Richmond Encore 40-Gallon Atmospheric Natural Gas Water Heater
Richmond Encore 40-Gallon Atmospheric Natural Gas Water Heater Review
The Richmond Encore 40-Gallon Atmospheric Natural Gas is the smaller-capacity sibling of the Richmond Encore 50-Gallon. Value-tier 40-gallon gas tank sold at Home Depot under Rheem's Richmond brand.
Specs: 40,000 BTU input, UEF 0.60, 70-gallon first-hour rating, 8-year tank and 6-year parts warranty. Atmospheric vent. Self-cleaning dip tube on premium sub-models.
The Encore positioning fills the gap between entry-tier Richmond Essential (6-year warranty) and Rheem Performance (next-tier-up). 8-year tank warranty is the differentiator — longer than the 6-year value tier but not stepping up to 12-year Performance Platinum tier.
About $479 at Home Depot, $1,200 installed. Right buyer: 7-9 year ownership horizon, budget-constrained but wanting longer warranty than base value tier. For longer primary residence horizons, the upgrade to Rheem Performance Platinum (12-year) usually pays back through avoided early replacement.
- Natural gas combustion — faster recovery than electric resistance at comparable tank size
- Below-average UEF 0.62 — modern standard models reach 0.65+, condensing 0.95+
- Atmospheric venting requires vertical B-vent — less routing flexibility than power-vent or condensing alternatives