Does anyone know if having hard water affects these units? I am also worried about power outages. Am I being silly?
936451
I am not sure how to answer your question about hard water, but regarding power outages - I have never had any, but to be on the safe side I would get a generator. Hope this helps.
936452
Hard water does affects these units. Although hard water can affect any hot water heater becasue of scaling. However there is a solution that can be bought that you can run though the unit to clean it out once a year. It is very easy to do. Also during power outages you will not be able to run the unit. But if you have a small generator you can just unplug the unit from the wall, and plug it into the generator. The cons are minimal compared to the pros you get with such and efficient unit.
936453
In the event of a power outage all you need is a 500VA computer battery backup unit connected to your tankless heater. Keep in mind that the power draw on the unit is only to ignite the flame, it will last for multiple days during a power outage.
936454
In the event of a power outage you will not have a supply of hot water as you would with a conventional gas hot water tank. As far as the effects of hard water I am uncertain. The unit is however safe , economical and efficient in its continuous supply of hot water
936455
hard water will clog up the coil inside the heater you should get a water softener it wont work if the power goes out
936456
There are instructions to clean the unit periodically to avoid mineral build up.In event of a power outage you only need to reset the temperature but you will not have water (hot) until the power returns
936457
Hard water and high mineral content in the waterwil affect unit over tine ( found often in well water) and will need to be descaled more often. Water filtration is recommended( nothing to fancy, $50 filter will do). Regular street water will be fine but descaling is stil recommended once a year( simple prosidure) If you live in area with high power outages, and you don't have a power back up, you will be without hot water since the computer and electronic parts in the heater need power to operate. ocational outages, im sure you can deal with it. Grat unit, you will love it.
936458
The hard water would affect it. Rinnai recommends flushing it periodically to remove scale and lime. I guess you would just have to flush more often. Also, your unit will not function without electricity. So no power, no hot water.
936459
First regarding hard water,you will need to service the unit yearly for mineral deposit build up.The unit does run on power. If you are in an area the is prone to power outage you may consider a battery unit back up. The unit does not need a large power draw to operate.
694649
I'm not sure it's that critical. I picked up a Walmart standard deep cycle (which isn't really deep cycle), and it works fine - SO LONG AS YOU TOP OFF THE WATER - Every month two two at the MOST. Sorry to yell. But their battery charging "routine" is so messed up it drives me crazy. I'd probably buy a different unit if I was going to do it all over again. The damn charger runs an absorption phase 2-3 times per day.
1358552
We also have hard water, although not THAT hard--worth a try maybe, though! Good luck.
1170944
We have very hard water and have cleaned our unit a couple of times with vinegar. It works fine. About a quarter cup of vinegar and fill the unit with cold water. Turn it on and let it shut off automatically. Be sure to rinse thoroughly. I may use Louise's suggestion to run plain water in the unit but I haven't had a problem. this is a great unit. We use it several times a day.
866434
The water will not work. The lights still work though...but they have to be plugged into some sort of USB outlet.
211607
Sounds like a leak. As long as the water isn't reaching the drivers and the wiring on the inside they should work fine. You may have to find a way to refill the water though if it leaks.
1163127
Not noticeably for us as we only let it run as a back-up. I like to get my generator running rather than keep using the water. If it ran for a long time, it could impact, just depends if it is constantly running or not.
1137234
Not sure why it isn't working other than you may have a bad unit. DO both units light up? If not, then it's bad. And I don't mean a good bad. I've had 3 of these so far since one got water in it but have had no other problems. Good luck!
1707161
On the winter mode setting and low flow setting the water is extremely hot. Our unit only ran for a short time, however. I'm not sure what failed, perhaps I needed a pre-filter? A downside is that I would have to send the unit to South America for servicing.
1803018
I don't think water pressure has much to do with this unit, I am very happy with mine, it is more with pressure in the house, and I know water pressure is an issue in my house.
1356810
My system shut off after a couple months of being installed as well (240v). I removed canister and electrodes appeared to have a lot of buildup, so I made a little brass brush on a handle that I could get inside and clean the elements. after doing this several times and rinsing (water came out rust colour), I replaced and it is working fine. Will wait and see how long this one lasts. I clamped it and was only pulling about 2-3 amps initially, but after a couple days it is now up to 10-11 amps per leg.
1323211
I leave mine in for two to as much as five hours at a time and have had no problems. There have been two times when I have basically forgotten to check on it and it has stopped running. I think my breaker trips on my outdoor outlet and I am not sure why. I have no trouble getting the Aquabot running again though. When I leave it for extended time I do check on it but do not feel the need to constantly watch it. We did leave it turned off for several hours when we needed to leave before the job was done but I would not leave it in overnight or anything. When "junior" finishes I always take him out, remove the "basket" and rinse "junior" down with fresh water before putting him away. I think that may help prolong his working parts.
2210356
I've had mine since last year and use regularly, haven't had any problems. My previous one lasted for years but I think when cleaning it I had the water level too high and burnt out the element.
1325672
I am on well water and my UN t is operating fine. However, I run the unit until it turns itself off..so water is not sitting in unit. I would recommend you empty the reservoir when not in use.
215232
You probably should contact PumpAlarm.com as they have excellent customer service. That being said, I will give you my opinion. I would assume that even if the back-up batteries die, which they will over about 2 days (I know this), that when the power does come back on, the unit will re-activate and tell you that the power has come on at a specific time. What you lose if the back-up batteries die, is getting a message about the water level, or whatever it is you are trying to monitor, if there is a problem during the power outage. I believe that when the power comes back on, and IF there was an issue with water where it should not be (or whatever) you would then get a message about that issue. You probably should contact PumpAlarm.com as they have excellent customer service. That being said, I will give you my opinion. I would assume that even if the back-up batteries die, which they will over about 2 days (I know this), that when the power does come back on, the unit will re-activate and tell you that the power has come on at a specific time. What you lose if the back-up batteries die, is getting a message about the water level, or whatever it is you are trying to monitor, if there is a problem during the power outage. I believe that when the power comes back on, and IF there... » Read More You probably should contact PumpAlarm.com as they have excellent customer service. That being said, I will give you my opinion. I would assume that even if the back-up batteries die, which they will over about 2 days (I know this), that when the power does come back on, the unit will re-activate and tell you that the power has come on at a specific time. What you lose if the back-up batteries die, is getting a message about the water level, or whatever it is you are trying to monitor, if there is a problem during the power outage. I believe that when the power comes back on, and IF there was an issue with water where it should not be (or whatever) you would then get a message about that issue. « Show Less
1699384
I haven't had any problems, but we don't have particularly hard water here. I've had this thing for at least a couple of years now, and it's still working very well.
1815426
We'll I guess I have been pretty lucky. I bought 2 and have not had any issues yet. Bought them about 6 months ago and have them on my well water system to help with the small sand and etc. Sorry and good luck.