Rinnai error code 11

Last updated 2026-08-28 · Last checked 2026-08-28 · 1631 words · 7 min read

Rinnai code 11 is listed in the owner's manual as "No ignition. No gas supply": the heater called for flame, the burner never lit, and the unit shut down. Rinnai's remedy is to check the gas is turned on at the water heater and at the gas meter or cylinder, then clear the code with the tap. Anything past the isolation valve is a licensed gas fitter's job.

What Rinnai error 11 actually means

The Infinity and Infinity B owner's manuals both put 11 in their troubleshooting tables as "No ignition. No gas supply". Rinnai's service-level error sheet phrases the same fault as "No ignition. Unit stops without flame igniting." In plain terms, water started flowing, the heater tried to light its burner, the flame sensor saw nothing, and the control board locked the unit out rather than keep releasing gas.

That makes 11 different from a sensor or fan fault: the electronics are working well enough to detect the problem and display it; what is missing is a flame. The causes run from a shut valve or an empty LPG cylinder, which an owner can fix, to an igniter, gas valve or flame-rod problem inside the case, which an owner cannot. It is not a water-flow code (02), not a flue code (10), and not a flame that lit and then dropped out — that is 12, covered below.

Is code 11 something I can fix myself?

Sometimes, yes. Rinnai's owner-level remedy for 11 is a supply check, not a repair: "Check gas is turned on at water heater and gas meter or cylinder." If a valve was closed or a cylinder was empty, restoring gas and running the clearing sequence below is all that is needed. If gas is clearly available and the code returns, the fault is inside the unit and belongs to a licensed gas fitter.

The line between the two matters in Australia. The manual says the appliance "must be installed, maintained and removed ONLY by an Authorised Person", that "water heaters do not contain user serviceable parts", and, for Victoria, that the installer must be licensed with the Victorian Building Authority. So the owner's territory is the gas isolation valve on the pipe entering the heater (handle in line with the pipe means open), the valve at the gas meter, the cylinder valve on LPG, and the power switch. If a cooktop or gas heater elsewhere in the house also fails to light, the problem is upstream and your gas retailer or distributor is the first call.

How to clear a Rinnai error code

The Infinity manual's clearing sequence, verbatim: "In the majority of cases, you may be able to clear the Error Code simply by turning the hot water tap OFF then ON again. If this does not clear the Error Code try pushing the On/Off button OFF then ON again or turning the power for unit OFF, waiting 10 seconds and then ON again. If the Error Code still remains, contact Rinnai for advice."

Taken step by step, after you have restored gas:

1. Turn the hot tap fully off, wait a moment, then open it again so the heater gets a fresh flow signal.
2. If 11 still shows, press the On/Off button on the water controller off, then on.
3. If it remains, switch the power to the unit off at the power point or switchboard, wait 10 seconds, and switch it back on.
4. Open a hot tap and listen for the fan and the ignition.

Ten seconds is Rinnai's figure; there is no reset button to find. If the code comes straight back with gas confirmed on, stop cycling it — repeated ignition attempts without a flame are what the lockout is designed to prevent.

LPG homes: the empty-cylinder version of code 11

Rinnai's remedy says "gas meter or cylinder", and the cylinder half of that sentence is where most rural and outer-suburban 11 codes come from. A continuous flow heater on bottled gas that shows 11 mid-shower, with no other change in the house, has very often just run its cylinder dry. Check the gauge or lift the bottle, and check the cylinder valve is open.

That empty-bottle reading is an inference from Rinnai's word "cylinder" rather than a sentence in the manual, so treat it as the most likely case, not the only one. On a two-cylinder setup, a changeover regulator that has not switched, or a second cylinder never refilled, gives the same result. After a refill, air in the line can cause one or two more 11 codes before the unit lights cleanly; run the clearing sequence each time. If it will not light after three attempts, call the gas fitter — bleeding gas lines is item 3 on Rinnai's technician checklist, not an owner task, and the Infinity B manual lists a separate LPG inlet pressure that only a manometer can confirm.

