Navien...Any Experience

15 years ago

I plan to replace a 20 year old water heater with a tankless water heater. We have the perfect set up for a tankless. We have a small bungalow with two baths. Our dishwasher and washer have internal heaters. the venting can go directly out a side wall and is only a foot or two away.

I was going to go with a rinnai or a takagi, but then I learned about the Navien. On paper it looks great. It is very efficient (98%), it claims a minimum flow rate of .1, and if you get the A series it comes with a recirculation tank to eliminate the cold water sandwich. The venting is PVC instead of SS.

BUT...I can't find any reviews from people who have actually owned and tried a Navien. It is a fairly new company. Any opinions would be great.

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zl700
15 years ago
You will need the "A" model which has the internal circ and buffer tank to expect hot water with flow rates of .001 to .05 GPM, then their standard model (non A) would do as most other manufacturers also.

While only being distributed in the US for basically 8 months, Kyung Dong, their parent Korean Co, has been in business for over 30 years producing AC, water heaters, ERV/HRV's, wall heaters, furnaces, and much more.

Their flow rates at a set temp rise is more than the others since the higher efficiency converts more heat to the water. Unlike all the others that use copper heat exchangers that are expected to last 10-15 years and many times less with bad water, the Navien is 400 series Stainless Steel, thus resistant to waterway erosion and liming that plagues copper tube.

I have seen them in operation, they work nice, and as all heaters have some restrictions and guidelines that must be followed and aware of when applying and selecting unit.

One small drawback, the pressure drop is higher than most since it has a secondary heat exchanger, not a big deal unless your pressure is low to start with.