With our mini tank water heater ratings, you can compare units side by side using our Head To Head tool. You can compare 26 models from 23 brands in ten categories such as warranty, efficiency, capacity, & cost. You can also read the individual reviews of each brand below. Our simple rating system gives each brand a color code and a star rating. If the card is green, then, that is one of the top picks from HvacRepairGuy. If the card is yellow, then, that would be a budget pick from HvacRepairgGuy. If the card is red, then, the brand is not recommended by HvacRepairGuy. With our water heater reviews you can cut through the sales hype and find value. It truly is like you were taking a repairman shopping with you! These reviews are for units that are electric and typically store less than 30 gallons of hot water.
This brand is from AO SMITH and is sold in home improvement/hardware stores and they are backed by a decent warranty. The Proline Compact models have a glass lined tank that uses self cleaning technology to limit sediment buildup and they are available in 6, 12, or 20 gallon sizes. The water heaters have a 0.94 efficiency rating and a enhanced flow brass drain valve for easy periodic maintenance.
These water heaters are made in the USA but are only sold through their authorized dealer network. They are available in 2.5, 6, 12, or 20 gallon sizes and feature factory installed heat traps to minimize the standby heat losses through the water lines. The units use a basic magnesium anode for corrosion control and use self cleaning technology to reduce sediment buildup but their guarantee is not as good as some of the other brands. The water heaters use durable incoloy low watt density elements and have a full port brass drain valve for quick and easy draining for maintenance.
This brand is made in the USA and is backed by a decent warranty but they are only available through their limited dealer network. The ProLine water heaters have a glass lined tank that uses self cleaning technology to limit sediment buildup and a heavy duty stainless steel core anode rod for corrosion control. The units are available in 6, 10, and 28 gallon sizes and have a durable commercial-grade brass drain valve.
This brand is made in the USA and can be purchased through home improvement stores such as The Home depot and Menards as well as through their Amazon store. They are available in 6, 12, or 19 gallon sizes and feature factory installed heat traps to minimize the standby heat losses through the water lines. The units use a basic magnesium anode for corrosion control and use self cleaning technology to reduce sediment buildup but their guarantee is not as good as some of the other brands. The water heaters use durable incoloy low watt density elements and have a full port brass drain valve for quick and easy draining for maintenance.
This brand is made in Mexico and can be purchased through dealers or their Amazon store. The ES30M, a part of their Bosch Tronic 5000T series, has a 27 gallon capacity and a 0.92 efficiency rating. They feature incoloy elements with basic glass lined steel tanks but they are backed by a very good guarantee.
This brand is made in the USA but the units are only sold through dealers for professional installation and the warranty is not as good as some of the other brands. The water heaters have glass lined tanks for corrosion resistance and they have built-in microban antimicrobial protection. The water heaters have factory installed heat traps to minimize the heat loss through the water pipes when hot water is not being used. They have durable copper elements and are available in 19 and 28 gallon sizes.
This brand is a part of Morris Group International and the units are made in the USA. The CMT models can be purchased at The Home Depot and they are available in four sizes for under counter mounting. They have mechanical temperature control and the warranty is not very good when compared to other brands.
The EM series water heaters are available in 2.5, 4, & 7 gallon sizes for under sink mounting but they use basic electromechanical controls. The ESH Smart Home water heaters are available with either a 2.5 or 4 gallon capacity and they are Wi-Fi enabled for control through a smartphone app or with voice commands from Google or Alexa. The units can be purchased directly through their website but the warranty is not very good when compared to other brands.
This brand is built by Rheem Manufacturing which is a part of the Paloma Group and the water heaters use basic tank technology and their guarantee is not very good when compared to other brands. The units come with a cord to plug them into a regular electrical outlet which makes them easier to install. They are available in 1.5, 2.5, 4, and 6 gallon sizes with mechanical dials for temperature control. The units can be purchased at hardware and home improvement stores as well as through their Amazon Store.
This brand is built by Rheem Manufacturing which is a part of the Paloma Group and the water heaters use basic tank technology and their guarantee is not very good when compared to other brands. The units come with a cord to plug them into a regular electrical outlet which makes them easier to install. They are available in 1.5, 2.5, 4, and 6 gallon sizes with mechanical dials for temperature control.
This brand is from GE Appliances which is a part of Haier Company and the units can be purchased through the GE Appliances website as well as their Amazon Store. The water heaters have glass lined tanks for corrosion resistance and durable stainless steel heating elements and come with a cord to plug them into a regular electrical outlet which makes them easier to install. The RealMax models are available in either 10 or 18 gallon sizes and they are backed by a very good guarantee.
