Sensei Super High Efficiency Plus 11 GPM 199,000 BTU Natural Gas/Propane Indoor/Outdoor Tankless Water Heater

Overall - I’m pleased with the unit, and happy it’s finally done! If you’re looking to install this yourself, it’s probably gonna take some time. Our install was in the mechanical closet right on the wet wall. We also had a swap to PEX from a previous owner. I’m in construction and had some good advice from a boiler startup technician that I’ll pass along. The installation cost ranges from 5-9K. Ours required opening up the main floor bathroom vanity wall from floor to ceiling to install the exhaust vent through the roof, bring in a new circuit, rework some of the existing PEX, and install plywood on the walls of the closet for mounting and support. So, ours would probably be higher considering the other trades needed. It was recommended to take a 3/4” gas line to the unit, and be sure and set the altitude in the adjustments. I bought the valve kit and strongly recommend it! I also bought the hard water filter that was recommended as a stop gap until I could install whole house filtration. If you have PEX, I strongly recommend getting the Milwaukee M12 ProPEX expansion tool. I made roughly (50) terminations with no leaks. Since most of the taps were close, recirculation wasn’t necessary. The only thing I miss about the old water heater is that it was a little quicker supplying hot water. Overall I’m pleased with the unit. I did have a problem with the delivery and pickup of the order from my local Home Depot. The valve kit and filter weren’t delivered with the order. Because of situations like this, I strongly recommend picking up your orders from your local Home Depot to prevent verification of delivery issues. Open up your boxes at the counter!

Excellent Rinnai water heater! Fast, efficient, reliable, and provides plenty of hot water. Highly recommended!

This tankless water heater is a unit! We recently had our basement spray foamed and our ambient draft water heater was on the verge of back-drafting into the house. I needed a direct vent sealed combustion water heater for two bathrooms and a kitchen and landed on this one. We live in the northeast so we needed enough GPm to compensate for the colder groundwater temps. This unit increased our water temp and pressure due to no longer having to go through the heated tank. Mounting and installation instructions provided were easy to follow. Rinnai is an excellent trusted brand. We are very happy with the performance of this water heater!

Unbelievable lack of QA in this product for a $1500 price tag. Took the unit out of the box and the front control/display was damaged and partially reset into the cabinet. Upon examination it was obvious that the assembly was totally botched - the tac-weld for the bracket to support the control/display was at least 1' off center causing the screen to be canted at least 15-20 degrees off the cabinet cut out where it was supposed to position. Returned it to the store and bought something else. Shame on RINNAI QA or lack of QA i should say.

I replaced my 15‑year‑old Rinnai tankless water heater with this model exactly one year ago. My old unit used a copper heat exchanger that eventually corroded and leaked, so I was glad to upgrade to this version with a stainless‑steel heat exchanger—much more durable and something I expect to last another five to ten years. Because I was simply swapping out an existing tankless system, I chose to handle the installation myself. I took my time, worked methodically, and still wrapped everything up in about four hours. I was especially careful with the gas connections and venting, using fume detectors to confirm everything was sealed properly. After a full year of use, I’m extremely happy with the performance. I enabled the special settings to allow a 130°F water temperature, and with four people in the house, this unit easily keeps up. It can supply all four showers at once without any noticeable drop in pressure. I originally thought I might need to bump the temperature to 135°F, but 130°F has been more than enough—even during simultaneous showers. My biggest advice: take your time sizing the gas line correctly and make sure the exhaust is installed exactly as required. I’m very risk‑averse, so I also keep a CO₂ detector right outside the mechanical room for peace of mind. And don’t cut corners on the valve set. I went with the EASYFLEX 3/4‑inch FIP Service Valve Set with PR Valve after watching a ton of plumber reviews. It’s all brass from end to end, and it avoids the common issue of handles snapping off cheaper shutoff valves. In short, I’m a big fan of this unit and can clearly see the improvements over my previous model. I fully expect it to last 20–25 years. If you’re mechanically inclined and comfortable following instructions, don’t be afraid to install it yourself. Take it slow and it’s very manageable. Local plumbers quoted me $5K–$6K for a similar installation including the unit; doing it myself cost under $2K, even after buying the valve set and PEX‑A supplies.

