Navien NPE 240A a good choice?

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toddyvol

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I had posted about changing out my circulating 80 gallon electric WH in the tank forum. I've decided that with my current setup I would probably be better served by going to a 199,000 BTU tankless. The current 80gal is upstairs in a closet and takes up way to much room. I live in a 2 story home on a slab with 2 showers and 1 large jet tub. I have a plumber/contractor that is gong to run the 3/4" gas line to the WH. The distance is about 45 feet. The gas meter is 2 psi per the provider.

I've opted for the Navien because of the re-circulation feature. I had considered Rinnai, Rheem, and Noritz. The Noritz was about $400 more than the others. The Navien is a a little higher priced than the Rinnai or the Rheem but would save me from buying a smaller tank to use as a buffer.

Is my assessment correct? Is the Navien a good unit?
 

BadgerBoilerMN

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Navien makes a good WH, but as it is with any tankless water heater, proper application is first.

I look for the volume-to-overflow of the largest tub in the house. Since large tubs will most often high volume tub fillers, more than 20 gallon per minute, you likely fill your tub in less than five minutes by virtue of the 80 gallons of hot water "stored" for high peak loads.

Shallow ground water in neck of the woods should be a minimum of 57F, so a Navien NPE240 should give you roughly 6.5 gpm at 120F, or say 10 minutes to fill your big tub provided you run the tub at a restricted, hot/only rate. In summer performance may be higher, and in winter lower following the ground water temperature.

Soft water is a must for any tankless water heater and service is not for the laymen or the average untutored plumber, most of which lacking any formal training in electrical, combustion or particularly gas-fired condensing appliances. In contrast, your electric storage/type water heater will likely last more than 10 years without any attention, more especially if your water is soft.

One has to weigh the current peak load against total volume over time and the cost of fuel plus maintenance.
 

toddyvol

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Navien makes a good WH, but as it is with any tankless water heater, proper application is first.

I look for the volume-to-overflow of the largest tub in the house. Since large tubs will most often high volume tub fillers, more than 20 gallon per minute, you likely fill your tub in less than five minutes by virtue of the 80 gallons of hot water "stored" for high peak loads.

Shallow ground water in neck of the woods should be a minimum of 57F, so a Navien NPE240 should give you roughly 6.5 gpm at 120F, or say 10 minutes to fill your big tub provided you run the tub at a restricted, hot/only rate. In summer performance may be higher, and in winter lower following the ground water temperature.

Soft water is a must for any tankless water heater and service is not for the laymen or the average untutored plumber, most of which lacking any formal training in electrical, combustion or particularly gas-fired condensing appliances. In contrast, your electric storage/type water heater will likely last more than 10 years without any attention, more especially if your water is soft.

One has to weigh the current peak load against total volume over time and the cost of fuel plus maintenance.

I will be installing filtration before the WH. Where I live the water isn't very hard. I also can do my own maintenance. Their is a drain pan under the current unit that will remain to help with spills when flushing. The condensate line will be tapped into a drain.
 
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