Navien
reviews and complaints

My unit is only 6 years onld. We had to have it replaced within the first 6 months because it wasn't recognizing hot water and needed to be reset constantly. Now, 6 years later, we had an HVAC person come in to get it ready for winter only to find out the hot water line has a split in it and is leaking. We can't wait to find out how much this will cost. The HVAC guy said his company won't install this brand any longer as there are too many problems. So much for these units lasting 20 years. I don't know about anybody else, but I'm 67 years old and have never even paid much attention to my heating units as they last FOREVER! Sucks to be us :(

I built a Brand New house 3 years ago, I told the Builder I didnt want a tankless system based on my research but a Navien unit was sitting in my house one day and I asked why it was there, *** ( Owner ) of *** said This is the Best, this is what I install ITS BEEN 3 YEARS OF COLD WATER ! Showers, Dishes, it doesnt matter where the water supply is at, its going to be COLD ! The amount of MONEY AND TIME Ive spent on trying to get the Navien Combi Boiler to work properly is insane Nobody should invest this amount of money to have such a bad product I left a 1 star review only because thats the lowest one there is

Navien *** unreliable, breaks down every year. Performed regular maintenance yet one part or another goes every year. *** won't even talk to you if you are not a plumber. When plumber comes he spends hours waiting for customer service and finally when they come, they just tell you the obvious that a part has failed and it is out of warranty. 3 way valve on this boiler is very unreliable and will stop working. You will be stuck with hot water only or heat or somewhere in between like it is now for us. It takes a day to take out the part and replace it because of other parts that have to be taken out. I am looking to change a 9 year boiler because I have spent more money fixing it than what a brand new boiler costs.

Do not buy anything from this company they do not stand behind their products. I had a 5 year old ncb240 that was replaced under warranty for high risk of carbon monoxide leaking. They are very slick about not telling you why they agreed to replace it but thats a big problem with these Naviens. I was told I would be fully reimbursed for a new unit. I wasnt. They told me it would have full warranty. It doesnt have any. I was told that the new unit would not have the same problem with carbon monoxide leaking but it does. If I knew all these things I wouldnt have spent anymore money on a new unit with no warranty. And used the money I spent on installing it to install a different brand combi unit that doesnt have the risk of killing me and my family.

I had my Navien NCB-180e installed in 2016, and I'm on my 4th 3 way valve. The repair was covered under a parts warranty, however at $500 labor each time this is completely unacceptable. The part costs $40! Navien this part needs to be redesigned and these units need to be recalled. I've had 145 degree scalding hot water coming out of the domestic hot water tap, and 75-80 degree shower water. I called into Navien support in December and spoke with an agent that agreed this was unacceptable and told me a supervisor would call me back, this never happened. I called again in February and was on hold for almost an hour. And today the part has failed again! I cannot stress this enough this part is poorly design and dangerous. Navien make this right! please contact me ASAP.

Navien's warranty of their products is nearly useless. Labor expenses for repairs to their products are only covered for the first year -- meaning that if something goes wrong with the product after the first year, you're on the hook for the total cost of labor to resolve the problem. Though Navien warranties their parts for five years, you're still not off the hook if something goes wrong after the first year. Replacement parts can only be sent after Navien Tech Support confirms the need through an authorized dealer, and can only be sent to and installed by an authorized dealer/plumber. All of which, after the first year, must be paid by the consumer. My personal experience cost me over $800 after several parts broke in my Navien tankless water heater and had to be replaced.

If you are looking for a company that doesn't stand behind their warranty you have come to right place. Just got off the phone with a "senior tech". Our water heater is supposed to have a 10 year warranty on the Heat Exchange. I was just told they will not cover it because Texas had a freeze 2 months ago. Never mind we have been using the tank since then with no issues and that it is in an insulated attic in a home that never lost power. I asked if that meant every water heater in Texas was now no longer under warranty because it froze and he said "that's what our warranty says, we don't cover anything after a freeze" I asked to speak with someone else and he told me no. So anything after a freeze isn't covered even though everything was installed according to their manual on how to keep your unit safe during a freeze. It freezes every year, even though the tech in California told me "It doesn't ever freeze in Texas" So best of luck. I would strongly recommend purchasing a brand that stands behind their warranty, not use the weather as a loophole to void it.

Well, I've now been screwed by Navien too. I had a *** from Navien installed in 2015 for $12,000. In less than a year I had to have the pump replaced twice. When it happened again a few short months later, I insisted on them replacing the whole unit (and after a fight, they did). The new unit, too, has had three pumps replaced, and now - less than five years after the most recent unit was installed - the plastic exhaust piece that covers the back has cracked and is leaking natural gas into my home. Navien will only warranty the unit for five years from the FIRST unit I had installed. This new problem would require the entire unit to be removed and replaced in order to repair it. I've had enough fights with Navien representatives that I'm done. I've hired another installer to take the Navien unit out and toss it into the trash and replace it with a unit of a different brand - an American brand! - and with a reputation for good customer service and high quality. You would think that Navien would bend over backwards to get it right, wouldn't you? Nope. They don't give a rip. Avoid them at all costs!

