john wood vs rheem water heater

They’re both big players.
Find one that has a brass drain valve and which ever is more insulated.
Efficiency speaking, electric elements are 100% efficient.
Don’t even consider tankless unless you have 200amp service. They suck up 15-20kw for whole house unit.

They are both reliable like Honda’s! So go for it!

We have a tanked JW. Probably 17 years old? It did leak about 10 years ago from the drain - turns out the drain was some stupid cheap nylon thing and I just replaced it with brass.

bjl

Not an endorsement but John D Wood seems to be very popular with plumbers in the Vancouver area, at least on flyers advertising fast replacement service. I assumed it was due to higher margins or some such.

As for the electric tankless, be aware that you'll need at least 2-3 (2 is for a very low-power unit) pairs of circuit panel spots (presumably full and not tandem) free to supply enough power. I looked at it and my panel didn't have enough free slots.

Messerschmitt wrote: ↑ Of the 2, which one is more reliable and importantly, more efficient? (since electric water heater consumes a LOT --- 2-3kW per shower)

I'm talking about the base models.

Also, as a side note, would you consider a tankless vs a tank?

In terms of efficiency, there is no difference in electric water heaters since they are all nearly 100% efficient ( depending on the insulation which these days is pretty good ), In terms of longevity, buy whicvhever one and then replace the anode with a powered anode and it will last forever.