Frequently Asked Questions

FVIR stands for Flammable Vapor Ignition Resistant. An ANSI (American National Standards Institute) standard went into effect in July 2003 that will prevent a water heater from igniting flammable vapors outside the combustion chamber. This helps to protect homes.

No, they are not. The consortium of manufactures agreed on flame arrestor plate technology to create the new generation of FVIR water heaters. Early in the development, Richmond researchers at their Montgomery labs discovered that flame arrestor plate designs might be vulnerable to the effects of lint, dust and oil (LDO). Richmond urged the ANSI standards be reviewed. As a result, the ANSI standard now includes testing for reliability in LDO environments. Throughout development, Richmond engineers have been highly attentive to the role LDO robustness will play on product reliability and consumer satisfaction.

The Richmond Hybrid has a 10-year tank leak warranty and a 10-year parts warranty. It also has a first-year in-home labor warranty. This water heater uses heat pump technology to achieve a 3.55 uniform energy factor. (Residential gas is approximately 0.62; and residential electric is approximately 0.92). The Richmond Hybrid is also EnergyStar Compliant and may qualify you for a local or utility rebate.

Choosing a water heater is based on your family size and how much hot water you will use in one continuous hour. We call it Peak Hour Demand.

The Richmond Marathon^® water heater offers a LIFETIME warranty. The Marathon is a special water heater that has a seamless blow molded polybutene inner tank. It will not rust. The several inches of foam insulation give it up to 0.93 uniform energy factor. Tank sizes range from 15 gallons to 105 gallons to fit any household need. Once you purchase this water heater, the lifetime warranty is extended to the original owner when installed in a residential application.

There are a couple of products that may work in your application. The Power Direct Vent is a seal combustion, direct vent water heater that may be installed up to 60 feet away from the homes outside wall. We also have a standing pilot Direct Vent that will vent up to 4 feet from the outside wall.

Yes, we do. We have a full line of standing pilot, intermittent spark, direct vent, sealed combustion and high efficiency commercial water heaters. Our Xtreme models will provide up to 756 gallons of hot water in an hour; and recover the tank contents in as little as 8 minutes! You can select from an electric model or gas model.

Visit our Where to Buy page an enter your ZIP code to be presented with a list of nearby retail stores in your area.

In order to effectively reduce home appliance energy use, conserve more natural resources and generate significant energy cost savings for homeowners, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), as part of the National Appliance Energy Conservation Act (NAECA), periodically requires higher energy efficiencies on almost all residential gas, electric, oil and tankless gas water heaters. In 2015, new efficiency standards were enacted that required many manufacturers to increase the size of their water heaters. Several Richmond water heaters already fit within the new NAECA standards, and others were made compliant without significantly increasing their size. The result is that many Richmond water heaters are up to 2″ smaller than competitive models.

Richmond Tankless Features

• Continuous hot water
• High energy efficiency
• Compact, space saving design
• Electronically controlled
• Exclusive sensing burner technology
• Exclusive film wrap overheat protection
• Digital thermostat with self diagnostic program
• Precise temperature control
• Consistent hot water supply temperature
• No hot water storage
• Low Operating Costs
• Low NOx emissions – all models
• Indoor or outdoor models available
• Two High altitude options: up to 6,560 or 9,840 ft. elevations
• Click here to browse our high efficiency tankless water heaters!

Richmond Tank Features

• Low first cost
• Low venting cost
• No electricity required
• Large variety of sizes available
• Flow rates of 12gpm and up
• High altitude installations to 10,000 ft
• Low NOx emissions – some models
• Click here to browse our residential tanks!

Tankless water heaters are compact in size and provide a steady flow of hot water for as long as you need it. Richmond tankless gas water heaters are more energy efficient than conventional water heaters, because the tankless models eliminate the need for reheating stored water.

A conventional tank-style water heater stores hot water, and heats the water 24/7, whether you use it or not. The new generation Tankless Technology Water Heater from Richmond only heats water on demand. When the faucet is opened, the water flows through the Richmond Tankless Water Heater, which heats it to the temperature you’ve digitally set. When the faucet is closed, the Richmond Tankless Water Heater senses the command, and goes to standby mode.

As long as enough combustion air is provided, Richmond tankless water heaters can be installed in a utility room, garage, basement or attic, or on an outside wall . Plus, they can be installed in locations where a storage water heater may not fit. The Digital Temperature Controller can be mounted in any room.

In 2017, the Department of Energy required manufacturers to calculate the UEF based on how efficiently each water heater uses energy in real-world usage scenarios. The standard was intended to enable homeowners to compare the efficiency one water heater to another. UEF replaces the old standard, Energy Factor (EF), which didn’t allow easy comparison.

A higher EF is only one of many reasons why tankless water heaters cost less to operate. A Richmond tankless water heater has no standing pilot light, no stand by loss, and the burners modulate to maintain maximum efficiency.

No, the minimum temperature adjustment for RTG series waters heaters is a 2 degree increments from 100 F up to 120 F and 5 F increments from 120 F to 140 F.

An Over Heat Limiting Film wrap is wrapped around the entire heat exchanger. This monitors the temperature of the heat exchanger and will shut the unit down if it exceeds a safe temperature. This is an exclusive feature of the Richmond tankless water heaters.

0″ back, 1/2″ sides, 12″ top, 12″ bottom, and 12″ front.

The sensing burner is a device that detects incomplete combustion during operation of the water heater. If incomplete combustion is detected, the water heater corrects the problem to provide clean, efficient water heater operation at all times. This is an exclusive feature of the Richmond tankless water heaters.

No, the direct ignition sends a spark to the main burner when hot water flow is detected. This feature improves the energy efficiency of the water heater.

No, these units cannot be converted from one fuel source to another.

The RTG-64DV, RTG-84DV, and RTG95DV may be installed in all locations, including bedrooms and bathrooms. These units obtain combustion air from the outdoors. These models are not designed for use in mobile homes. The RTG-64X, RTG-84X, and RTG-95X outdoor models are for outdoor installations only, and are a great alternative if your climate is appropriate. This saves space and the cost of venting.

Tankless water heaters can provide a continuous supply of hot water, while a tank will run out of hot water. Tankless products also have a longer life; lower operating costs, precise delivery temperature, and can be installed in many locations where a storage water heater may not fit.

Test results have shown that a tankless gas water heater costs about 40% less to operate than an electric water heater, and about 30% less than a natural gas water heater.

Generally, a tankless water heater will cost about 2 to 2-1/2 times as much as a standard water heater to purchase and install. Keep in mind that in addition to lower operating costs, useable square footage is gained by choosing tankless!