank would the unit still be working and should I check for a leak at the heat exchanger?
I also live in Austin, and my water heater (tankless, outdoor) froze up. When the temperature thawed it out, water spewed everywhere, so it was obvious (to me) that there was a leak. It was a burst pipe near the top left of the heat exchanger.
@@starculus thanks! I haven't seen any water coming out of the unit
another Austinite here. Just ordered the freeze solenoids along with my new rinnai to replace the one that froze and burst last week, which seems to have happened to most EVERYONE i know that has an external tankless in town. appreciate this video.
I live in Dallas my outside unit froze and busted the heat exchanger, I was able to find the replacement in our local plumbing supply store, after a couple of hours and 300 dollars later is running again
Glad it help you all Mike
Getting error code 12. Turns on for 2 minutes, then cold water again. Happened during the freeze.
My external Rinnai burst in the storm last year. Now we're gearing up for the 2023 round of cold weather, which will probably take down the Texas grid again. We're getting our first blast tonight and this vid, while bringing back some ptsd, is a lifesaver.
Rinnai is being incredibly irresponsible on this issue. They're intentionally ignoring the info in sales material, bordering close to fraud. Honestly, when would you want hot water the most? In the middle of the winter.
In the meantime, these units failing will only increase along with climate extremes.
Mike do you have a contact #?
So basically if you have power you're good. If the power goes out and you run your faucets you're good unless it's so cold all the pipes freeze.