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DIY Gas Tank Water Heater to Rinnai Swap
Posted on 8/17/23 at 12:12 pm
Posted on 8/17/23 at 12:12 pm
Anyone do their own water heater swap, from tanked to tankless? How challenging was it?
I have a walk out basement, can mount the Rinnai right next to the tank, on a brick wall I can vent thru. I have to abandon the tank in place, because the genius who finished the basement put in too small of a doorway to remove the tank.
The Rinnai is RSC119IN, 11 GPM, condensing. I can plumb the condensate out the same wall.
Thinking of giving it a try, since my current WH is still functioning and I can mount, vent, and plumb under no pressure of time.
I have a walk out basement, can mount the Rinnai right next to the tank, on a brick wall I can vent thru. I have to abandon the tank in place, because the genius who finished the basement put in too small of a doorway to remove the tank.
The Rinnai is RSC119IN, 11 GPM, condensing. I can plumb the condensate out the same wall.
Thinking of giving it a try, since my current WH is still functioning and I can mount, vent, and plumb under no pressure of time.
6
Posted on 8/17/23 at 12:38 pm to slacker130
You may need a bigger gas line than was utilized by your tank water heater.
Posted on 8/17/23 at 12:53 pm to WPBTiger
Bigger than 3/4"?
Posted on 8/17/23 at 1:23 pm to slacker130
How close is your meter to the WH? 3/4" will likely be fine but if you have a long gas run you may need a larger diameter gas line. I think the manual may have a chart you can reference. The swap is fairly straight forward. Suggest you use shark-bite fittings for your water connections as the ease of install cannot be beat. Go to your local plumbing supply and they can help you make sure you have all your parts. Check those gas fittings with soapy water.
Also suggest you go with Navien instead. Nothing against Rinnani (i have one on my house) but with the Navien you can vent out of the same vent you had for your tank WH. There is a separate intake for combustible air that will pull from your basement space. Thus no need for drilling new holes in your walls.
Remember to clean once a year with vingar. Search Matt Risinger on youtube to see how.
Good luck
Also suggest you go with Navien instead. Nothing against Rinnani (i have one on my house) but with the Navien you can vent out of the same vent you had for your tank WH. There is a separate intake for combustible air that will pull from your basement space. Thus no need for drilling new holes in your walls.
Remember to clean once a year with vingar. Search Matt Risinger on youtube to see how.
Good luck
Posted on 8/17/23 at 4:30 pm to slacker130
quote:
I have to abandon the tank in place, because the genius who finished the basement put in too small of a doorway to remove the tank.
Posted on 8/17/23 at 4:54 pm to slacker130
quote:
I have to abandon the tank in place, because the genius who finished the basement put in too small of a doorway to remove the tank.
Cut the tank into snaffle pieces.
Posted on 8/17/23 at 5:11 pm to BiggerBear
quote:
Cut the tank into snaffle pieces.
Not sure what snaffle is, but I've considered cutting it, just looks like it'll make a big mess.
Posted on 8/17/23 at 6:19 pm to slacker130
How much room do you need to get it out the door? You may be able to remove the outer shell and insulation to get it out.
Posted on 8/17/23 at 6:24 pm to weadjust
20" door frame, 22 1/2" diameter on the 65 gallon tank.
Posted on 8/17/23 at 10:22 pm to slacker130
Be sure your tankless will run on your current house pressure….and everything else will run on the pressure that will be present when your tankless is running.
My point is that pressure drop is a real concern when you are adding a substantial gas load.
My point is that pressure drop is a real concern when you are adding a substantial gas load.
Posted on 8/18/23 at 6:23 am to Spankum
quote:
My point is that pressure drop is a real concern when you are adding a substantial gas load.
We only have 3 gas consumers, a range, a fireplace, and the water heater.
Posted on 8/18/23 at 7:50 am to slacker130
Also you will need a 120v receptacle that is close by to plug the tankless WH into.
Posted on 8/18/23 at 9:14 am to Thx4thetreatstupid
Yep, I'm going to install one soon. Pretty easy in the unfinished part of basement.
Posted on 8/19/23 at 11:37 am to slacker130
The closer the tankless heater is to your fixtures the better it will work. That’s true with any water heater setup unless you have a circulating system.
Posted on 8/20/23 at 6:04 am to slacker130
I’ve done two. About 60 ft run and used 5/8” OD.
I have pex which made it much easier to tuck it out of the way. I wouldn’t run pex straight to the unit though. Took me about 2 hours to install start to finish which included extending gas line. Very easy DIY
I have pex which made it much easier to tuck it out of the way. I wouldn’t run pex straight to the unit though. Took me about 2 hours to install start to finish which included extending gas line. Very easy DIY
Posted on 8/22/23 at 10:11 am to doubleb
quote:
The closer the tankless heater is to your fixtures the better it will work. That’s true with any water heater setup unless you have a circulating system.
This Rinnai has a built in pump, I'm planning on putting the circulating system under one sink in the master. I don't care about the rest of the house, just as long as I get hot water quickly.
I guess I can get a wifi controller with a timer that I can set to start the pump when I need it.
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