Rinnai Tankless Water Heater Installation and Operation Manual
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4.3 Choose an
Installation
Location
When selecting an installation location, you
must ensure that all water heater and venting
clearances will be met and that the vent length will
be within required limits. Consider the installation
environment, water quality, and the need for freeze
protection. Requirements for the gas line, water
lines,and electrical connection can be found in
their respective installation sections in this manual.
4.3.1 Water Quality
Guidelines
This section provides information on the
importance of water quality to the Rinnai Tankless
Water Heater. The information is intended to serve
as a general guide only and is not a complete list
of water quality guidelines.
Consideration of care for your water heater should
include evaluation of water quality. The water must
be potable, free of corrosive chemicals, sand,
dirt, or other contaminants. It is up to the trained
and qualified professional to ensure the water
does not contain corrosive chemicals or elements
that can affect or damage the Rinnai Tankless
Water Heater. Water that contains chemicals
exceeding the levels listed in Table 6 can damage
the Rinnai Tankless Water Heater. Replacement
of components due to water quality damage is not
covered by the warranty.
If you install this water heater in an area that is
known to have hard water or that causes scale
build-up, the water must be treated and may
require a more frequent flushing schedule. When
scale build-up in the heat exchanger begins to
affect the performance of the water heater, a
diagnostic code “LC” will display on the controller.
Flush the heat exchanger to prevent damage
to it. This water heater also includes a service
indicator (Service Soon,
SS
). When selected in
the parameter settings, an
SS
code will display on
the controller indicating that it is time to flush and
service the water heater. Scale build-up is caused
by hard water and can be accelerated if the water
heater is set at a high temperature.
4.3.2 Environment
Air surrounding the water heater, venting, and vent
termination(s) is used for combustion and must
be free of any compounds that cause corrosion of
internal components.
These include corrosive compounds that are
found in aerosol sprays, detergents, bleaches,
cleaning solvents, oil-based paints/varnishes, and
refrigerants. The air in beauty shops, dry cleaning
stores, photo processing labs, and storage areas
for pool supplies often contains these compounds.
Therefore, it is recommended that external
(outdoor) models be used for these locations
where possible. The water heater, venting, and
vent termination(s) should not be installed in any
areas where the air may contain these corrosive
compounds.
In coastal regions, the water heater installation
should be sheltered to minimize exposure to
corrosive sea breeze.
*Source: 40 CFR Part 143 National Secondary Drinking
Water Regulation
Contaminant
Maximum Level
Total Hardness
Up to 200 mg/L
Aluminum *
Up to 0.2 mg/L
Chlorides *
Up to 250 mg/L
Copper *
Up to 1.0 mg/L
Dissolved Carbon
Dioxide (CO2)
Up to 15.0 mg/L
Iron *
Up to 0.3 mg/L
Manganese *
Up to 0.05 mg/L
pH *
6.5 to 8.5
TDS (Total Dissolved
Solids) *
Up to 500 mg/L
Zinc *
Up to 5 mg/L
Table 6: Water Quality Guidelines
Rinnai offers Southeastern Filtration’s “ScaleCutter
Water Conditioning System” that offers superior
lime scale prevention and corrosion control by
feeding a blend of control compounds into the cold
water supply.
Part Number
Description
103000038
Southeastern Filtration
ScaleCutter System 3/4 in. Feed
103000039
ScaleCutter Refill
Table 5
