Another good high-end indoor tankless water heater, worth considering from Rinnai is the R94LSi. It is considered as the big brother to the smaller model R75LSi; it has a higher production capacity of 9.4 GPM.

So in view of my focus on green products and since heated water takes up a rather large chunk in utility bills. I have decided to research and provide information for consumers in my Rinnai R94LSi review.

The Rinnai R94LSi might be not so readily available in local shops so shopping online is still the best way. Generally a good place to start will be Amazon who is the largest online retailer of products.

Benefits Of Owning A Rinnai R94LSi

Production capacity of 9.4 GPM

It has a production capacity of 9.4 gallons per minute (GPM) of hot water. According to  consumers, a single unit of R94LSi is able to service up to 3.5 bathrooms, laundry and kitchen concurrently with no fear of hot water running out.

Compact and sleek design

The Rinnai R94LSi is a tankless water heater (Dimensions are Width (W) x Depth (D) x Height (H)): 14W x 10D x 26H Inches for easy installation indoors only in any room for your home or office buildings. The Rinnal R94LSi can also be installed in mobile homes. This unit has a weight of 56 pounds.

It runs on natural gas with a production capacity of 9.4 gallons per minute (GPM) of hot water, without the presence of a storage tank, with no wastage of energy incurred from the continuous heating of water, in a traditional tank water heater setup.

Digitally controlled temperature design

Adjusting and troubleshooting of this Rinnai tankless water heater is also controlled digitally via the standard MC-91-1US controller and ranges from 98 Degrees Fahrenheit to 120 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Like all LS models of Rinnai tankless water heater, it comes with a commercial heat exchanger that allows for installation indoors for residential, commercial and even for mobile homes. The consumer can also upgrade the controller can also be upgraded to MCC-91 for commercial purposes that will increase the maximum temperature to 185 Degrees Fahrenheit.

Runs on Natural Gas

As compared to oil and coal, natural gas is the cleanest fossil fuel in terms of emission, with the least emissions in terms of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides, with virtually no ash or particulate matter released.

Besides that, lower levels of carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and other reactive hydrocarbons are also released as compared to oil and coal. The maximum / minimum gas rate required for the Rinnai R94LSi is 199,000 / 15,000 Input BTUs.

Green Product

Rinnai R94LSi is a tankless water heater so costs from standby power incurred by a traditional tank water heater is nonexistent; hot water is only produced when you turn on the faucet or shower head, giving you up to 40% in energy savings!

Rinnai R94LSi is an Energy-Star certified product with a thermal efficiency of 84% and energy factor of 0.82. It also meets California and Texas NOx emissions standards. In fact, installation of all Rinnai tankless water heaters, with the exception of Rinnai R98LS, will qualify you for a 300 USD federal tax credit for being an energy efficient product.

The Rinnai R94LSi, like all Rinnai products, also last much longer than those traditional tank water heaters; up to 20 years more. The primary components that make up all Rinnai tankless water heaters like the digital panel and heat exchanger are also all recyclable.

Here is a video of the Rinnai R94LSi in action

Customer Reviews for Rinnai R94LSi

I have read many customer reviews for Rinnai R94LSi and have summarised them below.

The Pros

The pros of this unit are many and includes its space saving design, quiet engineering design and its almost instant hot water. Another advantage is the visible cost savings on your utility bills upon installation of the R94LSi. Prior to purchasing this unit, you must size it to suit your needs! Rinnai R94LSi is perfect for producing high volume of hot water for running a tub or a few family members having a hot shower concurrently.

However if you going to use hot water for just washing of dishes or the bidet; that do not require a continuous volume of hot water. It is not suitable for such usage though another good tankless water heater series worth considering is the Eccotemp L series.

The Cons

Other negative feedbacks from consumers include the price of the unit, brief spurts of cold water, the waste of water caused by the delay between turning on the faucet and getting hot water. Though to be fair these are the cons of every tankless water heater, and can be overcome by proper installation. So it will be good if your installer has prior experience in installing a tankless water heater or is a Rinnai certified installer.

Next are the more expensive installation costs with the venting and materials, and differing installation procedures required. So an experienced installer will be required though there are successful DIY cases of installatuions.The Rinnai R94LSi runs on natural gas so ensure that your gas supply line where you are planning to hook up the unit has the capacity to supply the unit

The inherent temperature for your region should also be considered. The maximum temperature for R94LSi might not be hot enough if the water temperature is too cold. The R94LSi has been mentioned by consumers to be susceptible to freezing damages so it will not be suitable for areas with very cold winters.

How does Rinnai R94LSi rank on popular websites?

Amazon

25 reviewers at Amazon gave Rinnai R94LSi an average of 4.2/5 stars. Comments were mostly positive with 14 reviwers giving it a maximum of 5/5 stars.  

BuilderOnline.org

A survey carried out in 2007 by BuilderOnline.org showed that Rinnai tankless heater was ranked first in terms of quality ahead of popular brands like Rheem and A.O Smith.  

 (Download results of the survey here)

 

Okaloosa Gas District

Practical tests were also carried out by Okaloosa Gas District in 2002, comparing tankless water heaters by Rinnai with a natural-gas, storage-tank water heater and an electric water heater, based on the average use of a four-person household. Results of the tests showed that the Rinnai tankless water heater is superior to both storage-tank models in terms of both fuel costs and also the amount of hot water delivered.

Warranty

There is a 12-year warranty that covers the heat exchanger, 5 years for the parts, and 1 year on labor. However there is also the Rinnai technical support that is always ready to help you 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Best Deals

As I have mentioned that the best place to buy a Rinnai RL94Si is at Amazon or her affiliate sites. At lower prices compared to other places, getting it at Amazon is certainly a good and viable option.

So if you are interested, here is the link under Amazon: RL94LSi Best Deals.

 (Download Rinnai R94LSi Specifications Sheet here)

 

 

Last updated 21st February 2012

Tags: R94LSi, Rinnai R94LSi, Rinnai R94LSi review