Rinnai RX160iN Sensei RX Exterior Tankless Water Heater
Rinnai RX160iN Sensei RX Exterior Tankless Water Heater Review
The Rinnai RX160iN Sensei RX Exterior is the outdoor-mount variant of Rinnai's RX condensing tankless platform. The "RX160" reflects 160K BTU output (mid-tier in the RX series); "iN" identifies indoor-rated configuration (the exterior version typically carries "eN" or "eP" suffix); the "RX" platform distinguishes from the standard RU Sensei.
Specs: 160,000 BTU natural gas input, UEF 0.93, dual stainless heat exchanger (the RX platform differentiator from the RU series), up to 7.5 GPM at a 35°F rise. Sealed direct-vent for exterior wall mounting. 15-year warranty on heat exchanger.
The 160K BTU class is positioned between Rinnai's smaller RL75iN (180K BTU) and the larger RU199iN (199K BTU). Right answer for 2-bathroom homes in warm climates where 199K BTU would be oversized but 180K BTU non-condensing doesn't meet efficiency goals.
The full stainless heat exchanger on the RX platform tolerates hard water meaningfully better than the copper-primary Sensei units — descaling intervals extend from 9-12 months on copper to 18-24 months on stainless in equivalent hard-water conditions.
About $2,200 unit, $3,400 installed including exterior wall mounting hardware. Right buyer: warm-climate primary residence with 2-bath demand and existing exterior wall location suitable for mounting.