A review of Ruud tankless water heaters for indoor and outdoor use in residential and light commercial applications. Get efficient and reliable on-demand heating and continuous hot water with the condensing and eco-friendly models. Ruud tankless is designed for homes with low and high demand.
Six gas-powered models are coming from the Professional Ultra series that utilize tankless technology for on-demand and continuous hot water supply. The key feature is the sophisticated condensing technology that utilizes the secondary condensing heat exchanger made of stainless steel, which is using the latent heat energy found in exhaust gases. This is what boosts the efficiency to a maximum of 94% (min. is 92%), making them Energy Star compliant for significant energy savings.
The secondary heat exchanger is made of stainless steel, while the primary is constructed of copper, still resistant to high temperatures and corrosion.
Due to the acidic nature of the condensate, a built-in condensate neutralizer is used, which also helps in reducing the installation cost and time.
All Ruud tankless water heaters are grouped in two categories - depending on the location where they can be installed: indoor models, that use the 2-pipe direct vent (DV) system for moving the exhaust gases out and directing the outdoor air in, and outdoor or ventless, that can be installed outdoor only. The direct vent setup allows either horizontal or vertical termination.
The indoor model, due to the lower temperature of exhaust gases and DV setup, utilizing the PVC vent pipes, which come with the lower cost than the vents on the non-condensing models. PVC pipes are also easier to install and maintain.
All Ruud tankless water heaters, even the smallest one, are designed for the whole-house water heating since the water flow rate is high - it is in the range from 8.4 to 9.5 GPH which is sufficient for homes with 2-3 bathrooms.
All the tankless units come with the digitally controlled thermostat, and due to the modulating gas valve, the temperature of hot water is easy to control and with the high accuracy, while saving the energy due to the smart power adjustments - power is used just enough to provide the required temperature.
Here is the list of the available models:
Models Features |
RUTGH-84DVL RUTGH-84XLN |
RUTGH-90DVL RUTGH-90XLN |
RUTGH-95DVL RUTGH-95XLN |
---|---|---|---|
Gas input (BTU) |
11,000 157,000 |
11,000 180,000 |
11,000 199,900 |
Water flow (GPM) |
0.4 8.4 |
0.4 9.0 |
0.4 9.5 |
Energy Factor EF |
0.92 | 0.93 | 0.94 |
Temp. settings (F) |
85-140 | 85-140 | 85-140 |
# of baths | 2-3 | 2-3 | 3 |
Controller | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Ruud does not offer as many tankless models as the manufacturers specialized for on-demand heaters; Rinnai, Takagi or Noritz, while they still offer powerful models with the condensing technology that are ultra high efficient and environmentally-friendly. The warranty is also great, and the parent company, Rheem, as the recognized name in the water heating industry, ensures the quality and good service.
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