Dux Prodigy 4

Ordered due to good reviews on this site. So far works fine, water already hot enough at close to setting 4 on the dial – Our last heater, a Rheem 170L, lasted from Feb 1998 to Apr 2022(!!) before it failed & started leaking recently from the top. Probably because I leave the gas level warm not hot, most of the time, producing less pressure on the tank & relief valve. I was considering a Rheem 4 or 5 star replacement, but read reviews that the flame would go out… Read more ·  1

randomly for some reviewers so a bit hesitant.

After hearing good reviews about this model on this site & advice from another hot water installer (who said Prodigy 4 is more efficient than Rheem 4 Star), I rang Bunnings Artarmon who said come see, touch & feel the heaters for yourself, and speak to a plumber that should be there. I went to that Bunnings, there were only 135L ones in a box, can't touch or feel any hot water systems. And no plumber present at that time of the day. But the total price quoted at special orders desk was good. And price for installing a tempering valve is $165 through Bunnings but most other installers charge $185.

Ordered that day (Wednesday) for Friday installation. 11am Friday, no call from any plumber. Rang Bunnings, special orders desk staffer (same guy that processed my oder on Wednesday) said he will ring a plumber to follow up (did he even engage a plumber before I had to call on Friday?) but he added that I won't get it installed till next week. I felt pretty disappointed that my family would have no hot water for a few days. On Saturday Bunnings did call to ask if the installation occurred. I had some technical questions (see next paragraph) & also asked if another plumber can instal for me earlier, but they said call Dux direct about it & gave me a number. But when I called, the office had closed.

I heard from other plumbers that I should get RMC brand tempering valve not AVG or Tomson. However the Dux Connect choice of plumber, Parramatta Hot Water, who called me shortly after I spoke to Bunnings, told me they would only guarantee an AVG brand tempering valve as they had problems like 5 day delays claiming RMC valves whereas AVG was fast to get replacements. So I had no real choice. Also they said install won't be till Wednesday. Great. Cold showers for almost a week! Other hot water installers said they would be able to install next day, I thought Bunnings would match that but sadly it wasn't as fast for me as some of the reviews on this site reported.

On Tuesday morning I got a call from Bunnings & the guy following me up said he had a Dux as well with AVG tempering valve which failed after 3 years & he had to pay for a replacement one. I told him I wonder if these are chosen to make money for the plumbers given the short life span/bad quality which he said maybe I have a point! He offered to call Dux & get back to me the next day. But Dux opens at 9am so if the plumber comes before that time to install (which they did!), I am stuck with them.

So Parramatta Hot Water came to install this morning before 9am, & I had to get an AVG tempering valve. It looked like a good job, with insulation around the piping etc. Bunnings said heater should also have a duo valve installed (other HWS installers don't specify needing a duo valve though). I left that option unticked & discussed this with the plumber when he arrived. He told me it's actually up to me if I wanted a new duo valve ($66) as I had a spindle type RMC one which was still working fine but if leaks in future more expensive to get a plumber just to address it. So I decided to get a new duo valve which was AVG brand as well, but not a spindle type. He said it's more straightforward to operate & use than a spindle type.

Plumber set the gas level dial at 6. I turned it down to 3.7, but the hot water wasn't noticeable even after an hour. Tweaked the dial up from 3.7 to 4.3 & heard the flame roar into life. Showered about 80 mins later, water was pretty hot, had to turn cold water tap on a bit as well so it would not be painful. Tweaked the dial back down to 3.8 to see if it's hot enough. Seemed warm enough at the kitchen tap. Bathroom taps both hot & cold had air mixed with water spurt out for awhile but I assume they will all settle down.

One hour later my kid is taking a shower as I wrote this & needed to add a bit of cold water still. Not sure if I should tweak the dial down again. Will see what other family members say when they shower later today. Hopefully no temperature fluctuation issues in future.

Happy with the install so far. Also happy that Dux offers a warranty extension when I do a review here, so I will let them know.

Please note the water heater itself cost $1123 & I paid Bunnings $1422 including $299 installation. Happy they take Flybuys now! I left the recommended tempering valve ($165) & duo valve ($66) unticked at Bunnings, but paid the plumber $231 for installing these, via credit card. So the total cost to me was $1653.

