Rheem Manufacturing Company was established in the mid-1920s when brothers Richard and Donald Rheem acquired a galvanizing plant in San Francisco California. In the 1930s, Rheem began manufacturing water heaters, and by 1936 had coast to coast distribution. During the 1940s and 1950s the company increased its product line to include space heating units for homes, oil furnaces and air conditioners.
In 1959, Rheem acquired Ruud manufacturing Company, a pioneer in the water heating industry with a well-regarded product line and distribution network throughout North America. In subsequent years, Rheem entered the heating and air conditioning market and expanded in the late 1960s and 1970s with the rapid growth of the central air conditioning industry. In 1985, the company acquired Raypak, a leading producer of copper tube boilers used for swimming pool heating and commercial hot water supply and hydronic heating.
More than 100 years ago, Edwin Ruud, a Norwegian mechanical engineer, came to America and developed the first successful automatic water heater. That early success marked the beginning of a tradition of innovation and value that led to the introduction of RUUD heating and air conditioning equipment in the 1950s.
Since then, the RUUD has grown into one of North America's largest manufacturers of quality heating, cooling and water heating products for residential and light commercial use.
Today, RUUD operates manufacturing facilities employing highly trained workers and state-of-the-art equipment. Over the years, the product lines have expanded, changed, and improved significantly as new design techniques and better manufacturing technologies have become available.
What remains unchanged throughout our history, however, is our commitment to producing the most reliable, long-lasting, efficient equipment you can buy.