Navien's boiler is working fine in the 3 months it's been running, but they are not transparent about and even misrepresent the boilers capabilities, and they are not receptive to changing their practice. My NCB180E Combi Boiler, purchased November , only supplies a steady stream of hot tap water if you run your sink at a rate of at least 0.9 gallons per minute, which is a pretty good clip. Their manual says 0.5 min, but that's a misrepresentation. If you are conscious of your water use, you will find that when you're doing dishes the water will get cold, and when washing hands, same thing. So be prepared to purchase an indirect hot water tank that stores hot water. Shame on Navien for not being explicit about this. Their technical people are aware of the issue and because Navien management didn't educate their dealers and installers, I had spend an extra $1,000 for the indirect, which was frustrating because the boiler that I replaced with the Navien had an indirect with it, and my contractor disposed of it. I wouldn't have minded if Navien would have been transparent about the boiler's limits up front. Buyer beware. Aside from this, the boiler works fine, but it's hard to trust Navien. Navien would do nothing to defray my extra costs.

NPE 240A2 This water heater does the job just fine, is probably efficient enough, and probably not much different from most brands. I have two complaints:1. The flue safety switch would not engage with the flue pipe (the pipe was all the way in - 3 measured and checked), so the unit wouldnt work when I installed it. I didnt know what the issue was so I called a contractor who found the problem. $200 and a deleted micro switch later it works. But you shouldnt have to pay to make a new heater work and shouldn't have to modify it either. I suppose I could have contacted Navien and gone without hot water for who knows how long, and eventually they would have probably resolved the issue but that wouldnt get hot water in the pipes that day, probably not even that week.2. Why they don't design these things with the plumbing connections on top I dont know but it would sure save a lot or time and materials if they did. I spent an additional $400 in materials to plumb the thing. Maybe some are built with connections on top. They all should be. They could have drain and service/flush valves on the bottom but the main connections on top consistent with conventional water heaters. It would take hours and a few hundred dollars off the installation. Oh well, its done, it heats water and takes up less space. Hopefully it will last a few years too. Overall Im not impressed.

Navien tankless heaters are fantastic products when they are installed properly. There is so much more than soldering hot and cold water lines to it and expecting hot water. A proper install custom tailors the unit to each specific scenario. Proper venting is enormously important. Gas pressure is also critical to be dialed in. Recirculating loop configuration must be right. In all the years I have been installing tankless heaters, I have NEVER had a Navien that failed to perform reliably and impressively. I have, however, been called out to fix installations by others that were done improperly and caused bad reviews.It is easy to point the finger at the manufacturer when ultimately the blame falls on the installer when the units are not put in correctly. Navien NPE240A2 units are incredibly capable and reliable. They are the only units we install and for good reason. Just about anyone can paint a room, but when a professional does it, the job comes out fantastic. If an inexperienced painter does no prep work, uses the wrong brush, doesnt trim edges, leaves drips and bare patcheshow can you blame the paint manufacturer? That is what I see when reading complaints about Navien products. For those of you considering a Navien, have no fear. The product is awesome! Just make sure to hire someone who understands how they need to be installed and you will have decades to appreciate it!

I recently had a Navien NPE-240A2 installed at my home in April 2022. Since then I have had nothing but problems with my unit. Within a few weeks of install, I started to get repeated error code *** Abnormal *** when I used the hot water and I had to unplug my unit and plug it back in every time to be able to get hot water. I called my installer who was nice to try his best to trouble shoot but he couldn't figure it out after coming to my house multiple times. I called tech support numerous times with mostly unhelpful information and some of those calls had people who spoke to me unprofessionally. I finally spoke to someone who said there was a known defect in my unit and that I needed a new *** board installed. The company sent the *** board to me and I asked my installer to replace it for me. He has not ever replaced this part before and is uncomfortable doing it. I asked if I can hire another Navien certified installer to replace it and they said yes but they would only reimburse $150 for the labor charge. How is it that I would have to be responsible for anything above $150 to replace a known defect in a product that was installed recently and clearly not the fault of me nor the installer? I called around and everyone said that it would cost more than $150 to replace it. How does this make any sense? Also, I have been told that any warranty claims with Navien will follow the same $150 cap. That is ridiculous. I will never recommend this water heater to anyone.

