Archive for the ‘Noritz’ Category
Lovely Noritz NRC111-DV NG
Noritz NRC111-DV NG Condensing Tankless Natural Gas Water Heater, 8.4 GPM So far, so goodBy Tech LoverI had this model (Noritz NRC111-DV / 842) professionally installed about a year ago. My review will not focus on installation, but strictly on the unit’s operation and performance relative to a conventional 40-50 gallon natural gas tank water heater which it replaced.I’ll start with some background on how I made the decision to go with this unit. I had a 15 year old 40 gallon natural gas tank water heater in my home that was showing signs of failing…excessive rumbling from scale buildup inside the tank and inability to to produce enough hot water to meet peak demand for my family of 5. I plan to stay in my home for the foreseeable future and had no problem making a long-term investment. The primary deciding factors for me were cost (initial cost, operating costs, maintenance costs) and hot water capacity to meet peak demand. I had researched several types of tank and tankless water heaters, including the traditional 40 and 50 gallon tank units, condensing tank units, solar, and tankless units from Rinnai, Takagi, Noritz, Navien, Rheem/Paloma, etc. I spoke with several trusted local plumbers and read professional plumber discussion forums about real-world problems encountered with the new tankless water heaters. All units researched were natural gas varieties, not electric or LP gas and most of my research was gathered in late 2009.It’s sometimes hard to sort through all the manufacturer’s claims and marketing materials about why their unit is best, so I placed more emphasis on the opinions of professional plumbers for the quality/durability part of my decision and my own calculations (made some pretty complex spreadsheets) for the financial side of things. This process led me to conclude that Noritz was one of the better brands of tankless water heaters for the optimal combination of engineering/performance, manufacturing quality, warranty/durability, and cost.Once settled on Noritz, I had to determine whether a condensing (unit being reviewed here) or non-condensing unit would be best and how both of those compared to a traditional tank water heater. From a hot water capacity standpoint, the 40 gallon tank could not cut it, and frankly, neither could the 50 gallon tanks unless I went to a “quick recovery” model which essentially just had a higher output burner and would cost me 50% more than a regular one. I could alter the showering habits of my family, which could be done currently, though in planning for the future, realized that there were many scenarios where I would still need more hot water (frequent guests/visitors staying with us, kids in sports, use of a whirlpool bathtub in master bedroom, etc.) than what I could get out of a 50 gallon tank. Condensing tank water heaters intrigued me, though ultimately proved cost prohibitive and were not nearly as efficient (overall energy factor, not just thermal efficiency rating) as I thought they would be. The “endless hot water” of the tankless units would certainly meet the peak capacity need (but be careful to “size” the unit to your needs appropriately), though also concerned me that people would start taking 30 minute showers routinely and cancel out the potential cost savings! In the end, the difference in cost for the condensing (more efficient, unit being reviewed) vs. non-condensing unit was about $600 in my case, and the extra capacity and efficiency made more long-term sense.I do have to say that the current 30% federal tax credit played heavily into my decision to go with a tankless water heater, and I probably would not have gone this route without this “discount”. In my opinion, the economics of tankless water heaters don’t make much sense at current pricing levels (year 2009-2010) without a credit or discount, since the payback period vs. a traditional tank would exceed the typical 20 year expected service life of the unit. These units are also more difficult for the do-it-yourselfer to install and I believe many of the tankless manufacturers will not honor the warranty unless installed by a properly certified plumber. I say all this because the installation costs, especially if this is a retrofit into an existing home and not new construction, can add another $1-2K to the total initial cost. I found a quality local plumber certified by Noritz who offered a good price, which along with the 30% tax credit, made the installation costs basically free and I was just paying about what the unit itself would cost. If your total out-of-pocket cost is going to be more than a few hundred dollars above the cost of unit (net after tax credits, etc.), you should think twice. You can still do it, though your primary motivation at that point would be more about the environment and being green rather than pure financial sense and keeping more green in your pocket. Of course, some heavy users may find the endless supply of a tankless necessary and still more economical than putting together two 50 gallon tanks in series even with high installation costs and no tax credits.So, how does it work? Quite well. You don’t need to change anything about how you use your hot water fixtures…just turn them on, i.e. a shower, and wait for the hot water to start flowing. Compared to … ยป read more about Noritz NRC111-DV NG Condensing Tankless Natural Gas Water Heater, 8.4 GPM
Herman Roberson