Rheem Prestige Condensing Tankless Indoor Natural Gas Water Heater 6.8 GPM - RTGH-68VLN-2

I purchased this water heater from Silver State Manuals as a returned/dented item. I had previously purchased an inexpensive unit from eBay and it was just total junk. I guess my first clue should have been when the shipping weight of the previous eBay unit was 29 pounds and the Rheem unit weighs in at 74 pounds.Installation was straightforward, but the control unit displayed an error and the unit would not start up. I contacted Rheem, and they were very helpful in troubleshooting and solving my issue. It seems the unit was in a locked status, probably due to being turned on before the venting was properly installed. The tech stated that happens a lot. Make sure you have it completely ready to go before you turn it on! I assume the previous purchaser must have done that and the unit locked. Seeing the dented case, that is probably why it was returned. The damage was all superficial, the internal frame and quality of the unit is great and nothing was damaged internally.After executing the reset procedure, the unit started right up and works perfectly! I was surprised at how quiet the unit is and it does heat up instantly.I believe I am going to be very pleased with this water heater and recommend you spend the money for a quality heater as the cheap models available just are not worth the headache!

Easy to install. Additional parts are required, including special water valves, a pressure relief valve, a filter, an expansion tank( not featured in my picture) and an optional mixing valve. It's nice that it includes a cabled remote control. You don't have to physically access it to change the settings. Quiet operation. Quick and powerfull heating. Optionally you may add a circulation pump for additional pressure, if your house is big or the unit is in a remote location. Happy with it.

Insulation was easy. Pex piping Made it much easier. Replacing a tank water heater also helped. Went to home depot to get exhaust tubeing. Spoke to several people at home depot who said oh no, you cannot use p v c pipe on that. So stop by city hall to speak with Someone who said oh yes, you Can ,you could even use rubber seal from Plumbing places that reduces from three inch 2 inch pipe. I also used the existing exhaust from my old tank heater that vented out the roof. Ran the intake into the attic then called it done. Start up was no prob. Hot water for days if I wanted.

I purchased this unit to conserve space and energy. It was installed by an expert plumber. It worked fine for the first 5-6 months. Then, it would intermittently give me an error code 12. The manual was not helpful in resolving this issue. After a couple of more months, it started giving this error code very regularly. I made a warranty claim. The person they sent to diagnose and repair had no idea what he was doing, and simply was on call with the company to determine the issue. Frankly, this is something I could have done myself. Anyways, I was told that the reason for the error code was that the gas pressure was too high. I called the gas company and they shut the gas line down because they were worried. When the gas company checked the pressure, it was actually in line with what the gas company emits, and within the limits of what is required by the unit. I called Rheem again to make a warranty claim. They sent the same person out to diagnose and repair, and this person now admitted that his manometer (gas pressure checker) was maybe off by 1 W.C. He then cleaned the flame rods and they ordered new flame rods as these experts now determined that this may be the issue. After he left, there was now a gas leak. So, instead of fixing the issue, he created another issue. I called Rheem again, and they said that the unit should not be used until they can send someone out to properly diagnose. I was without hot water for 2 days, and we have two little kids that need baths, amongst other things we need to wash. When I called Rheem again, they basically stated that I just need to wait until they go through their diagnostics again, and that I just have to deal with it. This is absolutely the worst customer service experience I have ever had. I was forced to call the company they sent for repairs, and I forced their hands with legal threats to come and fix the gas leak. They confirmed that the cause of the leak was a bad gasket. It now has a temporary fix, but will require another new part. So, this whole issue has yet to be resolved after more than 2 weeks of dealing with it.Further, when the weather was cold in my area (single digits), the condensation line froze. The unit would no longer work. Again, when I called Rheem, they basically said I just have to wait it out and deal with it. At that time, I had a pregnant wife and daughter who had Covid and the flu. Their response was simply unbelievable.If you want constant problems and to be left high and dry when you most need help, then buy this product. I am never buying a Rheem product again, and I have half a mind to file a lawsuit against this company.

We had bought another brand March 2022. It was a terrible product reviews were inaccurate and it was not large enough for our small home. After getting nowhere with the warranty team for the first product and after enormous research for this product, we are so very grateful we spent the extra money and got this very good hot water tank. So far it does everything it claims- the only downfall is the packaging is beyond subpar! The first unit arrived extremely damaged. Amazon customer service was not helpful. I insisted on speaking to a manager who was fantastic and immediately sent a replacement unit. The packaging again was subpar but thankfully it was not damaged. This company absolutely needs to have triple the protection in packaging on this $1400 unit