Gas water heating is usually cheaper, but an electric tankless water heater is your choice if you don’t have proper gas supply lines or ventilation system, need a small, quick and durable unit in office suites and all other public buildings. In the United States, there are two leading electric water heater manufacturers: EcoSmart and Rheem and few less popular – Bosh, Stiebel (Germany), Camplux (China), and others.
Read also our Rheem vs AO Smith comparison.
EcoSmart ECO Electric Tankless Water Heaters
Lifetime Warranty, self-modulating technology – unit will adjust power to current water flow. Temperature control in digital 1-degree increments.
Stainless and copper components for high durability and efficiency, six models (8-36KW, 2-6 gallons per minute), 240 volts
Pros:
EcoSmart gives the most extensive warranty on the market: Residential Heaters ECO8–36, lifetime warranty on electronics, Exchangers, and elements.
EcoSmart also offers SmartBoost unit – a 7.2 kW electric heater ECOTB240 to be connected to a tank gas or electric water heater to increase hot water delivery. SmartBoost will increase the efficiency by 45%, so you’ll get more hot water (like with much larger tank) for the lower price and installation costs. The Ecosmart will adjust pressure settings and power usage to keep a consistent output for you.
Cons:
Warranty is eligible for tankless electric water heaters installed by licensed electrician/plumber within 30 days of purchase, warranty registration must be filled and post marked within 30 days of purchase. Be careful to register your unit properly.
Service wait times sometimes are long and warranty covers the parts only cost. Labor to repair might be expensive, and it is not a very complex device and you can often make simple repairs yourself if you are handy.
Conclusions:
Buying EcoSmart Electric Water Heater is a good decision. The Ecosmarts is well-reviewed, reliable and efficient units. It is a great choice for most people – has a power range of 5.5 to 36KW that is suitable for appliances from hand washing to large family home in cold climate regions.
Rheem Tankless Electric Water Heater Characteristics
Energy efficient – 99.8%, digital temperature display. Industry leading low flow activation – unit start heating when the tap is turned on low.
Pros:
Rheem units are one of the most compact tankless water heaters, and it allows to install it right near the sink and minimize hot pipe losses. Besides, the Rheem units are cheap enough to allow energy savings pay off expenses in a reasonable time – in several years, one of the best turnover periods.
Cons:
Hard water ruins these units fast, so you should put a softener in line ahead of it or clean it annually. It is an important thing you have to factor in the cost of going tankless when your water is hard (see our maintenance manual).
Similar to Ecosmart, if the unit is not installed by professionals, it could get you into an issue upon returning the item.
Overall:
Rheem units have low flow activation, have nice displays, look great and are cheaper than Ecosmart. But warranty conditions are worse, reliability issues occur, and there are more assembly quality complaints. Nevertheless, Rheem is a great cost effective choice if you need a compact solution.