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Bosch 1600H NG AquaStar 4.3 GPM Indoor Tankless Natural Gas Water Heater | 
 enlarge | Brand: Bosch
Category: Home Improvement
List Price: $877.45
Buy New: $637.44
You Save: $240.01 (27%)
New (9) from $637.44
Rating:  7 reviews
Color: White
Media: Tools & Hardware
Shipping Weight (lbs): 33
Dimensions (in): 8.5 x 16.8 x 25.8
MPN: 1600H NG
Model: 1600H NG
UPC: 052575616063
EAN: 0052575616063
Availability: Usually ships in 4-5 business days
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| Features:
| • | Endless hot water | | • | Hydro-generated ignition | | • | Qualifies for $300 U.S. Federal Tax Credit | | • | Compact, light weight and mounts on wall for easy installation | | • | Delivers up to 4.3 gallons per minute |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Bosch, 1 Major Appliance Or Shower At A Time, Hydro Ignition, Natural Gas Tankless Water Heater, Hydro Ignition Means No Standing Pilot Or Electricity Needed, Water Flow Spins The Hyrdro Igniter Which Generates The Millivolts Needed To Ignite The Gas To The Burners, 117,000 BTU Input Delivers 3.3 Gallons Per Minute At A 55 Degree Fahrenheit Rise, Standing Pilot, 1/2 Gallon Flow To Activate Burners, Vertical Venting Only, Must Use 5" Double Wall B Vent Pipe, Modulating Gas Valve From 28,000 To 117,000 BTU's For Optimal Performance, 1/2" Male Nominal Pipe Thread Gas & Water Connections, Natural Gas Pressure, Minimum 7" Water Column To Maximum 14" Water Column, Water Pressure Minimum 18 PSI To Maximum 150 PSI, 69% Energy Factor, 80% Thermal Efficiency, T & P Valve Included, Warranty 12 Years On Heat Exchanger & 2 Years On Parts, Qualifies For The Energy Policy Act Credit, CSA Certified.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 Works great for 1 outlet at a time October 5, 2008
Steve
This was plenty hot for me when using one outlet. But you have to do the settings right. Flame on high and water flow on LOW. The water flow setting is how much cold water is mixed in with the hot water, not how much hot water it is releasing. Since the piping of your old tank is going to be different and since this is supposed to have a bigger gas pipe inlet, expect a lot of work installing it. The biggest problem might be the vent: if you mount it on a wall where the old tank was, the vent can't go straight up and use the old vent hole. You have to also order the hard-to-find elbow pipe. I live near Atlanta, so my winter temperatures are not too low. I can imagine problems if the inlet water is really cold like in the northern states.
 high elevation, cold water supply - forget it! March 14, 2008
W. Brown
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Got the 1600H to replace a 17 year old aquastar 125VP (excellent unit). Hoped it would connect to the 125s' plumbing, it did not. Our incoming water supply is 35 degrees. The 1600H would not heat water to over 95 degrees, even at the lowest flow rate. The hydro generator takes a long time to ignite so the hot water line fills with cold water. Sometimes (10 to 20% of the time) it wouldn't light at all. We live at 9000' elevation. I called tech support several times and never got through, waiting 30-40 minutes per attempt. Finaly got an email response that was not helpful. Of course I went through all trouble shooting items in the manual, really didn't need to repeat that via email. Have rebuilt the 125 VP and reinstalled it, ah, after changing the plumbing back. I can fix cars, houses, ski lifts, snowmaking systems but I couldn't get this thing to work. Folks in this area like the Rinnai. Wish I had known.
Bosch WORTHLESS water heater March 5, 2008
J. Miller
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
I would rate the unit at a negative 100.
One of the worst items I purchased. Water would fluctuate, be too hot to stand on the lowest settings. This was installed by professionals in a new house. I got several error codes. Finally had enough and called tech support. I was on the phone 2 hours the first time I called and that was on hold. Then I spent another hour playing games with the unit.
We spent over 10 hours talking to tech support over a month's period. I had to switch the unit on and off to get a bath. Tech support said the supplier told me the wrong unit to buy. Another tech support told me that that was wrong. I had to take off a lot of time to get the gas and plumbing installers to come back and check their work which was correct.
Finally I had enough and called the supplier. They worked with me to get me a credit. By the way that supplier no longer sells Bosch. Just give me your money instead of buy the Bosch unit. I can hand deliver consistent and dependable hot water better than Bosch. Oh yeah and you can get a straight answer from me without the long wait. Maybe the long wait shows that there are a lot of consumers that are having the same problems.
Great idea but costly to install December 18, 2007
K. MacArthur (Santa Clara, CA)
3 out of 5 found this review helpful
Do the research before you order it since modifications to your home my need to be made for venting and it can be quite costly.
