Fast Plumbing Answers: Tankless Water Heater Beeping?

You finally located that annoying beeping sound- it’s coming from your tankless water heater. There’s an error code on the display, but what does it mean? Have you lost hot water, or is it a serious problem with your gas line or an internal component?

Don’t worry: we’ll answer all your questions in 2 minutes or less.

At Mother, our licensed technicians stay informed on the latest home plumbing innovations like tankless water heaters. We provide the single best solution for every problem, so you can get back to your daily routine with as little disruption as possible.

The beeping noise from your tankless is paired with an error code (a set of numbers and/or letters). We’ll tell you what the error codes mean on your Rinnai, Rheem, and Navien tankless systems- and how to get that annoying beep to stop for good.

Need tankless water heater repair in Dallas? Call Mother 24/7- priority scheduling means we send a licensed plumber at the first available appointment.

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3 Reasons Your Tankless Water Heater Is Beeping

No matter which brand of tankless system you own, a beeping alarm always means one of three things:

1. An error code, dealing with a system or component failure;
2. A maintenance alert that requires repairs from a licensed plumber; or
3. A safety issue which needs immediate attention, often dealing with your gas line.

Our Responsible Master Plumber Steven Smith says no matter the reason for your beeping tankless, your best course of action is to look up the error code and call your plumber.

“Calling tech support can walk you through a few early steps,” Steven explains. “But trying to self-diagnose the exact fault often requires tools homeowners don’t have. Best case scenario, tech support will send you a part that you need a plumber to install.”

Don’t silence your tankless alarm without diagnosing the issue

Most tankless water heaters offer the option to mute the alarm’s beeping sound. (For example, hold the ‘up’ and ‘down’ temperature buttons on Rinnai systems for five seconds until a single beep sounds to mute the alarm.)

While it’s tempting to shut off the alarm, never do so without finding out why it went off. The temporary peace of mind you gain is quickly lost when the problem gets worse- especially if the issue involves a loss of hot water or a gas line issue.

“If you’re getting an error code, you need to call a plumber,” Steven states. “It’s never worth ignoring an alarm.”

Beeping tankless and no hot water? Skip directly to our targeted guide and see why your tankless isn’t delivering hot water on demand.

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Tankless Beeping? Check The Error Code Display

The beeping alarm from your tankless water heater is accompanied by an error code on the digital display. This will appear in place of the water temperature, and usually shows up as a combination of two numbers (like 11 or 12) or a combination of letters and numbers.

The error code tells you the precise reason for your tankless issue- you’ll need to look up what the precise code means. “There are over 30 error codes,” Steven says. “Some are the same across multiple brands, but some vary- don’t expect to memorize them all.”

We’ve created a ‘cheat sheet’ below for three major tankless water heater brands- Rinnai, Rheem, and Navien. Use them to look up the error code that displays with your alarm notification.

NOTE: If you get an error code on your tankless unit, call a licensed plumber immediately. Even if a repair call isn’t needed, they’ll guide you through precisely how to solve the issue. Members of Mother’s Pipeline can FaceTime our plumbers for free!

List of Rinnai tankless water heater error codes and meanings

Here is a complete list of error codes displayed by Rinnai tankless water heaters, along with their related causes and immediate actions you should take. 

Rinnai technical support: 1 (800) 621-9121

Ignition error code on your tankless? From flame failures to ignition faults, check out our quick guide to these specific tankless problems.

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List of Rheem tankless water heater error codes and meanings

We’ve included the complete list of Rheem tankless error codes and what they mean- homeowners who get less common codes shouldn’t be ignored!

Rheem technical support: 1 (800) 432-8373

List of Navien tankless water heater error codes and meanings

Here is a complete list of Navien tankless error codes and explanations to relay to your plumber during your service call. 

Navien technical support: 1 (800) 519-8794

NOTE: These error codes are for the Navien NPE tankless series. We’ve found a lot of conflicting/false information about Navien codes online- please consult your user manual for the most precise information about your product.

Why are so many tankless water heater error code articles wrong?

We relied on current manufacturer product guides directly from Rinnai, Rheem and Navien for the error code information in this article. Many other online guides offer incorrect or outdated error codes.

This often isn’t their fault- Google frequently filters conventional and tankless error codes into the same search results pages. Please double-check the error code lists you see- you don’t want to mistake a flame failure for a gas line issue!

You Found Your Error Code: Next Steps

Now that you found your error code and the associated issue with your tankless water heater, you can safely mute the alarm on your system and stop that pesky beeping noise.

Contact your licensed plumber and provide the specific model of your tankless unit, along with the error code and issue listed. Your plumber will use this issue to offer (x) types of solutions:

1. DIY: The issue may be easily resolved by cleaning a dirty sensor or unit, and can be remedied by the homeowner.
2. Repair: The issue requires tankless water heater repairs that can be achieved during a service call.
3. Emergency: A damaged gas line, or a water issue that could leak to catastrophic leak damage to your home.

“Any error codes that deal with water detection or flow, call your plumber ASAP,” Steven advises. “These can cause damage to your home.”

Thankfully, tankless units have gotten pretty smart about detecting water issues. “Usually once a water error code displays, it trips the unit to shut down,” says Steven.

Beeping Tankless Water Heater in Dallas? Call Mother

That beeping noise from your tankless is annoying for a reason- it’s an alarm calling you to check the error code on your digital display panel.

Use our guides to see precisely what’s wrong with your tankless model, and call a licensed plumber with that information. They’ll guide you through the best next steps- whether that’s DIY cleaning, repairs, or an emergency gas or water leak situation.

Dallas homeowners trust Mother Modern Plumbing to address tankless water heater alarms and error codes with speed and accuracy. Our licensed technicians repair tankless systems on a weekly basis and have the real-world experience to get your hot water flowing in no time.

Need tankless repairs in DFW? Call Mother 24/7- we’re always here to answer, and we’ll send a licensed plumber within 24 hours.

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