plumber installed Rinnai V53De tankless I already have solar water heater...no difference!

lucivanna69

My plumber told me I needed a "hot water on demand" system for $$$$ because it took so long to get hot water to my showers. He installed a Rinnai V53De model "on top of" my existing solar water heater, and it does not do anything. The same problem exists. It does not work on cloudy days, and not during power outages! It can only be turned on by me getting on a ladder and turning 2-3 valves on top of my large solar water heater. A plumber told me to forget doing that because it is too hard and dangerous for me, a 66-year-old woman. I am sure I got ripped off!
I am asking for my money back because 3 of their own plumbers came out and all 3 said it never should have been installed. It wasn't even turned on they said. The company did not return my calls and they are totally stalling. Then they offered me $$$$ back on a product that has never worked. Comments/advice are really appreciated.

Alan (California Radiant) Forbes

"On Demand" means that these kind of water heaters heat the water as it is used. It has nothing to do with speeding up the time it takes to get hot water to your faucets. The salesman should have known this.

I'd give them a week to get back to you to give you back your money and pay for any corrections. If they don't respond, your next move is to hire a lawyer.

hot_rod

I’m on sure what you mean by not working on cloudy days

The solar should pre heat to the tankless, and the tankless should give you endless hot water regardless 

How far from the hot water to the distant faucet?
The new heated would not change the wait time.

send some pics

EBEBRATT-Ed

@lucivanna69

Please remove all pricing from your post as it is against forum rules.

It does sound like you got ripped off. Regardless of the pricing the system does not work youshuld have some recourse

wmgeorge

My bill for heating water with NG comes to perhaps $20 per month. I do not understand the lure of installing a $1200 high gas or electric demand tankless to save what.... $5 on my monthly bill?? We have a very well factory insulated hi efficacy tank type water heater. You could preheat the water feeding it with solar water heated.

SteveCinq

Get rid of it. We have two of these things in different sections of our house (in Mexico). We don't yet have the solar systems in place but these are intended to act as backups for the solar.
But they are, unfortunately, rubbish. The water into the units can be hot enough to take a shower just due to the the hot Mexican sun on the water inlet pipes. But when the water cools off and these units should fire up, nothing happens until the shower is dead cold. So they would be useless as backups for a solar system.
They also, make a horrendous groaning/roaring noise when they do fire up. We've not be able to remedy either problem. Rinnai just says "contact an installer". There is zero other support.
Very disappointed in Rinnai. I thought we were buying solid, quality Japanese tech but although the units are built extremely well mechanically, the firmware/software is probably letting them down. (We also have two of their ventless gas space heaters and they too are built well but have some really dumb "features" such as a child lock that turns off if the power goes out!)