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Posted on Feb 12, 2011

I have Rinnai R53 tankless water heater which is about 5 year old. recently it has problem to keep water consistant warm. when I take shower , I feel water change from hot to cold antomatically. what is problem?

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  • Posted on Mar 02, 2011
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You are probably running a low flow shower head and have not had any maint. done on the unit. When the water flow is low and the unit is dirty it can't exchange enough heat to the water and this causes the heat exchanger to gradually increase in temp. The unit then shuts down to allow the heater to cool. This is an automatic reset high limit switch that will turn the burners back on automatically. This problem can be exasperated by 1/2 inch trunk lines. Call a hvac tech in your area to come and clean the unit. He should also be able to increase the draft inducer fan motor speed to allow more cooling of the heat exchanger.

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Bad remote control. Bad wire to remote control. Bad PC board.
Copy following link for resources, including older service manual and error codes and rheem chat for ordering replacement motherboard for your tankless computer.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Troubleshoot-Rheem-Tankless-water-heater.html

If tankless computer is 5 years old, then compare that to your 5-year old cell phone or 5-year old laptop, and ask if the chipware still functions or can be repaired to function back to factory fresh expectation.

Later today, install tank type water heater and solve all tankless computer problems with one ez step. Have hot water for shower same day with less maintenance and fewer long-term problems and expense.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-install-gas-water-heater.html

Gene
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Moved into a house with an existing Rinnai system. We have controllers in the kitchen and bathrooms. My understanding was that you can change the temp by hitting the priority button then up or down as long...

You need a product manual for your tankless computer that heats water.
Look on side of unit for label.
Then google that brand and model and add .pdf to search parameter to find possible resources.
Or try Rinnai website for a dose of promotion about how great their product is.
If unit is a few years old (age of unit accessed with serial number), there might be no manuals posted online since manufacturers often drop manuals from website after a few years, assuming most their products no longer function correctly and thus avoid available knowledge for customer to talk specifics... instead telling customer to call service tech who of course does not have manual either because he is a tech and needs one, but got hired last week to his new esteemed position and gets paid by service call not by successful repair except bonuses for recommending replacement unit.

Read the manual. Especially required maintenance, such as deliming yearly and cleaning water filter.
Note resources for maintaining tankless appear on following link except for different brand tankless computer:
http://waterheatertimer.org/Troubleshoot-Rheem-Tankless-water-heater.html#de-lime

Also scroll down page to read explanation of high temperature limit for tankless before causing irreversible problem with your computer requiring skilled technician.
Also scroll up on page to read about no error code, since cooler than normal temperatures from tankless computer can be result of common plumbing problems like defective single-handle faucet cartridge. Or power surge, since tankless are not protected from ordinary surge event like power restored after outage.

If your tankless computer is older than 5 years, then assume it will not work better than your 5-year old cell phone or 5-year old laptop, or behave better than 5 year old child. So don't assume you are doing something wrong... just assume it doesn't work despite glossy advertising brochures from tankless manufacturers claiming 20 year lifespan for tankless computers.

Install tank type heater yourself, same day and avoid computer water heaters: Ordinary plumber can fix these units easy.
http://waterheatertimer.org/How-to-install-gas-water-heater.html

Gene
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Bad PC board.
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http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/Bosch_Descaling-heat-exchanger.pdf

Remove and clean aerators, replace low-flow shower heads with large water-wasting shower heads.

IMPORTANT check all your single-handle faucets for crossover.
Water getting cool after 15 minutes could be bad cartridge on another faucet.
http://waterheatertimer.org/Crossover.html
http://waterheatertimer.org/pdf/No-Error-Code.pdf

If you need further help, I’m available over the phone at https://www.6ya.com/expert/gene_9f0ef4df2f9897e7

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http://www.rinnai.us/tankless-water-heater/
Sample manual from Rainnai mentions 'minimum flow rate' several times but doesn't give specific number. Yet promotion blurb on page 1 says "Ultra operates at a lower minimum flow rate."
http://www.rinnai.us/documentation/downloads/U290-665x0200_Condensing_Manual_EN_FR_1-2010.pdf
Another rinnai manual mentions flow rate several times in troubleshoot section yet fails to define what that rate is:
http://www.rinnai.us/documentation/downloads/U287-1833_VB_Series_R75LSi_R94LSi_R98LSi_Manual_EN_FR_EN_FR.pdf

It might seem that tankless promoters are CTA by failing to mention specific flow rate numbers.
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Tankless on demand water heater.

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