If you want reliable heating for your home, stay away from this company. Purchased my home in 2016 that included a combi unit that was installed in 2014. The unit is an NCB-240NG. It has failed multiple times every year. First the three way valve went out, then the circulation pump, then the valve again, then the pump, then the flow sensor, then the gas valve. I have had almost every part on this thing replaced except for the heat exchanger which the last plumber told me is leaking exhaust. This unit is just a little over 6 years old and has cost me over $2500 to repair. This unit failed during -15F weather in Alaska. All plumbers were extremely busy were not able to come to my house until the next day. Being a handyman with experience working on boilers, I called Navien ahead of time to discuss the error code so that I could figure out what part I needed. Their response was "Sorry, you're not a plumber, we can't talk to you." I told them of the frustration I was having and that I needed to figure it out soon or my pipes would freeze. They did not help and told me they were not allowed to help anyone who wasn't a plumber and hung up on me. By the time I was able to get a plumber in my pipes were frozen, which cost me even more money. I have multiple electric heaters in my home now just because I'm constantly scared this boiler will fail. This is by far the most unreliable boiler and worst customer service I have experienced from a boiler company. Please do yourself a favor and do not buy Navien products. Currently getting quotes to replace this boiler in the middle of winter because I'm scared of it failing again. Their products are not built to last.

On January 4th, I removed a barely-four-year-old Navien *** Combination Boiler from my home. A boiler that should have lasted 20+ years. A boiler that cost me over $14,000 to install. A boiler that hadn't worked correctly since its install in September . Should you buy a Navien product? Absolutely, if you enjoy doing/experiencing these things: -Not having heat. -Not having hot water. -Having your boiler stop working on the coldest day of the year, more than once. -Coming home to a house that's 40 degrees. -Cutting a vacation short because there's no heat in your house. -Spending countless amounts of time and money correcting problems to no avail. -Having parts unavailable locally (Navien is based in California) -Losing your sanity -Losing hours at work while you watch your boiler being "fixed" for the hundredth time. -Having your basement flooded I have PTSD from the four years I had a Navien boiler in my home. Despite it being replaced with a reliable unit from a different manufacturer, I still find myself going into my basement to check and see if it is working properly. This is what owning such a temperamental, unreliable piece of garbage will do to a person. In the interest of full disclosure, there was about a two year period where my Navien unit worked without issue. If you're wondering why, it is due to the unit being gutted and having all its components (except the heat exchanger) replaced. Have you ever heard of that needing to be done to a brand new boiler? At the end of December , the Navien fell right back into its old habits, and right before it was set to be removed, it flooded my basement for good measure. That It is also worth mentioning that I had yet to find a technician who enjoyed working on these units- they are highly computerized and all of its components are shoehorned into a space that is undersized, and even a minor repair involves a lot of labor. I called Navien Customer service after I had removed the Navien unit from my house. I wasn't looking for compensation, I just wanted to make them aware of the hell my family had been through. I didn't receive an apology or even a smidgen of sympathy. Instead, I was met with resistance regarding my last warranty claim being from a couple years ago, which to them translated that their unit was working without issue. They also tried to claim that they asked for a water sample from me (which they never did, nor asked the installer). My water has been tested twice with no issue. I mentioned their ComplaintsBoard.com profile, and their Facebook reviews, and if they were aware of their ratings on these respective pages. It is flabbergasting to me that there hasn't been a class-action lawsuit against Navien due to what I've read on this page and on others. It seems that there isn't even a single person who has had a good experience with this company. How this company has an A+ rating on ComplaintsBoard.com yet nearly all their reviews are one star makes zero sense to me.

water heater does not work part time

We bought 2 Navien combi boilers in 2012. One had to be replaced 2 years ago as it was defective. Same issues are starting with the other unit we have. Navien is more than willing to replace the part but they are not willing to replace the unit of which I implored they do so to save me the expense of 6-8 hours of labor to find this does not solve the problem. Also, on their site, it states "Payment for labor in completing the warranty service is subject to Navien's prior written approval and shall be subject to Navien's schedule of approved labor allowances." Mr. John Rizzo, Senior Specialist, advised me they will not be paying for the 6-8 hours of labor in order for the plumber to replace Navien's defective part in our boiler and that they do not reimburse for warranty labor?

A Navien water heater/boiler, model NCB-240, serial ***, was installed in March and I purchased the house April 30. Since that time the heat has gone off at least 2-3 times a season. Parts were covered for 5 yrs and the unit for 10. Several parts have had to be replaced and as of today, labor has cost me $2500. Several calls were made to their tech dept. expressing the unit may be defective. I spoke to "James" who told me to call again if it happens again which it did last night, 12/7,and he would get a supervisor. I called this morning, 12/8, while my plumber/heating tech was here, told them it happened again, wanted to speak to a supervisor, gave the serial number and said this was not normal and I thought the unit was defective, he hung up on me. My plumber got my heat on again and told me this unit has had a lot of issues and they don't use it. This will probably happen again.

