Brands and products
Rheem Manufacturing Company manufactures heating, cooling, water heating, pool & spa heating, and commercial refrigeration products under a family of almost 50 brands. These include Rheem (air conditioning, heating, and water heating), Ruud (air conditioning and heating), Friedrich (air conditioning), Raypak (pool and spa heating and commercial boilers), Eemax (electric tankless water heaters), WeatherKing (air conditioning and heating), Richmond (water heaters), Sure Comfort (air conditioning and heating), HTPG (Heat Transfer Products Group, manufacturer of commercial refrigeration brands such as Witt, ColdZone, and Kramer), and Intergas (high-efficiency gas boilers and water heaters).[62][63]
Rheem and Ruud produce and sell a wide range of heating and cooling products for homes and businesses, including high-efficiency gas and oil furnaces, air conditioners up to 20 SEER, heat pumps, thermostats, air handlers, and indoor air quality products such as media filters, UV lamps, and humidifiers.[64]
In Australia, Solarhart, which trades in solar hot water, solar power, and battery storage systems, is owned by Rheem Australia.[65] Around the world, companies sell numerous types of water heating equipment, under the Rheem, Ruud, Richmond, Paloma, Splendid, and GE brands.
Swimming pool-related products include gas-fired and heat pump heaters sold under the Rheem and Raypak brands. Protech replacement parts for HVAC systems are sold through the PROSTOCK retail program.[66] Rheem Parts Division, launched in 2001, sells replacement parts for HVAC systems.[67]
Ruud
Ruud was founded by Edwin Ruud (1854–1932), a Norwegian immigrant who lived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He developed the first automatic storage tank gas-fired water heater, which went into production in 1889.[68] Ruud worked for George Westinghouse (1846–1914), but eventually bought the rights to produce the product he invented and formed his own company in 1897. In 1913, Ruud merged and absorbed the Humphrey Company of Kalamazoo, Michigan, which also manufactured water heaters.[69] The Humphrey Company had a large manufacturing operation in Kalamazoo, which Ruud continued to operate and expand. In 1954, Ruud moved all operations from Pittsburgh to Kalamazoo, where they were headquartered until the purchase by Rheem in 1960.[70]