This water heater was my first experience with installing or even using hot water from a tankless unit. Everything with the RX160iN has definitely exceeded my expectations! I had it delivered to my nearby store so I could more easily inspect the box for shipping damage without dealing with a shipper (in case they rolled it down a hill). It arrived at the store quickly, double-boxed, and in perfect condition. Installing it myself was simple and straightforward. Having the option of separate intake and exhaust ducts made the installation much easier and a lot less expensive than a concentric duct in my case. I needed a propane heater, and this model switches gas type with the touch of a button. The heater works perfectly and the combustion fan isn't all that loud. After I started using the heater, I did notice that the fan would come on anytime I used anything on the cold water side of the house, but it has slowed down a lot. I think there's a little air trapped in the cold water system somewhere that's making its way out. If it continues, I'll install a push-to-connect check valve in the cold water line right before the heater to hopefully stop motion in the line. I think anyone looking for a good quality tankless water heater would enjoy this one!

Heat exchanger gone 5 years leaking from multiple fittings was told only heat exchanger covered but the cost of a plumber to rip apart and replace you are over 1000$ .. quality not so good on what they claim can last 15 years.. plus look at different ones not rinnai

I replaced a 16 year old Rinnai that was still running with an upgraded model. I did the installation myself and everything went smoothly.

The installation was a little more complicated than the electric tank type heater it replaced due to vent requirements AND I chose to hang it over a large utility sink as is considered best practice per the manual. I do like that its compatible with LPG without needing a conversion kit. It has been reliable so far but 4 months isn't much of a test. The capacity is suitable for my 2 bedroom farm house in this region but since I've previously had electric water heaters I can't really evaluate the efficiency. If you register the unit on the Rinnai web site they do give you a 4 year warranty and that's possibly a bonus but my last electric water heater came with a 6 year warranty and lasted 20 years. Don't look for me to update this review if this one lasts 20 years. :<0 I had to give the Rinnai RX130i a 1 star review for 3 reasons. 1) the cover is misaligned with the internals and really doesn't seal well at all. 2) The blower fan seems to be inordinately noisy. If you install this unit in your basement, garage or outside you probably won't mind the noise much but I put it in my utility room in a 1 level, 1400 Sq. Ft. ranch house. When it is on I can hear it throughout the house, except in the bedrooms on opposite end of house, when the bedroom doors are closed. All the walls in the house are insulated for sound reduction and the great room is mostly carpeted. So, if you're thinking about installing one of these in the kitchen like shown in the some of the promotional pictures you will be VERY unhappy. I have a 3-ton heat pump with a 3000 cfm air handler blower in the utility room as well and it is much quieter running on high than this water heater with it's little, tiny blower running on high at the beginning and end of each water use cycle. 3) The final reason for 1 star is Rinnai's customer service. The heater comes with a insert sheet in the manual with their 1-800 customer service number on it prompting for questions, support, feedback. I called that number to find out what happened to the $100 rebate they offered me at time of sale and the computer states you must use the CHAT on the web site for support. WHAT! You give a phone number that refers you to a chat. DUH! So I go on the chat to find out where my $100 is since I completed my installation and submitted it will over 4 months ago. The person on the Chat says they don't have access to rebate information and purchasers must go to the web site where you submitted the rebate initially. They use some company as their agent, rennairebate.com, for their rebates. I go to that site where I login and it still shows the same prompt saying I need to upload my receipt and a pic of my serial number label. I did this when I initially applied for the rebate on Dec. 6th and again in January when I last went to check on my rebate. So, I did it again today and again left a request to contact me if they have a problem with my uploads. I go back to the rinnai web site and initiate another Chat and they tell me they can't help me with rebates. So, good luck with getting your rebate. As for me I will be filing a complaint with the State of Kansas Attorney General's Consumer Protection division. Hey rinnai, if you want to get great product reviews you need to look at your customer service, INCLUDING YOUR REBATE OPERATIONS, as part of your product. You apparently see your rebates as a promotion and farm it out to another company that doesn't care about your customers. I'm guessing that was a decision made in the US as I've worked for some of Japan's largest consumer product companies (automobiles) and they absolutely consider every interface with a customer as an opportunity and part of their product. Where did rinnai go off the rails? Do something with your rebate operation. It is beyond a doubt the worst I've ever encountered.