Please see our FAQ below if you have a question about your Rinnai product. If none of these apply, please phone 0800 RINNAI (0800 746 624) so we can help you resolve your issue.
Like any appliance, it’s recommended to service your Rinnai gas appliance regularly to ensure reliable operation. Rinnai appliances installed in a normal residential situation should be serviced every two years.
If you’d like to schedule a service, just give us a call 0800 RINNAI (0800 746 624) or fill in our form online.
We realise there's a lot of information out there. Water heating is important and it's better to spend the time up front deciding on what you need and what's important.
We have an experienced customer service team that can walk you through the process. For those more complicated projects we also have a free specification service. Give us a call: 0800 RINNAI (0800 746 624)
They are both continuous flow water heaters but the Rinnai efficiency is the latest generation of water heater with an efficiency of at least 92% or more, compared to 80% of the standard Rinnai INFINITY®. The Rinnai efficiency has an additional heat exchanger. The second heat exchanger enables the efficiency range to extract even more heat from the gas, meaning less energy is required to meet your hot water requirements.
Digital controllers allow you to select the exact temperature of the hot water at the outlet. This has a number of benefits:
Installation costs are difficult to provide as every installation is different. Factors such as the length of pipe required, whether you have accessories fitted, how far away you live and choosing an internal or an external unit all influence the overall cost.
If you’re interested in a Rinnai hot water heating solution, we highly recommend you contact a plumber/gas fitter who will be able to explain all the options to you.
If your Rinnai INFINITY® water heater is not working properly, please check the following points:
If you have Rinnai INFINITY® water heater controller(s) installed on the wall in a kitchen or bathroom, are they turned on? Please note that you will need to turn controllers back on after a power cut.
Check that the screen on the controller is illuminated. If the screen is blank, press the on/off button on the controller and try the hot water again. If you are unsure whether there is a controller or not, check to see how many wires are coming out the bottom of the INFINITY®. If there is more than one, there is a controller somewhere in the house.
Is there power at the appliances power point? For the Rinnai INFINITY®, the switch is often located outside. Tip: Plug in a phone charger or similar to check if the power point is working.
Is there a fuse that has been tripped relating to the appliance? If the fuse or circuit breaker (RCD) has tripped this may be indicative of an electrical fault, as generally fuses or RCDs do not trip out without cause. We advise replacing the fuse or resetting the RCD. If the circuit trips again, an electrician or other qualified person needs to be called.
Is there gas in the LPG cylinder?
Is the LPG cylinder valve open?
If the LPG cylinder has just been replaced or if the Rinnai INFINITY® has not been used for some time, you may need to bleed air out of the gas line. Go to a mixer tap in the house and turn it to the full hot position. Then turn the tap handle on and off 10 times. Check if hot water is being produced. If not, repeat for a further 10 times and then check.
The size of the LPG cylinder needs to be 45kg for the Rinnai INFINITY® to operate properly. Smaller cylinders will “freeze up” in cold weather.
If none of the above applies, please book a service by phoning 0800 RINNAI (0800 746 624) or fill in our form online.
Savings are influenced by a number of factors including cylinder size, hot water use profiles and plumbing system design. Savings of up to 10% have been observed.
The savings claim is verified by results from European tapping tests. The European efficiency testing standard for a hot water system uses “tapping’s”. Tapping's are calls for hot water from the cylinder at various times to simulate real life hot water use.
The control pad for the Rinnai Smart Cylinder™ is connected to the thermostat in the cylinder via a cable. Due to electrical compliance requirements, mounting the control pad on the cylinder is currently the only option.
Like any product, there will be continuous improvement over time and eventually there may be the option to have a wireless controller or the technology to control the unit via mobile phone. The current design is a huge step forward in the efficiency of the electric hot water cylinder market in NZ.
The great thing about the Rinnai Smart Cylinder™ is that it works very well with not much input from you, the homeowner. The control is a set and forget product which allows you to make savings without having to do anything, it isn’t a control that you need to check or adjust. When the cylinder is installed, the level is set on the control pad (most people choose level three, the default setting) and then the cylinder begins to learn your habits and make savings. There may be the odd instance when you may want to change the mode - for example if you are going on holiday or have guests staying and your hot water pattern changes.
There are a few options here:
We would love to be able to put Smart control on every hot water cylinder in NZ, but due to electrical compliance requirements we can only supply these as part of a complete unit – the Rinnai Smart Cylinder™.
There are also complexities with selling the Smart controller as a standalone item, as the control is developed specifically for each size hot water cylinder, to ensure maximum efficiency as well as for safety reasons.
Yes. The majority of modern gas fires have electronic ignition and safety components that require electricity. For customers concerned with power outages, there are commercially available battery backup systems. These are not sold by Rinnai. One provider that does sell battery back up systems is: Helio (www.heliosps.co.nz) who supply systems specifically designed for use with gas space heaters and water heaters.
For flues terminating through the roof there is a requirement for how far the flue terminal needs to be from the building. This clearance is required to ensure products of combustion are cleared adequately. Rinnai recommends the flue cowl should have a 500 mm clearance from any part of the building.
For more information, refer to the installation manual of the gas fireplace you are interested in – available on our website.
With the exception of the Compact 2 model, all Rinnai fires may be suitable to have a TV installed above them. Rinnai fires incorporate a fan that distributes warm air outwards into the room rather than directly upwards, meaning that installation of a TV may be an option.
Please refer to the Specification guide for gas fireplaces for recommended installation clearances. It is the responsibility of the owner to check the TV installation instructions with the TV supplier to verify clearances. Some TV manufacturers have warranty conditions that state a TV is not to be installed above a fireplace. Rinnai does not accept any responsibility for damage to a TV resulting from the use of this information.
