Have you got a Rinnai? Rest assured, you made a good choice for your hot water solution – as have thousands of other Australians over the past half-decade. It’s the best Japanese engineering backed by three Australian manufacturing facilities in Victoria and South Australia, culminating in a superb choice across traditional storage systems, nifty instantaneous units, and cutting-edge solar water solutions to slash your power bills.
But if you’ve come to this page, it’s probably because your Rinnai is giving you some grief – so we’d love to help you troubleshoot your Rinnai hot water system. Before making that service call or getting your favourite local hot water repair plumber to visit you, hopefully, we’ll get to the bottom of things together.
Bonus Read: Rinnai Hot Water System Reviews
So Which Of These Rinnai Electric Hot Water Problems Are You Having?
1. No Hot Water
First up, it’s time to check a couple of things:
- The valves (pressure & tempering valve) could be discharging too much water.
- You could have a leaking hot water system, pipes, or a dripping hot tap. Remember, even a tiny hidden water leak can waste your stored hot water, depending on its capacity.
If not, there might not be much wrong with your Rinnai. Instead, your one could be too small for your lifestyle and home size. A quick fix for this is to check your hot water flow rate with a bucket, timing how long it takes to fill up. Another solution could be the installation of a flow control valve, which is not expensive.
Another common issue with electric hot water units is if their heating cycle is linked to the cheaper ‘off peak’ night-time tariffs and simply running out of time to heat completely.
2. Leaking Valves
If you’ve traced your problem to leaky valves, be aware that they are designed to release a small amount of water during the heating cycle. But if the trickle is constant, some gunk may have built up, causing the issue. It can often be rectified by manually operating the valve for a few seconds.
The problem could also be excessively high mains water pressure, a faulty valve, or even a faulty thermostat. In these cases, it’s safest to turn the unit off and get in touch with the professionals.
3. Pilot Light Out
With a bit of luck, your Rinnai gas hot water problems could be because of the pilot light that has flamed itself out. Luckily, re-lighting it is easy.
But first, don’t try it if you smell gas! Instead, turn the gas control knob to ‘off’.
Otherwise, switch that knob to the pilot position, push it in, wait 30 seconds, and then start pressing the ignition button until the pilot ignites. Keep the knob held in for a little longer and then release. To finish, turn the knob to the flame setting.
4. Error Codes
If you have a Rinnai continuous flow water system, your issue may be accompanied by an error code, thanks to the unit’s self-diagnostic abilities. For instance, code 03 means the power went out while a hot tap was running – and to fix it, you’ll need to turn the unit on manually once power is restored.
Code 16 is an excessive temperature warning, 19 is an electrical earth fault, 70-72 are microprocessor faults, and there are many, many other codes – many of which will require a service call. You’ll find precise instructions about error codes in your manual.
5. Solar Problems
And if your Rinnai hot water heater problems are with a solar unit, here are the most common issues:
- Electric boosted systems: Your hot water isolating switch on the switchboard could have tripped to ‘off’.
- Systems with a deluxe controller: The time needs to be set correctly, and your unit must have the mid-tank sensor (a white lead) in place.
- Gas boosted systems: It may be gas-boosted, but is the power cord plugged in? Is the gas isolation valve open? Are your other gas appliances also not working?
Ezy-Plumb Can Help With Your Rinnai Hot Water System Troubleshooting
Here at Ezy-Plumb, we know how frustrating hot water problems can be – but you can trust us to implement a fast fix or an affordable replacement. No matter your issue, if it’s starting to get you down, flick on the kettle, take a deep breath, and give Ezy-Plumb’s fast & friendly Melbourne Bayside plumbing team a call. With both gas and electrical licenses, we can handle every single cause of your Rinnai hot water heater not working. Call Ezy-Plumb today.