Great value, and installed day after purchase with Bunnings – Being in Sydney for only 2 days for a funeral, I was disappointed to find that the Hot Water Service at my mother's house was no longer working. Poor mum had been calling up plumbers to continually re-ignite her old unit, and had finally decided that it was cheaper to just have either a cold shower, or wet herself down with a cloth, than continue… Read more ·  1

paying $100 call out fees.

I convinced her that was no way to age, and as she did not have any idea what to do, so off to the internet I went in search of a replacement, and installation.

I sought a 170L Dux Prodigy 4 from Bunnings, as it was the same size and shape of the existing, 23 year old Rheem system at mum's house.

A single phone call later, and Bunnings had organised for delivery and installation the very next day whilst I was still there.

The Installers phoned 45 mins before arrival, disconnected the old system and took it away, installed the new one, showed me how it worked, and less than an hour later the water was hot and plentiful.

So far, so good according to mum. She is enjoying luxurious, hot showers. She is loving that the water temperature is now fixed at a temperature that will neither scald or burn.

Would I recommend the 170L Dux Prodigy 4 ? Yes I would. Ease of purchase : SUPER EASY Ease of installation: QUICK, EFFICIENT PLUMBERS who left no mess.

It has made my mum HAPPY, and that makes ME happy. I think you, too, will be happy.

Very Happy customer - 18 months old installation repair under warranty – After 18 months after installation my Dux hot water start giving a loud "bang" every time the water was closed. I had little hope to get any assistance when I called Dux customer service because the warranty were covering only 12 months. However to my surprise the Dux organized a plumber to assess the problem. It turn out that the banging was… Read more ·  1

caused by faulty temperature valve installed outside the hot water unit. The plumber explained to me that the valve is not part of the hot water unit so it is not cover by warranty. I explained to the plumber that this valve was installed by Dux at the same time so it should be covered by warranty but he was not convicted. So I have contacted Dux customer service again and have explained the situation. Again to my surprise the Dux has decided to extend the warranty to the valve which is not a Dux product. So any potential Dux customer: you can be sure Dux provide good customer service for its products and installations.

Purchased this unit through Bunnings who arranged install by Dux after old Dux unit which lasted over 15 years finally gave up. We were quoted higher prices for same unit install by local plumbers and were not only happy with the lower price but also happy with the quality of service provided to install Show details ·  1

Hot water: Happy wife/ happy life – Great unit, and going through Bunnings is definitely recommended. The 135 litre capacity is coping effortlessly with my 3-adult family. Show reply

Need hot water now – Service from Dux, Bunnings and Southside Heating and Cooling was 5 stars, it was New years eve when my unit broke down, Bunnings and the plumber fixed it New Day (morning) would recommend them to all, the unit works great and it's hotter than the old one. Show reply

Only lasted 5 to 7 years – Purchased first unit in 2011, then incurred an issue and replaced under warranty in 2016. In 2023, had a water leak and unit is no longer covered under warranty. Show details

Pilot light goes out A LOT – Since moving into our new house in 2014, the pilot light on our hot water service goes out constantly for weeks at a time before coming right for a while. I have had to relight it 6 times in 3 days in this latest bout of malfunction. The Dux service people replaced the thermocouple (at our cost) in 2016 and while there was some temporary reprieve… Read more

from the issue, it has returned periodically ever since. It is beyond frustrating, especially given the additional repair cost already incurred that never fixed it properly. I expect a hot water service to stay on !

