Bosch Therm 520HN, 520PN & 330PN being Phased Out

Bosch Thermotechnology has recently announced that the Bosch Therm 520HN, Bosch Therm 520PN and the Bosch Therm 330PN will be phased out as of April 2015.  Bosch Thermotechnology will not be manufacturing anymore of these units after April 2015.  Globaltowne will still be selling the Bosch Therm 520HN, 520PN and 330PN for as long as we have the stock.  These units are being phased out due to a requirement for all gas appliances from the Dept of Energy that states they have to have a minimum of an 82% thermal efficiency and the 520's & 330 PN are only 81%.

Impact on the Homeowner

The homeowner will have to deal with increased product and installation costs. In some cases, the water heater will have to be re-located to operate properly, or mitigate noise. While the operating cost of the new water heaters will be less because of their increased energy efficiency, it is likely that the maintenance costs will increase because of a more complex design, and the integration of electronics, blowers, fans, condensers, etc.  In some cases, the performance of the new water heater in terms of hot water deliverability will be less than the model which was replaced.

The Bosch Therm 520HN and the Bosch Therm 520PN are direct replacements for the older Aquastar model heaters such as the 170VP, 125VP, 125B, 125X, 125HX and the 1600H & 1600P.  Please be aware that if replacing an older model 125 series heater and the heater was vented out the sidewall of the home using the AQ1 powervent then you would need to order the new replacement heater and the new AQ4 powervent kit.  The new model Therm heaters are not compatable with the older AQ1 powervent kit.

The Bosch Therm 330PN is a direct replacement for the older Bosch 80VP, 38B and 1000P units.  These units are too small and cannot be powervented.

Bosch Therm 330PN Replacing the Bosch Aquastar 38B

The Bosch Therm 330PN gas tankless water heater is a point-of-use water heater designed to provide instant hot water for two sinks. It can, in some locals be used to provide hot water for a single low flow shower.  

The Bosch 330PN is 75,000 BTU's and can deliver 2.6 GPM of hot water at a 45 degree F temperature rise. A regular shower head delivers about 2.0 - 2.5 GPM, so the Bosch 330PN is right on the edge for delivering water for a hot shower.

However, if you live in a warm climate, such as Texas, Southern California, Florida, Arizona, etc, then you probably do not need to raise the water temperature by 45 degrees, so the 330PN can work for a single shower.

Also, if you use a low-flow shower head that reduces your flow to say 1.5 GMP, then again you can have a hot shower with the Bosch 330PN.

We would not recommend the Bosch Therm 330PN for a regular flow shower head in New York -- it just will not be able to keep up and provide you with a hot shower due to the cold incoming water.  The Bosch Therm 330PN is not designed or approved for preheated inlet water..
The Bosch 330PN is a good replacement for the older Bosch Aquastar 38B. The 38B was 40,000 BTU's and only delivered about 1.3 GPM at the same 45 degree F temperature rise. So, the 330PN really is a much stronger water heater than the 38B ever was!

The Bosch Therm 330PN takes the same 4" venting as the 38B did and must be vented vertical up through the roof.  The 330PN CANNOT be powervented out the sidewall of the building.

The Bosch 330PN comes in both Natural Gas (NG) and Liquid Propane (LPG) models.

The Bosch 330PN is designed for heating potable water only and is not approved for space heating applications.

Replacements for Bosch Tankless Heat Exchangers

Today we sold and shipped a replacement heat exchanger for a Bosch 125VP tankless water heater.

This customer told me that he loved his Bosch water heater and has had it for -- get this -- 20 years!

He told me that he has maintained it regularly with a descaling solution and that he loves his water heater! We breifly discussed the merits of purchasing a new Bosch tankless water heater, but he told me that he is very happy with the heater he has.

Global Pro Tankless Supply can supply customers with replacement heat exchangers for many of the older model tankless water heaters. Just give us a call and we can get you a quote on any of the following legacy Bosch AquaStar heaters:

Bosch AquaStar 38B
Bosch AquaStar 125B
Bosch AquaStar 125BL
Bosch AquaStar 125BS
Bosch AquaStar 125HX
Bosch AquaStar 125X
Bosch AquaStar 250SX
Bosch AquaStar 250SXO
Bosch AquaStar 240FX
Bosch AquaStar 80VP
Bosch AquaStar 125VP
Bosch AquaStar 170VP

Steve