Utica now offering 12 year warranties, longest in industry
Had to replace my boiler, was picking between a Utica PEG or Weil-McLain. I contacted Weil-McLain if they'd do anything to remain competitive, they said no. So, they made the choice a lot easier. I've seen a few threads on people asking for brand recommendations. I think the general consensus is that install is by far the most important. I believe most brands are offering 8–10 year warranties, and 2 years on parts. I got a good installer, and the added period of 12 and 5 years brought me peace of mind! This warranty is something to think about when purchasing as my last boiler that was poorly install broke just outside the 10-year mark.
Utica Boilers Announces Enhanced Residential Limited Warranty Coverage - Utica Boilers
Comments
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It makes sense to me. My PEG boiler that I inherited with my house was unmaintained for many years, full of mud/silt, was having lots of makeup water added by the auto-feeder due to system leaks, and yet was still not leaking after about 25 years.
After I took it out of service I broke the sections apart with a hammer. The push nipples were pristine and the sections still had a lot of metal. The pins were rusty of course, but very solid with no soot at all (I know that soot buildup is not necessarily the boiler's fault).
Utica is ranked second by me just behind Peerless for durability. But I come from a place of deep ignorance.
Edit: I see your last one was also a Utica and I have no explanation for how that one rusted out so fast. I had commented on that discussion too, of course, because I can't shut up.
NJ Steam Homeowner.
Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el0 -
This sounds like Whirlpool trying to sell me an extended warranty on my wall oven and washer when the factory warranty expired at like 1 or 2 years. If i need a part that cost the $100 or so they wanted for the warranty within 5 years I have chosen the wrong appliance.
It is unlikely that a manufacturing defect is going to take 12 years to show up and if it corrodes through in 12 years there are installation or design issues.
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But @mattmia2 it's the best steam boiler warrantee I've ever seen by 20%, what's the downside of a manufacturer making a warrantee longer?
NJ Steam Homeowner.
Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el0 -
If i recall uticas are ones we see a lot here leaking long before they should.
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My Utica was installed in 1983 and is still going strong despite little maintenance done until I moved in a couple years ago. It’s also piped wrong with no header but somehow makes dry steam.
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If that were the case wouldn't lengthening the warranty coverage period just cost Utica more money?
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Does anyone really believe that any of the manufacturers will ever honor any of their warranties?? I have yet to see a residential boiler replaced under warranty. Warranty is certainly not going to cover installation costs. Will they give you a new block? Will they give you new controls? Will they require you to ship the damage section to them for inspection and then best case scenario they will send you a new section??
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Not a fan of side outlet boilers. Ever
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They are ok for hot water although still more awkward to pipe.
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You mentioned that you have a good installer. No idea who your installer is, but how do you know he is good?
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Was concluded that it was not installed correctly. That on top of turning the system completely off during the winter without draining looks to have cracked the iron chamber. With steam leaving the system everything else rusted. The system prior was Utica and lasted over 30 years.
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You are right, since I am no expert. Mostly it actually looks like what's in the manual as opposed to my last install which was blatantly wrong. Some chimney and other piping issues resolved. Also, I have insurance now. From a consumer perspective that's the best we can do. Pretty sure they are the go-to installer for the local gas company.
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then a longer warranty should be especially welcome in your area I would think!
With the acknowledgment that all boiler warranties are essentially useless as stated above.
NJ Steam Homeowner.
Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el0 -
What’s the disadvantage of a side outlet? With all turns some drop header installs take I would almost think the side outlet would further help separating water and steam.
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I'd surmise that the newer side outlets don't have the big steam chambers of older side outlet boilers and would be more likely to entrain water than a top outlet. Gravity helps.
Trying to squeeze the best out of a Weil-McLain JB-5 running a 1912 1 pipe system.0 -
Not exactly. Taking the steam, from closer to the top of the water, makes it that much more challenging to keep the water out of the steam
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I only have my system to go by but I haven’t had any issues, even without a header. I do have nice tall risers. I’m sure there are cases where they’re a problem.
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What people picture as water entrained in steam is not always in line with reality.
NJ Steam Homeowner.
Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el
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The steam comes out sideways across the surface of the water rather than straight up off the surface so it is easier for it to pick up the water droplets that emerge with the steam. With a top outlet boiler physics are more in your favor for keeping the water in the boiler and separating the water from the steam.
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If your waterline is low enough I kind of imagine the side outlet working as a pseudo-header. It’s a lot harder for a water droplet to make a 90 degree turn than it is for steam.
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We're not talking huge drops, we're talking more like a fog. what separates that is gravity. You also have whatever water does fall collecting in that ell or tee to go up.
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As a distributor my company processes a ton of warranties, I can count on on hand the number of times we have been declined and didn't get reimbursed. you need better manufacturers or suppliers, warranty claims are almost never denied in my experience, heck we were just considering dropping an entire brand over a single denied claim a few weeks ago.
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Commercial or residential?
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Cast iron steam?
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Mostly residential products but either way the manufacturers have generally been just as responsive, generally warranty period is just lower on commercial. And yeah the warranty usually doesn't cover labor, or shipping, and only covers the defective part unless it specifies they cover those things (viessmann will cover shipping if you warranty through their tech department, triangle tube has a labor allowance, water heater companies have standard labor concession forms, forced air lines have various forms of additional warranties available for example).
The only time you get a whole unit replacement is if a supplier or rep is pulling that money from marketing funds to keep someone happy, or if a failed heat exchanger is under warranty period and not available. Generally these shortcomings are all spelled out in plain English in the warranty terms though. Some manufacturers ask for the part to be returned, the overwhelming majority do not, from a distribution standpoint we always ask for the defective part to be returned to us for credit to be issued, in case the vendor asks us to send it back. The manufacturer approved complete unit replacements I have been involved in they only want me to send all the rating plates to them so they can be destroyed, to avoid fraud.
One thing many don't realize is the biggest companies who are hardest on warranties are only doing things that way because they are publicly traded and are required as part of their legal obligation to their shareholders, to be able to show that every warranty they pay out was justified under their legally binding warranty terms.
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My experience is mostly with residential cast iron steam. My success rate is zero percent. Forget about a hand. Not even a middle finger. The closest I have gotten, is an offer to take apart the boiler, remove the damaged section, ship to the manufacturer on my own dime, let them take a few weeks or months to analyze the damaged section and determine if it's covered, wait for them to ship me a new section........
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I have no clue how anyone keeps doing business with those companies! If I told a contractor that I'd expect to get hit with something!
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I think Utica is pretty good.
Everyone complains about the side outlets on steam. Can anyone say if they are installed properly that they have issues?
@GW installs them if I am not mistaken and I haven't heard any complaints.
If you want a complaint buy a Burnham or one of their rebrands.
I agree that get any MFG to honor any warranty is hit or miss.
No matter how good the install they will find some issue, or they will blame it on water quality, the nearby bucket of laundry soap, the chimney & flue, the wiring has gremlins, bad fuel the pipe not being insulated or some other nonsense.
Who is left for CI residential steam boilers?? Smith is gone.
Weil/Williamson
Burnham
Peerless
Utica/Dunkirk
Force, Crown & New Yorker are all Burnham rebrands
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They work, they are just more particular abut everything being right.
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You've seen this fog?
NJ Steam Homeowner.
Free NJ and remote steam advice: https://heatinghelp.com/find-a-contractor/detail/new-jersey-steam-help/
See my sight glass boiler videos: https://bit.ly/3sZW1el1
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