Recently Purchased and installed a Dux 170 Ltr, Hot Water Service, through Bunnings. The whole experience was outstanding and very professional. From buying at Bunnings to the Installation. The job was at commenced on the agreed day and finished promptly, with a friendly courteous manner. The Dux system is excellent, quiet and performs above our satisfaction. Show details ·  1

Saw the product on review sites and was comfortable with the feedback that it had received. When I realised it was available via Bunnings I had no hesitation on buying. The unit has only been installed a few months now so still in the "honeymoon" stage, but it's working well and we have no complaints Show details ·  1

Hot Water nice and Hot – We installed this unit for a few months now, bought it from Bunnings very happy with it, hot water is running steady hot and strong, the old unit was also a DUX which last me around 20 years that why we replaced with the same brand. Thanks again Dux Show reply

Satisfied Customer – "We urgently had to replace our 15-year-old DUX HWS back in April 2024 and sourced this one thru DIX and collected it same day from our local Bunnings store. Dux provided an installer that could attend next day who installed the system within 2 hours. We are very happy with the new system; it is running very well and cannot fault it. Would highly… Read more ·  1

recommend using DUX they are priced well in the market, and they provide exceptional customer service and we know the units have a long lifespan."

Great system instant hot water – We installed this unit for a few months now, bought it from Bunnings very happy with it, storage hot water is running steady hot and strong, the old unit was bosch hydropower hot water system had to wait to long for hot water then was not hot enough. Show details ·  1

Dux Hot water system purchased from Bunnings – The plumbers did a great job, came on time were happy to answer my questions, all done in about 2 hours, no extra charges above what I was quoted from Bunnings , ( which I was expecting to occur ) , I would highly recommend this service to anyone , Southern Plumbing are totally awesome too :) Peter Cleary Cranbourne. Show details ·  1

Excellent Hot Water Unit – The Dux Hot Water unit does what it says it does. Hot water! With a family of 5 the unit copes well, while being energy efficient. Has all the modern features with the added piece of mind of a three year warranty. Purchased at Bunnings and am extremely happy with it. Show details ·  1

Great long lasting unit – This unit replaces our last Dux unit that lasted some 15 years without any problems. So far this new Dux unit is working well with no problems. Happy with performance and recovery time during heavy useage. Show details ·  1

Good Performance – I had used 170D5N since 2013 and just 2 days ago had leakage on the bottom of the tank. Today I would like to buy the replacement with Prodigy 4 in Bunning Maddington but they have not a installer to install and do not know the installation cost yet. So that it is still pending..Could Dux give recommend a installer, please ? Show details ·  1

Excellent Hot Water System! – Purchased this Dux Prodigy 135L last month to replace my old Dux system which lasted us more than 10 years. The hot water is running steady hot and strong and is perfect for our family. Highly recommended! Show details ·  1

Inexpensive and efficient – We needed to replace our old system which was also a Dux from when the house was built 20 years old , after some quick research we decided to have the same but update unit . Bunnings organised for next day . The hot water is fabulous. Show details ·  1

Perfect gas water heater – Upgraded our last Dux Prodigy 120 litre unit with 170 litre unit. Extremely happy with the upgraded unit which operates extremely well and will give us more hot water if required. Full marks to DUX for marketing such efficient gas water heating model. Show details ·  2

Perfect speedy replacement after old system failed just before Christmas – Our old unit stopped working 9 days before Christmas and we were in a panic. Bunnings online made it very easy to get a new system. Price was great, sales team were knowledgeable, answered all our questions and there were no hidden extras. The Dux installer arrived on time, was polite, efficient with the installation and took the old system away.… Read more ·  1

We are extremely happy, our new Dux was installed 6 days before Christmas Day and handles the demand from two bathrooms very well.

Good unit – This is a replacement unit for a previous Dux product. Very happy with it. Can get a bit windy at its location but has never flamed out on me , like other houses and units I have lived in. Good reliable hot water Show details ·  1

Dux Prodigy is the best gas heater system with 5 starts ***** – Dux Prodigy 135L is perfect for us and we can’t live without it. The Best product with great customer service. Highly recommended to those who need a replacement of gas water heater system. Thank you Dux team ❤️❤️ Show details ·  1

Hot water! Fantastic! – It has only had to cope with moderate demand and use. It coped with these very easily. No noticable temperature fluctuations while in use. Show details ·  1

As ordered – Did the research & am very happy with purchase. Water heats quickly & our family of 4 have not run out yet. Feet on the bottom of the unit sit a bit lower than our previous unit, so we had to get a new concrete base. Good price & really good service from the Bunnings Special Order desk. Unit installed 2 days after late night order. Our previous unit lasted 22 years, so here’s hoping. Show details ·  1