Best 50-gallon Electric Water Heaters and Buying Tips

Are you looking to buy the best 50-gallon electric water heater?

Look no further - you have found the right place. This article offers a review of the best models with the feature and data comparison.

The 50-gallon electric water heater is one of the most popular and selling sizes. One of the reasons is that a 50-gal tank supplies enough gallons of hot water to homes with a family size of four, and at the same time, is affordable.

The capacity of the 50-gallon water heater is usually enough for 1-2 bathroom homes or more if the recovery rate and first-hour delivery are higher.

We have collected some useful information about electric, 50 gallons water heaters, including model reviews of Rheem, AO Smith, and Westinghouse, making your decision and shopping experience easier.

Best 50-gallon electric water heaters to buy

Westinghouse High Efficiency review

Westinghouse electric water heater

Westinghouse High Efficiency with the 50 gallons capacity (sold on Amazon.com) is one of the most durable and strongest electric water heaters that comes with the following features, technical data, and many positive user reviews:

• Stainless steel water storage tank that is durable and eliminates the need for the anode rod and all the issues associated with this sacrificial element; corrosion, hydrogen sulfide gas, development of bacteria, and rotten egg odor even the scale buildup.
• Heavy-duty insulation retains the heat inside the unit longer, resulting in more savings.
• Lightweight design allows easy handling.
• A good tank capacity of a little over 50 gallons (52 gallons to be exact) provides enough hot water for a family of 4-5 and supplies one to two bath homes.
• Electric heating elements are made of high-grade stainless steel with low watt density, making it more durable and resistant to hard water effects and corrosion.
• The water connections are located at the top of the unit for easy installation.
• The model provides long hot water draws; first-hour delivery is around 84 GPH - the highest on this list. It is better to buy a 50-gal unit with a high first hour delivery, such as this high-efficiency Westinghouse water heater, than the larger but less efficient model, as more water will be delivered.
• Saves time and money.
• Limited lifetime warranty ensures many years of water heating with high performance.

Overall, homeowners are happy with the units' performance and element quality, especially with the superior corrosion resistance and laser-welded precision. Some reported issues with the heating elements but resolved due to the lifetime warranty (online registration required).

Rheem - Marathon MSR50245 review

Rheem Marathon water heater

Rheem / Ruud Marathon MSR50245 (sold on amazon.com) is the only 50-gallon electric water heater that is made of long-lasting plastic material and has one of the longest warranties.

Here are some of the popular features with the benefits:

• Rheem provides a limited lifetime warranty.
• Six years warranty for replacement parts.
• The upper heating element is protected against "dry-firing," and the lower element is made of stainless steel for longer life.
• Seamless, blow-molded, and lightweight polybutene tank that doesn't leak.
• High efficiency (energy factor is 0.94) with only 5 F of heat losses in 24 h.
• First-hour delivery is 61 GPH; the recovery rate is 20 GPH.
• As the Marathon doesn't have a metal tank, the anode rod is not needed, resulting in less maintenance involved and an absence of the hydrogen gases and rotten egg odor.
• No rust, no corrosion due to the non-metallic water tank.
• One of the most durable tank-type heaters in the water heating industry.
• Bowl-shaped bottom allows complete draining.

The water heater has mostly good reviews. The customers are happy to have a unit that won't corrode and leak or be exposed to unpleasant sulfur smell and issues that come with the deteriorated anode rod. The handling was easy due to the its lightweight design.

The homeowners didn't like the higher price of slightly over $1000.

Due to the high-quality tank, great energy factor EF, lifetime warranty, many great reviews, and excellent service network from the well-established company, the Rheem/Ruud Marathon MSR50245 model is probably the best 50-gallon electric water heater to buy on the market.

AO Smith PXNS 50 review

AO Smith electric water heater

This 50-gal electric water heater is one of the best from AO Smith due to the following features:

• Blue Diamond glass coating to protect the metal water tank from corrosion.
• DynaClean Diffuser dip tube reduces the lime and sediment buildup maximizing the output.
• Strong stainless steel Incoloy heating elements with the 5500-watt power, with the dry fire protection, providing fast and reliable operation.
• The electronic user interface comes with a touchscreen display that allows users to choose one of the multiple operating modes and set the temperature.
• Advanced electronics provides easy diagnostics and simple troubleshooting.
• Grid-management capable.
• Lower in the height of 49" makes it suitable for homes where the standard tall size cannot fit.
• High energy factor of 0.95.
• First-hour rating of 75 gallons, so up to 3 showers can be used at the same time.
• 10-year warranty.

Users like the electronic display as a convenient feature so they can set up the temperature to the desired and the vacation mode to reduce the energy loss and costs when away. While it doesn't provide a lifetime warranty, it still has decent 10-year protection, and the price is better than the cost of the above two models.

To summarize, the best 50 gallons electric water heaters are those that are made of quality elements and have the advanced features for high energy efficiency, first-hour rating, and recovery rate - so users will have enough hot water for their busy lives.

Best 50-gal water heaters last many years and they are protected by an extended warranty. If it is equipped with the non-corrosive water tank as seen above - great; if not, choose one with the quality lining and commercial grade anode rods for enhanced protection.

The self-cleaning system is a must to have to reduce the sediment buildup and maximize performance.

The heat elements should be made of stainless steel and have dry fire protection. An electronic control module with the heating modes is useful to have so users can have better control and easily monitor the heating operation.

If looking for more...

If you would like to have more options and flexibility, and increase savings, check out the Energy Star heat pump water heaters such as the GeoSpring, Voltex from AO Smith, or Rheem. These are known as hybrids, utilizing both heat pumps and electric heating elements, and are controlled by advanced electronics, and are ready to provide lots of hot water fast and in large amounts.