Richmond is Rheem\'s budget-tier subsidiary brand — and the dominant water heater brand at Menards. Same Rheem manufacturing as Ruud and Rheem proper, but positioned as the value retail badge for the Midwest-heavy Menards customer base. If you\'re a Menards shopper looking at water heaters, you\'re almost certainly looking at Richmond. The product is identical to equivalent-tier Rheem and Ruud equivalents; the differences are warranty terms, distribution channel, badge, and price.
Five product families cover the Richmond catalog. Tier naming mirrors Rheem\'s structure:
Rheem corporate manages three water heater brands in the US market, all manufactured in the same facilities with the same engineering team:
| Brand | Primary channel | Positioning |
|---|---|---|
| Rheem | Home Depot retail + wholesale | Volume brand, broad availability |
| Ruud | Plumbing wholesale (Ferguson, Hajoca) | Contractor-channel value, exclusive plumber relationships |
| Richmond | Menards retail + select wholesale | Budget retail at Menards-heavy Midwest markets |
The strategic intent: Rheem covers Home Depot retail nationwide, Ruud covers the plumber-contractor channel, Richmond covers Menards and value retail. Same product, three badges, three pricing tiers slightly different to match channel margin expectations.
Menards is the third-largest US home improvement retailer (after Home Depot and Lowe\'s), concentrated in the Midwest with ~330 stores. Home Depot has the Rheem partnership; Lowe\'s has the State/AO Smith partnership. Menards needed a major water heater brand for its volume tier — and Rheem provided Richmond.
For Menards shoppers, Richmond is essentially the only major water heater brand in-stock. The pricing is competitive — sometimes Menards prices Richmond Essential below the equivalent Rheem at Home Depot due to Menards\' aggressive pricing model. If you have a Menards in your area and prefer to shop there, Richmond is your default Rheem-manufactured option.
| Warranty tier | Richmond | Rheem | Ruud |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6-year tank | Essential | Performance | Professional Classic |
| 9-year tank | Encore | Performance Plus | Professional Achiever Plus |
| 12-year tank | Premium | Performance Platinum | Professional Ultra |
| 10-year heat pump | Encore Hybrid | ProTerra | Professional Hybrid |
| 12-year heat exchanger tankless | Encore Tankless | RTGH | Ultra Series |
Same product across the three brands at equivalent tiers. The choice is which retailer + channel you prefer.
The Encore Hybrid line is Richmond\'s headline value play. Same Rheem ProTerra platform — 4.0+ UEF, 10-year tank warranty, Energy Star certified, IRA $2,000 federal tax credit eligible — at Richmond pricing that often beats equivalent ProTerra at Home Depot by $100-200.
For Menards shoppers in IRA + state/utility rebate-stacking markets, the Encore Hybrid 65-gallon (RECPH65-T2) at $1,699-2,099 minus rebates can net the install under $1,000. Lowest-cost path to a heat pump water heater in many regions. See our rebates and tax credits guide.
Richmond uses the same error code systems as Rheem on equivalent products. Gas tank units have a status LED on the gas valve. Encore Tankless units display numeric codes on the digital controller. See the Rheem error codes hub — codes translate directly to Richmond equivalents.
Common Encore Tankless codes:
| Product | Tank / Heat Exchanger | Parts | Labor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essential | 6 years | 6 years | 1 year |
| Encore | 9 years | 9 years | 1 year |
| Premium | 12 years | 12 years | 1 year |
| Power Vent (Encore-tier) | 9 years | 9 years | 1 year |
| Premium Power Direct Vent | 12 years | 12 years | 1 year |
| Encore Hybrid Heat Pump | 10 years | 10 years | 1 year |
| Encore Tankless | 12 years heat exchanger | 5 years | 1 year |
| Commercial application | 3 years | 3 years | 1 year |
Tier-for-tier identical to Rheem and Ruud equivalents. See Richmond warranty hub.
Richmond serial numbers use the same encoding as Rheem (same manufacturing). First characters encode year and week. See our Richmond age lookup guide.
Richmond parts interchange with Rheem and Ruud parts on equivalent products (same factories). Available through Menards parts counter, Rheem distribution, and Amazon:
Richmond install requirements are identical to Rheem and Ruud for equivalent product types. See Richmond install guide. Key points:
Standard tank water heater maintenance. Annual descaling for Encore Tankless. See Richmond maintenance hub.
Richmond sells primarily at Menards. Some plumbing wholesalers stock select Richmond models via Rheem distribution. Amazon has limited Richmond listings. Not at Home Depot (Rheem there) or Lowe\'s (State/AO Smith there). See Richmond dealers hub.
Richmond customer service: 1-800-621-5622. Hours: Monday-Friday, 7 AM - 7 PM Central. Same Rheem corporate support team that handles Rheem and Ruud inquiries. Hold times typically 10-15 minutes.
Richmond reviews skew positive on Menards-channel value. Reliability matches Rheem and Ruud equivalents (same manufacturing). Encore Hybrid Heat Pump owners particularly satisfied with the IRA-rebate-stacked install math at Menards pricing. The Essential 6-year warranty draws the most complaints — homeowners who want longer warranty should step up to Encore (9-yr) or Premium (12-yr). See Richmond owner reviews.
If you shop at Menards or live in Midwest Menards territory, Richmond is the obvious Rheem-manufactured choice. Essential for budget tier (6-yr). Encore for mid-tier value (9-yr). Premium for long-term ownership (12-yr). Encore Hybrid for the heat pump IRA-credit-stacked play. Encore Tankless for endless hot water. For Home Depot shoppers, choose Rheem; for contractor channel, Ruud — same product, different badge.