Date purchased: 8/04 Cost: $3850.00 Warranty: parts 5 years labor 1 year Project: installation of Navien Tankless Water Heater by Texans Water Heaters LLC The unit runs intermittently without demand of water from the home users. It can be 3am and it comes on by itself. Contacted the Texans Water Heaters and they referred me to the Navien rep. Jonathan Loos. I have made several contacts with Jonathan. He has come to check the unit and sees no issues. This last contact he asked for me to call a plumber and contact NAVIEN tech if the plumber found the issue. Why would I do this if the unit is warranted? Another contact he told my wife he would walk her through some steps to check a light, but would involve removing the unit cover to get inside. We are not qualified to work on this and if we did something wrong we could void the warranty The unit is faulty and needs to be replaced or fixed by Navien. PLESE HELP!

Purchased a Navien tankless water heater from *** in *** on 7/17. The water heater was installed by contractor on 7/18. The next day, not hot water. Called Navien and after 45 minutes trouble shooting stated they would only talk to the contractor. Contractor came back that afternoon and spoke with Navien, we go some hot water, but not much. Navien support stated we didn't clean the filters on the faucets. Cleaned all filter, next day 7/20 no hot water. Called Navien support again and was told we had to run the shower to get any hot water. We were told we needed 25 gallons per minute to flow. Run the shower to was your hands, run the shower to was dishes, ect. This is advertised as "When a hot water tap is opened, the tankless heater detects the flow". No where do they sate you need to used 25 gal per minute. The support personal were rude and insisted my must have the contractor call them. Much extra cost to find out false info.

On 8/12 We had a Navien Tank less Water heater installed by *** Plumbing and Heating. He registered the unit's serial number with ***/04/20 the Water Heater failed and a new Navien Tank less heater was installed by *** Plumbing and Heating. We were unaware the Heater was still under warantee and paid MGPH for a new unit - which as it turns out - he did not register with Navien. This April, that "new" unit failed. MGPH refused to come back and told me to stop contacting him.*** returned and installed a new heater (replaced by Navien under original warrant). The serial number on the broken Unit was the same as the original installed in 8/12. Apparently I was charged for a new heater by MGPH which was not installed. Also I have 3 service visits at $175. and an installation fee of $750. which Navien said they would reimburse me at $150. per visit - which has not happened. Can you please advise me of my options? Thank you.

My Navien 240a unit was 2.75 years old. The unit ceased functioning on 2/26. Navien's conclusion was that the unit "froze" during our low temperatures due to loss of power. However, our unit never lost power. I called Navien tech support, they said: 1. The unit will not freeze as long as it has power. 2. The unit will no longer function after it freezes. I informed Navien that since 2/19; we had yet to have outside temperatures go below 32. The unit was functioning as normal until 2/26. on 3/8; I had a replacement water heater installed. The installer also removed the 240a Navien unit. He said it appeared that the mother board is out. I paid just under $4,500 to have the old unit removed and a replacement installed. I have asked for Navien to reimburse me for these costs. On 4/1; I spoke with Navien tech support again. They still insist the unit "froze" and therefore it is not covered under any warranty. I told them the unit remains on my front porch if they want to confirm their findings (since they have yet to see the unit). They said they are not willing to do anything further.

We installed a Navien CH-210 Combi-Boiler in our home in 2013, in that time we have had problems with the unit going into an error state usually multiple time during the colder winter months leaving us with no heat or hot water. I had called Navien a few times to troubleshoot and was always able to get the unit working again by resetting it. I stopped calling and dealt with the issue seeing it was an easy fix to get it running again. Well, we were out of town a couple of weeks ago and my Disabled Mother-In-Law who lives with us called to tell us there was no heat again. I had my 20-year-old daughter power off the unit and power it back on again in order to get heat and hot water back again. Well to my surprise that didn't fix it this time. We came right home and started calling repair technicians to come to take a look and get it running again. The technician was a certified Navien Technician I found on Navien's website. He proceeded to tell me the unit was all corroded and the Gas valve among other parts would need to be replaced. He called into Navien support and they asked for pictures of the unit. He sent them over and they told him they were going to replace the unit due to the corrosion of the parts inside and the cabinet itself. He gave me a quote of 3500.00 to install the new unit. I didn't trust this diagnosis and proceeded to call another Certified Navien Tech from their website. The next tech I spoke with on the phone asked for the model number of the unit, as soon as I told him the model number he proceeded to tell me what my problem was before I could even say anything. He was absolutely correct. He told me Navien has had all kinds of issues with this model unit and that they were replacing the units. He also told me that they lost count of how many they had replaced the prior winter with newer models. They all suffered from the same issues I had. He charged me 3300.00 for the new install which I had to pay for in order to get heat and hot water.