My burnam boiler cracked after 9 years, will they help with labo

Radiant Wizard

No boiler manufacture has labor covered in their written warranty. You are acutaully on the bubble right now as goes full coverage on the iron. Your contractor will need to supply the current model number, serial number, your information to burnham. They track all there boilers. They will know when that boiler shipped and to what wholesaler. What you will get in return is, if you have a V7 Series boiler, a new V8 Block assmebly to include new jacket. You will have to reuse your current burner and controls unless you decided to "purchase them new."

Michael Galloway

does warranty cover labor???

My boiler is leaking after only being 9 years old. My oil man says may get a new section, but no help with labor. My boiler is a Burnham. Is this true????

Unknown

hot water or steam ?

If it steam.. May be piped wrong... You'll get more replies with Burham experts as I'm a Weil Mclain boiler guy... Got any pictures?

Robert O'Brien

No

boiler manufacturer warranty covers labor to the best of my knowledge. Burnham has some times paid me a labor allowance in the past when they had no obligation to do so.I've also received similar allowances from other manufacturers as well.There was extenuating circumstances in every case.
Why would you expect them to do more than they are obligated to under the written warranty after 9 years of service?What type of warranty assistance would you receive with a 9 year old car,refrigerator,computer, TV etc?

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

justme_4

Warranty after 9 Years

In general manufcturers defects would show up early on. First maybe second year of operation.

Cracked section after 9 years... Most likely not a fault of the manufacturer.

Mad Dog_2

NOKEY DOKEY

TOO LONG! Mad Dog

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

james k

burnham

Our church boiler just cracked recently after 7 years. Burnham is sending new boiler labor is on us though. Have your installer contact burnham.

S Ebels

What is it with heating equipment?

I can appreciate the question but I have a hard time understanding where the thought that the labor should be covered comes from. Why do people presume that something 7, 9,12 or whatever years old has failed prematurely, or should be covered by a full warranty let alone parts only? Where does this long warranty concept come from? I can't think of a single device or piece of equipment of any kind that has a warranty like that, so why heating equipment?

I'm not ranting about this and I'm certainly not trying to demean MR Galloway in any way shape or form. I just can't understand why many folks think that heating equipment is supposed to be warranteed for 20 years +.

Comments on this from any homeowners would be welcome!

Dan Foley

Warranty

I concur, Steve. I just bought a fine German power tool that cost a considerable sum. I expect years of service. The warranty? 30 days! -DF

To Learn More About This Professional, Click Here to Visit Their Ad in "Find A Professional"

Joe Brix

Spot on, Steve!

I couldn't agree more, and I'm anxious to here other perspectives on this.

Starch

Unknown

weil mclain boilers

Weil Mclain boilers warranted their boilers for 25 years IF it installed properly and maintained... I've seen boilers installed improperly and lasted 35 years (steam) and little as 2 years (water, no warranty)

andy_21

Of course!!!

It should cover labor & parts, as well as a weekend in a Vegas to make up for any headaches! Face it guys, It's the way of the world we live in now, It's called pass the buck, It affects all trades, manfactures, ETC. Just ask your lawyer! Nobody take any responciblity for anything any more, it's always someone else fault.
No disrespect to the person who orginally posted, somebody told him it might be covered.

Leo

Mike said

Mike said "No disrespect to the person who orginally posted, somebody told him it might be covered."

That is the problem, service people say things without thinking. I work with a guy who prides himself as a people person, PR man for the company. What does he do, we are an oil company and he tells all the customers how he burns wood. Duh

Leo

Daniel_3

Mine's steam and it has lasted for at least 60 years! Of course that is up to this year only /=o) since the returns are rotted, the boiler is derelict, and is wasting money and fuel.

CC.Rob_2

presumptions

HO here. The presumptions are probably due to the HO not reading and/or understanding what the warranty actually covers -- parts vs. labor, prorating, etc. They see something like "Burnham® products are backed with outstanding warranties and buyer-protection programs. Burnham hot water boilers come with a Lifetime True-Blue Limited Warranty" [That's from Burnham's web site] and incorrectly assume that such a warranty covers parts, labor and the trip to Vegas for all eternity.

Compared to most other short-warranty products out there, I guess the tendency is for people to see "lifetime" and it stands in such stark contrast to the typical "30 days" that their expectations are unfoundedly high. They need to read and understand the warranty.

So I would describe it as misplaced expectations.

Perry_3

Not misplaced...

I call it lying by the company in the name of marketing.

What does the concept of a liftime warranty convey to you....

Forget the fine print. This is bold face lying by most companies in the name of marketing.

So my product with a lifetime warranty fails. Shouln't I expect the company to honor it.

Now you might say the its the customer's fault for misunderstanding that the companies really have fairly worthless warrantees after a relatively short period of time.

But their would be nothing to misunderstand if the companies wasn't trying to present the image of a very valuable warrantee up front.

It is true that people are gullable. That does not mean that the companies have to deliberatly take advantage of it in the name of marketing.

Perry (homeowner)

Eric Johnson

expectations

All warranties--express and implied--aside, I think people tend to view boilers as appliances that will last decades, if not generations. They're made of cast iron, they sit down in the bowels of the house and they're absolutely essential to life as we know it. And there are still plenty of houses that have working boilers installed in the early years of the 20th Century.

As a homeowner who really enjoys lurking and occasionally posting on this site, I still tend to view my late '50s vintage Weil McLain as something that will be replaced at my option when I decide to get something more efficient.

So while I respect and appreciate the professional opinions expressed in this thread, I'm not at all surprised that a homeowner would be thinking about a warranty claim after only nine years. A boiler should be a lot more durable than a water heater.

