Noritz Tankless Water Heaters

15 Noritz tankless units across four series, 157,000 to 199,900 Btu/h, priced $2,115 to $2,668. Every model modulates down under 18,000 Btu/h, so a single hand wash does not fire the burner at full rate.

Condensing or not is the first decision, and it changes the vent line item. The NRC, NRCP, NRCR and EZ series all condense and vent through 2" or 3" Schedule 40 PVC or CPVC. The NR98 does not condense: the SV model needs 4" Category III stainless and the DVC needs Noritz 5"/3" concentric stainless. Category III pipe costs several times what PVC costs, so the cheaper heater is frequently the more expensive installation.

The NR98 is the only line here that exceeds 140°F. It sets from 100 to 180°F against 100 to 140°F on every condensing model, and it runs a commercial-grade copper exchanger with 25% thicker piping. If the application needs sanitizing temperature or a hard-water tolerance, that is the reason to give up the efficiency.

The EZ series is built for retrofit. Noritz rates it for a 1/2" gas line, which is the single most expensive surprise in a tank-to-tankless conversion, since most existing tank installs have 1/2" run to the appliance. It carries a 316L stainless exchanger, 0.96 UEF and a 25-year residential heat exchanger warranty, against 12 years on the NRC line.

Recirculation is factory-fitted on two models. The NRCP111 and NRCP98 ship with the pump, and the NRCR92 carries Noritz recirculation as well. This matters beyond convenience: on the NRC line, adding an external recirculation loop to a model not built for it drops the heat exchanger warranty from 12 years to 3. Buy the recirculating model rather than adding a pump to a standard one.

Two things to check before ordering. Confirm the fuel: LP and NG are separate SKUs here, not a field conversion, except on the EZ111 Pro which is field convertible. And confirm the vent path before the unit, because on the NR98 the difference between SV and DVC decides which stainless system you are buying.

Vent kits, conversion kits and parts for these units are stocked separately.