These water heaters are made and sold in Canada through a dealer network but their guarantee is not as good as some of the other brands. The water heaters use basic glass lined steel tank technology with a magnesium anode to resist corrosion. The 103ETE model has a cord to plug them into a regular electrical outlet which makes them easier to install and a 2.5 gallon capacity but they have a plastic drain valve which is not very durable. The SEO models are available in 6, 12, or 19 gallon sizes.
This brand is made in Canada and is owned by A O Smith. The water heaters are sold through hardware and home improvement stores throughout Canada but their guarantee is not very good when compared to other brands. The SpaceSaver models feature basic glass lined tanks but their styropour base minimizes heat loss through the floor. They are available in 2.5, 4, 6, 12, & 19 gallon sizes but they have plastic drain valves which are not very durable.
This brand is made in Canada by GSW which is owned by A.O. Smith. The water heaters are sold through their dealer network in Canada but their guarantee is not very good when compared to other brands. The SpaceSaver models feature basic glass lined tanks but their styropour base minimizes heat loss through the floor. They are available in 2.5, 4, 6, 12, & 19 gallon sizes but they have plastic drain valves which are not very durable.
This brand is made in the USA and is sold through a very limited dealer network. The Junior Electric models are basic water heaters with glass lined tanks and zinc anodes for corrosion resistance. They are available in 6, 10, 19, 19.9, & 28 gallon sizes and have factory installed heat traps to minimize heat loss through the water pipes when hot water is not being used. The guarantee on the units is only average when compared to other brands.
This brand is a part of AO Smith and is available at hardware stores. The Point Of Use models are available in 2.5, 4, & 6 gallon sizes and they come with a cord to plug them into a regular electrical outlet which makes them easier to install. They use a basic mechanical control to adjust the temperature setpoint and they are only backed by an average guarantee.
This brand is a part of the Paloma Group and the water heaters can be purchased at home improvement stores such as Menards and The Home Depot. The Marathon Point-of-Use models are made of fiberglass so they do not face corrosion problems and they have a bowl shaped bottom which allows the sediment to be completely drained during maintenance. They are available in either 15 or 20 gallon sizes and are backed by a very good warranty. The Performance Series models are available in five sizes from 2.5 to 30 gallons and they are about half the price of the Marathon models but they use basic metal tank technology and their guarantee is only average when compared to other brands.
These water heaters are made by Rheem Manufacturing and the water heaters can be purchased at home improvement stores such as Menards and The Home Depot. The Essential Series Point-of-Use models are available in six sizes from 2.5 to 30 gallons but they use basic metal tank technology and their guarantee is only average when compared to other brands.
This brand is made by Rheem Manufacturing which is a part of the Paloma Group but they are only sold through their dealer/plumber network. The Professional Achiever Series offers units in six sizes from 2.5 to 30 gallons. They have durable stainless steel elements but the warranty is not as good as other brands.
This brand is made in the USA and is backed by a decent warranty but they are only available through their limited dealer network. The ProLine water heaters have a glass lined tank that uses self cleaning technology to limit sediment buildup and a heavy duty stainless steel core anode rod for corrosion control. The units are available in 6, 10, and 28 gallon sizes and have a durable commercial-grade brass drain valve.
This brand is made in Germany and can be purchased at home improvement stores such as The Home Depot or through their Amazon Store. the SHC units are available in 2.5, 4, or 6 gallon models that are wall-mounted and plug into a standard outlet. They have a durable stainless steel dip tube and brass water connections but the guarantee is not very good when compared to other options and they use basic glass-lined tank technology.
This brand is made in India and can be purchased through their website or their Amazon Store but the guarantee on the tank is not very good when compared to other brands. The UT15 models are available in either 2.6 or 4 gallon sizes and they feature durable stainless steel tanks that resist corrosion.
This brand is made in China and can be purchased through their website or their Amazon Store but the guarantee on the tank is not very good when compared to other brands. The ES models have three temperature settings and include a power cord for plugging into a standard electric outlet but they use basic mechanical controls and glass lined tank technology. The units are available in four sizes from 1.3 to 6.5 gallons and have a built-in freeze protection setting which is good for vacation homes.
These units are available in four sizes, have an adjustable thermostat and plug into a standard outlet. They use basic glass-lined tank technology and are only sold through dealers. The guarantee on the tank is not very good when compared to other brands.
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