Keith_8

Not a fair statement

Deliberate lying? That's not a fair statement.

That would be like saying the insurance companies are lying to us with the small print regarding their coverages.

Every consumer who purchases ANYTHING has a responcibility to determine if the company has the ability to back up their claims. That goes for service providers as well as manufactorurs.

What sane person thinks that when they buy a new piece of heating equipment that they will never-ever have to buy a new one again?


Homeowner/Contractor
Keith

jackchips_2

Good points,

Eric.

It's always interesting where these posts go when a simple question is asked. Usually all the questionaire wants is a simple answer.

Jack

Tim_41

Burnham boiler

I just replaced 2 V74 burnham hotwater boilers. Both started to leak in the same spot. One was 9 and the other was 10 years old. I think that after some time, this defect showed its face (leak). After some asking around, I found that many v74's had developed leaks. The HO had 2 choices:
1: replace the block and continue with the original warranty or
2:Buy a new burnham boiler with a new warranty and receive a check from burnham.
Labor was not included with either choice.
Both HO's bought new MPO's and will get a check from Burnham. $650 and the other for$800.
I reccommended the MPO option for both.
Burnham was very good about everything.
They never questioned me on the leakers.
Also, the MPO qualifies for a tax credit for the HO.

realolman

The one

who buys the boiler with the lifetime warranty

Plumdog_2

Right on

It's like auto warranties that claim to provide "Bumper to Bumper Protection". The fine print, however, excludes just about every darn thing that could happen between the bumpers and the bumpers themselves; if you care to read the dang thing. Leupold scopes, Buck knives, Craftsman tools, a few others are as good as they claim.

Mitch_4

you asked about labour

There are VERY few manufacturers that cover labour. Some will assist in extenuating circumstances. The lifetime warranty is on the PART (Heat Exchanger) not a lifetime parts and LABOUR warranty.

If you are getting a new part at no cost, or an entire new cast iron heat exchanger, be happy, they are not that cheap. It is the heart of your system.

Remember to read. If they cannot provide the part, then can give a credit (really think they will dredge up a cast iron heat exchanger 65 years from now if you had one installed today and it fails in 65 years?? HAHAHAHAHAHHA...yeah right...)

When I started a H.E. warr was 10 years..they were going to last longer, we knew it, but some bone head marketing type..thought that yeah! we KNOW it will ast more than 10..lets tell everyone 15..then everyone said we can do that...so warranty wars...

Manufacturers should drop it back to 10..and just leave it there.

Perry_3

Absolutely fair statement. It is meaningless in court

There is no legal meaning of a "lifetime" warrantee. It it totally uneforcable in court. 3 years, 10 years, 50 years, 100 years is enforcable (I have windows with a 50 year warrantee on many of the parts).

Tell me, what does "lifetime" mean: Since the product failed it must have reached the ends of its life. Thus it lasted a lifetime. Be it 1 day or 80 years.

Or perhaps it means the lifetime of the house, lifetime of the original purchaser, not to mention lifetime of the company.


Thus selling a "lifetime" warrantee is a baldface lie - and the companies legal team know this.

Perry

Roger M

I had the same problem with my Burnham VB7. The Number 3 casting developed a crack. Water was pouring out and it was a mess. I used a temporary patch and contacted my wholesaler. The best I could get was a new casting at what I was told was dealer cost. It cost me about $1,200 to repair. It had been installed for about 8 years so if that sounds familiar, we're probably talking about the same problem. I know that Burnham has established a fund for this problem because it is a defect in the casting. My attorney had the same problem and he is filing a suit to recover damages in his home.
Good Luck.

Dom_2

Burnham

With the amount of cracked V7 burnham's that I've personally seen leads me to believe that burnham had a huge problem with their castings and should be honoring their warranty. I've also seen replacement blocks leak and V8's leak at the push nipple. The company I work for sell's a lot of burnham. I can't even look the customer in the eye when advising them to purchase one. They are JUNK!!!!

steve_29

Tim ,I hate to disagree with you but the H0(gotta be careful here that got IMUS in trouble :-))does have a 3rd choice... go with another brand.

Seems like many compare old domestic CI boilers with new domestic CI boilers... it's apples and oranges.

Old boilers were casted with metal, the newer ones are casted as thinly as possible to maximise profit, resulting in castings leaking before their useful life is over.

Maybe if we're lucky, we can get a rep ( domestic and foreign) to explain their procedure of testing boiler sections and explain what they do when a section has been found to have a pin hole leak in it.

The quality of casting in domestic boilers give to a good argument for the choosing of a steel boiler.

Radiant Wizard

I have to disagree with you

to apoint. Yes Burnham did have a bad casting on the V7 series boiler (2nd Section). They have gone above and beyond with the issue. They with no questions asked have warranties the block assemblies and at the beginning of the problem also allowed for a $250.00 and sometime more labor allowance on replacment. They bent over backwards to fix the problem. Now, some installers did get better service than other but I contribute that to the installers wholesale supplier for not pushing the matter.

As for the V8 boiler. I have yet to have a problem and I've sold hundreds since they have been out. In a perfect world no products would ever have a problem but we don't live in a perfect world. It's how the wholesaler/manufacture take care of the problem that counts the most.

Dave_4

I have to side with the Wizard

.......... I to believe Burnham handles their warranties better than anyone out there, I've been servicing and installing V8's and MPO's since they came out without incident, they certainly went through a rough spell but now have emerged with some really solid products and their people are all top notch. Every manufacturer has problems and no one is going to come out and say they pay labor.

I had a customer threaten to take it to a law suit, he was advised against it by his attorney, reason being was that the manufacturer ( Burnham ) had gone far above and beyond it's written warranty by providing more than was stated in material and some compensation towards labor.