What the technician will check for code 11

Rinnai's service sheet lists eleven checks for 11, and every one of them sits behind the cover. Knowing the list explains why a gas fitter cannot simply "reset" the code over the phone: once the owner-level causes are ruled out, the job is diagnostic work on the gas train, the ignition circuit and the burner itself.

In the order Rinnai prints them: gas supply; gas type and inlet gas pressure; bleeding all air from the gas lines; the flame rod wire connection; igniter operation; the gas valves for open or short circuits; the gas orifice; the earth wire lead; the parameter settings; burner blockage or burner mesh damage; and the gas switching venturi for blockage or damage. It helps the technician to know whether the 11 began after work on the house — a meter replacement, a new cylinder regulator or a solar installation all change the conditions the heater was set up for.

Code 12 and the other Rinnai codes

The code owners most often confuse with 11 is 12, "Flame Failure. Low gas flow": the burner lit and then lost its flame. Rinnai's remedy repeats the gas checks and adds "Check there are no obstructions to the flue outlet", so a look at the flue terminal from ground level is the extra owner step. Most other codes in the manual simply end in "Service Call".

Table: Rinnai continuous flow error codes from the Infinity and Infinity B owner's manuals

Codes 31, 79 and 99, which turn up in overseas lists and forum posts, do not appear in the Australian Infinity, Infinity B or service documents, so this page does not define them.

What to check before you call Rinnai or a gas fitter

Every item here is done from outside the heater, with nothing unscrewed. Rinnai recommends the appliance is serviced every 12 months, and a unit that has missed several services is more likely to be showing a genuine internal fault than a shut valve — but the checks are the same either way, and they are what the service line will ask you first.

1. Confirm the display really says 11. On an Infinity 16, 20, 26 or 32 the code shows on the status monitor on the front cover as well as on any controller. Enviro 16 and 26 and the B16, B20 and B26 have no status monitor, so the code is only visible on a fitted water controller.
2. Open the gas isolation valve at the heater. Handle in line with the pipe.
3. Check the meter or cylinder. Meter valve open; LPG cylinder not empty and its valve open.
4. Test another gas appliance. If the cooktop will not light either, ring your gas supplier before Rinnai.
5. Run the clearing sequence. Tap off and on; controller Off/On; power off for 10 seconds.
6. Confirm the unit has 240 V power. Rinnai requires an earthed power point next to the appliance; check its switch and the switchboard.
7. Open the tap further. Rinnai's minimum operating water flow is 1.5 L/min, and the manual warns the unit "may extinguish without warning" at low flows.
8. Note the model and serial from the sticker on the case before you ring the Rinnai Hot Water Service Line or your gas fitter.

Frequently asked questions

Why does my Rinnai show 11 only on some taps?

Because those taps may not be passing enough water to start the heater. Rinnai's minimum operating flow is 1.5 L/min, and a low-flow basin tap or a blocked aerator can sit below it. If a full-bore laundry tap lights the unit and the ensuite does not, the fault is flow rather than gas, and a plumber can check the tap and any restrictor.

Does a Rinnai continuous flow heater work in a blackout?

No. The manual requires an earthed 240 V power point adjacent to the appliance, and the fan, igniter and control board run from it, so an outage leaves the unit unable to light. The manual does not spell out the blackout case in those words, but it follows from the power requirement. Once power returns, run the clearing sequence if a code shows.

Will code 11 clear on its own?

Not while the cause remains. The lockout is deliberate: the unit will not keep attempting ignition without a flame. Once gas is restored, the tap off/on, controller Off/On or 10-second power cycle clears it. If the code reappears with gas confirmed on at the heater, meter and cylinder, book a licensed gas fitter or Rinnai service.

Where is the error code on an Enviro or B-series unit?

Only on a water controller. Rinnai's manual notes that the Infinity Enviro 16 and 26 and the B16, B20 and B26 do not have a status monitor on the front cover. Without a controller fitted, those models give no code at all — you simply get cold water — and a technician reads the fault from the unit.