Home Depot Boilers

a caruso

we pros need to boycott both home dump and weil mclain. especialy weil, they are tring to kill us and the pros we buy from. shame on you weil mclain

EDDIE GRIERSON_2

Home Depot Boilers

I am located in southern MD. One of the guys brought in a brochure today, It was a Weil McLain Gold Series boiler with HOME DEPOT on it! Didn't say Weil Mclain on it. There goes the little man. Needless to say this is one little man that won't be putting in 20+ W/M this year! I need some suggestions on what boiler line to pick up. I use the Buderus on my upper end jobs. I need something for my basic new construction jobs and low end replacements. Riello burner and cast iron a must! Thanks for any advice in advance. NOTE: I am in oil country. EDDIE G.

Vernon P. James

Utica

Has cast iron sections and push nipples no rubber seals. Nice swing door, nice reliable and eff unit with Beckett, excellent unit with Riello when available.

DanHolohan

Just so you know

W-M has no arrangement with Home Depot. They turned it down. Trane has an arrangement with Home Depot. Some of the Trane distributors, and these are all independent contractors, are selling Weil-McLain. That's what's going on and that's what you're seeing. W-M is not selling to H.D.

Al Letellier

Weil Mclain

Thanks,Dan, for clearing that up. I've been a Weil man for years and for my money, one of the best domestic boilers out there. To the guy who thinks so poorly of Weil, why not up your sales pitch and put in Buderus on all your jobs. It's a nice piece of equipment and we put in several each year, when the customer demands "European boilers", but it's a good buy for any application.

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DanHolohan

What I'm saying

came from the guy who's right at the top there. I've known him for years, and I believe him.

Steve Eayrs

Why buy Weil........


in the first place. I will readily admit I don't like their noisy oil fired boilers. Seems to me they have not changed the basic residentual oil-fired boiler in many years. I'm not even sure they understood why Buderus and some others put an opening door on the front of the boiler. The heat exchanger is still vertical. Can't clean it from there. Still need to take the top off. And they need cleaning more than most.
For a similar priced boiler, I have installed a fair amount of Ultimates (Dunkirk). They are also designed hard to clean like the Weil, but are more efficient and run cleaner, and quieter.
AND I can't help but think that if Weil was more concerned about quality and keeping a good name with contractors, than they are about their volume of sales, they would not sell to those who then sell to the box store. They are indirectly selling to box stores, but just found someone else to blame it on. IF I'm wrong, why don't they send out a notice stating to not buy their boilers from box stores? How can the warranty be good if not bought through the right area reps. and right channels, that they evidently approve of?
Steve

DanHolohan

I think

it has to do with a free-market economy. Once you sell to someone, they're free to sell to someone else. I can't find fault with that.

ScottMP

My Thoughts ( for what its worth)

Worry about your customer more than what Home Depot is doing.

The Do it yourself market is shrinking and these places know it. It will never disapear, as there will allways be some one who wants to do the job themselves. Some will do a good job and some will botch it big time. Thats an open society and its allowed.

But, as the baby boom generation ( the largest buying group ) becomes older, they will do less and less self installs. The proliferation of DYI stores will drop off and those that stay will realign themselves with contracters. They will shift their market group to contractors and try to squeeze out the smaller independant suppliers. Got a supplier you like, stick with him, he's going to need you.

I don't believe HD is buying Wiel-Mclains JUST for the HO. They want you and I to come in and buy from them. " Look we've got a national top of the line brand ".

I believe this is whats happening. Be aware and be smart about who you align yourselves with. As I've said before there was an article written about Sears and DIY'rs and claiming it to be the end of the contractor. It was written around 1910 !

Market your business to the HO. Tell them what you can do for them. Let them know your there when they need you, not just when the store is open. Let them know the expertise you provide.

These guys will allways be there, will you ?

JMHO

Scott

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Steve Levine

Are you saying

that there are Weil boilers with the Home Depot name on them? Or is this just a photo in a Home Depot brochure that has a Weil boiler without the Weil name on it?

John R. Hall

To reiterate

Home Depot subcontracts installation of Trane products through a Trane Preferred Dealer network. The Preferred Dealers can and do have the right to sell and advertise anything they want to -- it is a free country and free market. Since they work through Home Depot but not FOR Home Depot, the relationship is sometimes blurred. The Preferred Dealer could also be a big Weil-McLain dealer and he simply wants to bundle that information into a neat little ad, showing his Trane and Weil-McLain equipment side-by-side with the Home Depot logo in the picture.

Maybe some dealers are pushing the envelope a bit too far and confusing the consumer. That is something that Home Depot and other equipment manufacturers may have to police themselves. But I agree with Dan. Weil-McLain looked at the possibility of selling boilers directly through Home Depot. But the company was met with an outcry from dealers and distributors and the idea never got off the ground.

EDDIE GRIERSON_2

My thoughts

I understand what everybody is saying. I am aware of the HD Trane deal. However the contractors who are doing the work for HD now seem to be pretty happy, but who knows maybe tomorrow HD may have there own installation departments. Look at the Keystone situation. (I read your articles Dan) I hope these dealers don't count on HD for all there buisness. I know it probably won't happen. I am in the process of getting away from Carrier because of Sears. Thats just the way I feel.

zeb_3

I read somewhere

that the auto mechanics thought it was the end of their industry when "Auto Zone, Auto Palace, etc......" started selling auto parts to an average person. Guess what? They got all upset for nothing. There are still a bunch of weekend wrench spinners out there at the same time my wife's 2003 has been at the dealer for the last 2 days because of their backlog.

jim f

suprised

i'm supprised no one brought up the name "BURNAHM". I have been putting in burnahms for years and i have found that they are very dependent. rarely do i have a problem. they are priced very competively with wiel mclain's. the tech support when you do need them is readily available. i put in my first package of twined buderus boilers today. they are nice boilers but took a little extra time piping them.(i'll post some pics.wont go back till fri). do to the fact the near boiler piping was new to me. the burnahm piping is like a picture in my mind. as long as you have enough open space. i measured every pipe that needs to be cut so i can almost build the boiler at the shop,number each piece and go to the job and put it together. like BOILER BY NUMBER. sorry i got off track. but burnahm is my first choice of boiler.
jim f. milford, ct.

Rich_2

good boiler

Peerless cast iron works weel with Riello