The NRCR Condensing Tankless Water Heater is the flagship model for Noritz’s residential product offering. Regardless of the presence (or lack of) a pre-existing dedicated return line, the NRCR delivers hot water to fixtures throughout the home — instantly — through innovative technology and a recirculation pump built right into the heater. The pump recirculates water through a home’s plumbing system, making sure hot water is readily available for immediate use — as opposed to waiting for the cool water to heat up.
Perhaps you already know about the NRCR and are actively selling and installing it in your local market. But just in case, here are 10 key features of the NRCR Condensing Tankless Water Heater that will be of special interest to your homeowner-customers:
1. No return line? No need
Most homes— between 80% and 90% — do not have a dedicated return line. This means once the water exits the fixture or faucet, it simply goes down the drain. However, with the NRCR, installers can purchase a Noritz crossover valve that allows the cold-water line to function as a return line, bringing water back to the water heater and passing it through to create a loop.
The NRCR has intelligent sensing that (1) turns itself on when only cold water is near an outlet experiencing demand; and (2) turns itself off when hot water is available. This sensing feature enables those many homeowners who lack a dedicated return line to have hot water available at the shower or tap very quickly without extra expense.
2. Easier wiring for remotes
The NRCR’s predecessors needed the weather protective cover on the remote controller terminal removed in order to wire the remote or wifi adapter. It had one screw and was located outside the case. Like the previous version, the new version is also conveniently located outside of the unit with a flip-down hatch. Now, however, the access panel requires no tools, allowing for an easier and faster way for the installer to make necessary connections compared to the previous unit model.
3. Highest efficiency in its category
Compared with competitor models, the NRCR offers the highest efficiency of similar products on the market. This rating is a result of extremely low emissions and a high-efficiency burner. In addition, the built-in recirculation pump allows the NRCR to have hot water instantly available, meaning shortened operating times — a benefit of convenience and comfort that conventional tankless units cannot offer.
4. Bracket for wall placement
An additional new bracket for the NRCR enables the unit to be hung on the wall after it is installed and allows it to slide from left to right. This creates more room for precise adjustments that may be required post-installation.
5. Auto-learning household habits
Once in use, the NRCR offers a homeowner different operating modes, designed to increase functionality and enhance the user experience. Take, for example, the “on-demand recirculation” mode, which is especially suitable for the energy-conscious homeowner who wants to have the most energy-efficient recirculation. When a home lacks a pre-existing recirculation system, this mode can be activated by a simple push of a button.
The NRCR can also be triggered by a motion sensor. When an individual enters a bathroom, the product will activate automatically, immediately putting hot water at the outlets for hand-washing or showering.
The most innovative and impactful mode is “auto-learning.” In just a few days following the tankless heater’s installation, this mode studies and “learns” the hot-water habits of the household: how often the occupants use hot water, what times of day they use it, how much is used, etc. The NRCR’s default mode will then schedule hot-water recirculation around those usage patterns, saving water and energy without sacrificing user comfort.
The auto-learning mode is easy for installers: You don’t have to figure any additional, complex programs. But the mode also makes life easier for your homeowner customers, sparing them from having to make post-installation adjustments to their NRCR water heaters.
6. Swinging board circuit
The NRCR’s circuit board can now easily swing out of the way for users. This feature allows for easy access to internal components.
7. Flushing to maintain performance
A descaling procedure will flush out mineral deposits that have accumulated inside the water heater over time. Similar to an ice machine or a coffee maker, the NRCR can be used with a descaling kit to clean the heat exchanger coils, as well as an acid solution to break down the minerals from hard water.
8. Dynamic descale reminder
A countdown timer was the previous version of the NRCR’s descale reminder. The current unit has a descale reminder that is more dynamic and based on the amount/usual time of use rather than a timed countdown.
9. Steady water temps in hot weather
The NRCR offers an industry-first, offered exclusively by Noritz: the Steady BTU (SBTU) Mode that eliminates concerns over high incoming water temperatures, particularly in warmer regions of the country. If you are a contractor working in the Sunbelt, this is huge news for you and your customers.
Every tankless water heater has a minimum input and a maximum input, measured in BTUs per hour. For the NRCR, the minimum operational input is 18,000 BTU/h.
In warmer months and especially in hotter climates where the ground water remains warm year-round, the input needed to heat the water to the desired temperature can be actually less than the minimum. For example, if the temperature of the incoming water is 90°F, the system will need significantly less than 18,000 BTU/hour to raise that temperature the necessary 10 to 20 degrees to reach the desired setpoint for washing, showering, etc.: usually between 100°F and 120°F
Conventional tankless water heaters have historically struggled to accommodate such sub-minimum energy demands in warmer months of hot-climate areas. The unit may overheat or not activate at all in response to demand. The temperature of the hot water produced may also be unsteady.
In the SBTU Mode, the NRCR’s breakthrough burner-control technology reduces the effective minimum input by more than 70 percent — to under 5,000 BTU per hour. As a result, the hot-water demand is met, while the output temperature of the water remains steady, enhancing the comfort of the homeowner.
10. Fast temperature
The new NRCR model can reach a set temperature faster than ever before. To be more specific, the unit is about 40% faster than the previous generation of product to come to a stable, set temperature!
In sum, this new and highly precise control of the combustion process in the NRCR effectively eliminates a warm-weather issue that has long been a shortcoming of tankless water heaters. Interested in learning more about the NRCR Condensing Tankless Water Heater? Reach out to an expert at Noritz today!