Options for replacing an existing Navien

[EastVan]

Hi Everyone,

I have been thinking ahead about replacing my Navien CR-A 240, which has been running relatively well for the past 8 years. I assume that at a certain point, the repair bills will make this a reality. My unit has the two vents at the top, water into/out of the bottom and gas on the right.

Two questions:

1) If I get another Navien, will it likely be a simple install given that everything should be already roughly piped in? Just a quick swap? Would be great if this hekos save on labor costs. What about other brands? Do they have a similar configuration? BTW, I'm not considering DIY.

2) What are the good units/brands these days? My understanding was that the early Naviens were problematic but have improved.

Thanks!

p.s.: I know I have an active thread about a repair question. I'm not jumping the gun and giving up on my existing unit...just thinking ahead!

 

[Dana]

An 8 year old Navien is really just entering middle age. You should be able to get at least 15-20 years out of it before it's no longer worth fixing. If it's out of warranty and the heat exchanger has failed replacement rather than repair might make sense, but most tankless water heaters will go for quite awhile.

New Naviens and other tankless heaters are similar, but not identical. You may be able to use the same venting and gas plumbing, assuming the replacement has a similar sized burner. Some of the newer Naviens can even be hooked up to fairly long 3/4" gas plumbing, but if the current plumbing is 1" or 1.25".

 

[Sponsor]

 

[EastVan]

An 8 year old Navien is really just entering middle age. You should be able to get at least 15-20 years out of it before it's no longer worth fixing. If it's out of warranty and the heat exchanger has failed replacement rather than repair might make sense, but most tankless water heaters will go for quite awhile.

New Naviens and other tankless heaters are similar, but not identical. You may be able to use the same venting and gas plumbing, assuming the replacement has a similar sized burner. Some of the newer Naviens can even be hooked up to fairly long 3/4" gas plumbing, but if the current plumbing is 1" or 1.25".

Thanks, I appreciate the reply. Parts are pretty expensive here in Canada. I assume the warranties don't cover labor, which is also a big part of the repair cost. Fingers crossed for another 8 years, then. By then the new units will be even better!