 My experience with the Aquastar 1600H December 13, 2007
DoItYourSelfer (Ohio)
16 out of 17 found this review helpful
EDIT - 1/11/08 -------------------------------------------------
I've been having trouble with the Aquastar lately. It still works but doesn't like to work when the furnance is running. I assumed the furnance was drawing down the gas pressure in the line but after having the gas company out and an HVAC technician they both concluded the pressure is steady and sufficient. Contacting Bosch technical support has proven to be an exercize in patience to say the least. Each phone call (there have been 3) has taken a minimum of 50 minutes on hold. I've spoken to three different techs and have been given three different solutions. First call, very nice lady, apolgized for the wait, I told her the problems and she sent me a new control box (didn't work). The second time I called, the tech told me it was my problem and not the Aquastar. He said I had insufficient gas pressure (I didn't), said I had a vent back draft (tested, I didn't) basically he blew me off. He gave me the phone number of a local tech (wasn't local-40 miles away) that I'd have to pay for (because it was my problem) to come and diagnose my Aquastar. I decided to call back because I was very unhappy with the technical support I had just received. My intent was to make a complaint, but on my third call I talked to yet another tech who diagnosed yet another possibility. He sent me another part to replace, which still hasn't solved the problem. Which is where I'm at at the moment.
I've done some more research on the internet and it seems that Bosch Hotwater tech support is reknown for poor service. Unfortunately that's something you only find out when the unit isn't working.
I'll have to change my recommendation from a buy to a don't buy at this point based solely on customer service. Hot water is not something you can readily do without for any period of time and if you do have a problem with the Aquastar, waiting days to have it fixed is not a solution.
Another curious observation, why is there such a wait for tech support? Must be a lot of broken Aquastars out there.
END EDIT ------------------------------------------------
I installed the Aquastar 1600H myself in about 3 hours. I bought it at Lowes and like the other reviewer, had to go to HomeDepot to buy the 5" class B ducting. I gave the Lowes sales ppl an ear full about that but it just went in one ear and out the other.
If you're comfortable with sweeting copper and plumbing your own gas lines its really not that difficult. My biggest problem was positioning the unit so I could vent the exhaust gases. If you don't have a straight vent stack and have to feed the exhaust into the chimney like I did, it required placing the unit really low on the wall. You are required to vent straight up for the first 12" before you can elbow the vent. Along with the minimum run vs. rise of the vent pipe, it forced me to place the unit just barely a foot off the ground. Your situation may be different but keep it in mind. Also, it requires a minimum of 3/4" inside diameter black iron gas pipe. In some cases if you're tapping into the same gas line as your furnance, you may have to install 1" gas line. This unit requires a lot of BTU's and if you choke down below 3/4" it will not run properly. So that means no yellow flexible line to make the last connection. You'll have to hard plumb the iron pipe all the way to the unit.
There are both benifits and negatives to this unit. First the benifits. Long, long, long showers. Literally, you can take a shower all day. Then the next person in line doesn't have to wait for the water to heat back up. It's ready to go. Great for a family getting ready in the morning. Second, big savings on the gas bill. My bill dropped $20 the month after I installed this unit. I figure it will pay for itself in less than two years after the tax credit.
Now for the negatives. Low hot water pressure. That takes some getting used to. The unit has a maximum 4.3 gpm, but that's really unreasonable.(Take into consideration that I'm in the Northern USA and the water in coming into the house is at 50 degrees.) At that flow rate the water doesn't heat up above 90 degrees. That makes it warm not hot. You have to turn down the flow rate to 2.3 gpm to heat the water to 120 degrees. At that flow rate / pressure, if you open two hot water spigots anywhere in the house at the same time it becomes a trickle. There is no way you could run the shower or any other appliance like the dishwasher or washing machine at the same time. If you turn the Aquastar back up to 4.3 gpm you could, but you'll be taking a warm shower not hot (in my case).
Also, at 2.3 gpm, it takes a long time for the hot water to actually get to the faucet. It probably takes 4 to 5 times longer than it used to for hot water to flow from the tap than it did with the old tank system. For example, if I'm washing my hands, by the time I'm done lathering up and rinsing, the water is just now starting to get hot. I've come to realize its not even worth turning the hot water on for short burst of hot water like that.
It takes adaptation to get use to this, like this trick I use in the morning. I turn the hot water on and brush my teeth while the water is slowly making it's way to the tap. Once it's hot, then I turn on the shower. Otherwise I have to let the shower flow for what seems like a very long time before it starts getting up to temperature.
Would I recommend this unit. It depends. If you really need the ability to run two showers or two appliances at the same time, then no way. You'll have to go with the next unit up that has a faster flow rate. There's no way this unit can handle that.
But if you think you can adapt to the low flow rate and really enjoy taking all day hot showers while saving money on your gas bill then this is the unit for you. I really enjoy the savings and long showers.
One more thing. The manual says you have to clean the unit once a year to maintain its efficiency. That means disassembling some parts in the unit. Clean them and put it back together. I haven't had to do this yet, but its just one more thing to consider before you switch to tankless hot water.
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