This is a fireproofing box that isolates the appliance from combustible materials. For the Linear, Evolve, Symmetry and Arriva models, this is integrated into the design of the fire. For the Neo inbuilt, Ember and Compact gas fires, a zero clearance frame or box needs to be purchased in addition to the fire if the installation requires isolation from combustible materials.
For reliable operation, Rinnai gas fires should be serviced every two years (including inspection of the flue system). If they are in a particularly dusty environment or subject to excess lint (for example dog hair, or where there are newly laid carpets) then annual servicing is recommended.
If you’d like to schedule a service, just give us a call 0800 RINNAI (0800 746 624) or fill in our form online.
Every home is as individual as its owner in its requirements and choosing the wrong size Heat Pump for the room you are wanting to heat can leave you cold and cost you more in power consumption.
Correctly determining the size of equipment for your space is critical and directly relates to how much energy or heat the unit can produce. An undersized unit will be ineffective in bringing a room to the desired temperature, while an oversized unit will turn off and on frequently, causing wear and tear.
Aspects to be considered include – the size of the room you wish to heat; how many doors and windows it has and how they are situated; is the room insulated - to name a few. Because of the technical nature of correct sizing, the key to selecting the right size Heat Pump for your home is an assessment and discussion of your needs with an accredited Heat Pump professional.
Key considerations include: the size of the area you wish to heat or cool, if you want to heat or cool just one room or your entire home, the local climate, the number of windows in the area, insulation in the walls and possible location options.
For an electric heating and cooling solution, we recommend that you have an Accredited Heat Pump professional do a full assessment of your home and your comfort requirements to ensure you get the correct heat pump and sizing for your geographical location and unique requirements.
For more information, take a look at our ‘How to Choose the Right Heating & Cooling Solution for your Unique Space’ blog article.
Typically, Heat Pumps are sized and installed to heat a single room or area. To heat your whole home, you may need several Heat Pumps, or a Ducted Heating & Cooling System. For more on Ducted Heat Pump Systems take a look at our 'What is a Ducted Heat Pump System' blog article.
Factors such as the energy efficiency of your particular unit, whether it is sized correctly for the area, your individual energy company rates and how effectively you use the unit will all be a consideration here.
EECA (The Energy Efficiency & Conservation Authority) has identified Heat Pumps as one of the most energy efficient forms of heating around. Heat Pumps do not create heat, they simply move available heat from one place to another. The little energy that is needed is predominantly used to run the compressor.
A Heat Pump typically uses 1kW to create 4kW of heat. The result is around 4 times less energy needed to that of traditional electric heaters, saving you money by reducing your power bill. Running your heat pump is roughly one quarter the cost of traditional electric heating and are one of the most cost-effective ways of keeping your home warm and dry.
Just like your car, a properly maintained & regularly serviced Heat Pump will perform better than a neglected one. A Heat Pump with clogged air filters needs to work harder to provide the same amount of heat as a clean one, and that performance reduction is reflected in the cost to run and the output – and ultimately in your power bill.
Home maintenance is simple enough - to ensure good airflow and to keep it operating at peak efficiency just vacuum the filter from the indoor unit once a month. Also make sure you keep the area around your outdoor unit clear from any plant matter, rubbish or debris. It is also important that you don’t place anything directly on top or around your outdoor unit that may compromise the airflow and in turn compromise its performance.
Take a look at our 'Looking After Your Heat Pump' article for more information.
Heat Pump servicing is often overlooked as an integral part of maintaining the longevity and efficiency of the unit.
It is recommended that you have your Heat Pump professionally serviced every 12 months, ideally before the start of winter, to ensure your unit is working optimally. Whilst DIY home maintenance will help keep your unit working effectively and efficiently, it does not replace the need to have your system professionally serviced by an accredited Heat Pump Air Conditioning technician.
A professional service will ensure your system will operate smoothly and efficiently delivering comfort to your home environment whilst extending the life of your investment. As a guideline, your Heat Pump should be serviced annually.
Experienced and qualified installers usually take somewhere around 3-4 hours for a straightforward back-to-back (where the indoor unit and outdoor unit are positioned directly opposite each other on the interior and exterior of a wall) Heat Pump installation. More complex Heat Pump installations will take a bit longer.
Ducted systems can take between one to two days depending on the amount of spaces to be ducted. Installing a Heat Pump is a complex process requiring qualified trade professionals so must ALWAYS be undertaken by a reputable accredited installation company.
Common sense tells us that no heating appliance should be used 24 hours a day. Using your heat pump correctly is using it as required.
If you are not home during the day, there is no need to run your heat pump during the day, adding to your power bills unnecessarily. If your home has good insulation, a couple of hours in the morning and a few hours in the evening should suffice.
We would advise running your Heat Pump somewhere between 18 and 22 degrees on heating in Winter. If you want to keep it on all night you can drop the temperature back to around 18 degrees – or use the ‘Sleep Function’ (Q Series feature) to take of it for you.
During the summer, you can run your Heat Pump on cooling at around 18 or 19 degrees, and if you wanted to run it all night you could increase the temp by a degree or two.
When the temperature drops, Heat Pumps perform a defrost cycle to remove ice build-up on the outdoor heat exchanger. Ice build-up occurs during the heat process as the outdoor unit takes the moisture and heat from the air.
The defrost cycle is a necessary part of the Heat Pump’s operation, as the airflow can be restricted if the heat exchanger is covered in ice, which will subsequently affect its efficiency. Ice also acts as a thermal insulation barrier on the heat exchanger preventing heat absorption. By defrosting the heat exchanger the unit’s efficiency increases.
In defrost mode the Heat Pump will stop heating for short periods of time and it’s important not to turn your system off when it’s going through this cycle.
