Fool me once...

Steamhead

to get two leakers. Try talking to Glenn Stanton- gstanton@burnham.com .I think he's one of the best, maybe he can straighten things out.

For the record, I have a 20-years-young Burnham that runs perfectly and has never leaked a drop.

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Blackoakbob

Blackoakbob

It turned cold here last week and that made me think of a job I did last fall that almost made me bust my buttons, I was so proud! Until I remembered about the leaky boiler problem...back to reality. You see years and years ago I had put in a Burnham wet based oil fired boiler in an old farm house. Everything went very well, except for the dribble of water on the floor during the off cyle. After close examination we found a sand hole in the casting. I told the wholesaler of the problem and he contacted the local distributor, who told him to tell me to pin the hole shut with a hammer and chisle. NOT! After much discussion about what a paying customer deserves for his money, I ordered a new boiler of the same kind for pick up early the next day, ripped out the leaking boiler and swapped them on the wholesale company dock and drove like hell out of town.
After many threats of who owes who, we mutually agreed not to darken each other's door again.
Well, last fall, 18 years later I needed a high efficiency boiler for a snow melt job. Actually I needed two boilers. I thought what a perfect place for those stainless steel boilers I had seen a trade show in the summer.They were of course, Burnham, but I thought why not give it another try.
I installed two of the biggest ones they make, about the size of a volkswagen. The piping job is a sight to behold. The driveway is clean as a whistle, while the rest of the neighborhood is up to their ears in snow. But, on start up there was this drip, drip, drip of condensate from the back of the lead boiler. Well, fool me twice! The disappointment didn't end there.
I called the factory help number and told the person that there was a drain fitting off the back of the boiler that had cracked away from the stainless base of the boiler, which is like a large condensate holding tank, as the gas condenses it allows the excess to drain away. In this case, across my customer's garage floor and down the area drain.
I call back later to get the engineer's advice for a repair. It was to dry the area thoroughly and apply some silicone caulking to the crack. I told him to mail me the caulking and an addendum to the warranty to cover the repair. That was not acceptable to either of us, so I did get a delivery of a replacement boiler. I swapped them out, crated up the leaker, the wholesaler shipped it back, and I attached a token bill for my trouble. The system works well, the customer is pleased, but I still can't believe that it happen again! Oh, and as for the taken bill, less than 10% of the cost of a boiler, I haven't seen it yet!
It's a long story but I thought it was worth telling. I know I feel better. Best Regards.

Mad Dog

Yeah Talk To Glenn, I have found that he will

make things happen when no one else gives a hoot. I put in tons of Burnhams ....youi might try to find a more accomodating supplier of Burnhams. Mad Dog

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hot_rod

agreed

Glenn is a straight shooter. Our experience has been that the folks at Burnham have gone the extra mile - on many occasions - regarding service.

We've aligned our purchases with the supply houses that provide better than average service too, even though they don't have the lowest pricing.

Combining the two has changed my attitude dramatically these past two decades.

Sometimes the sales reps and supply houses unintentionally hinder the process and the internet has proven to be a great asset when dealing with companies who respond to e-mails.

For those companies who don't respond, I give the consumer the contact information. It's amazing to witness the sudden change in responsiveness when an irate consumer is calling instead of a contractor(G).

Case in point: Janitrol (no, we did not install the equipment) once told me they do not warrant compressors during the first year - "That's up to the contractor, we only provide a warranty in years two through five". Huh? He wouldn't budge, so I put the owner on the phone. They got a new condenser plus a labor allowance! Coulda got off cheap if he'd only have said go get a compressor for free & have the owner pay for its installation. Saved me a bunch of aggravation & the owner a bunch of money by being an idiot.


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tim smith_2

re: Burnham issues

I still have an outstanding bill on my books that was sent in I think march of 2002, that burnham has yet to pay or address. These were legit. bills for factory defects. After harping for 6 mos and talking to the national sales manager, I got paid for one for V9 sections that were bored wrong and would not mate up. But this lone survivor bill still sits on someones desk. I however have been or was, I'm not sure yet, a steadfast Burnham dealer for the past 18 years. Glenn, I know it's not your area, but hope your listening.

Unknown

Bob

I'm sorry to hear about the difficulties that you had with these products. As far as the response you received with the cast iron boiler 18 years ago, you did the right thing by replacing it. We more than likely would not have advised peening the hole shut. As you stated, that response was from your distributor and probably not us and we can't neccessarily control advice from other individuals.

Regarding the possible leaking weld on the Opus Gas product last fall, you once again did the right thing by replacing the unit. I'm not quite sure who you may have spoken to at the factory regarding the sealant. If you could e-mail me at the above address with more information regarding who you may have spoken to and where, I will be more than glad to follow this up.

As much as we would like to acheive 100% quality control and assurance with our products, there will always be the possibility of human error and/or material defects. We do hydrostatic testing of every cast iron product to 1-1/2 times working pressure. But with all of the close scrutiny and inspections we perform, sometimes a sandhole may not show as a leak. Like all manufacturers, we strive to keep defects to an absolute minimum. As I have stated here and on other sites in the past, we value your input, both positive and negative and try to respond in the best manner possible. Thanks for your comments and we hope that this will not occur again. Hope this helps.

Glenn Stanton

Burnham Hydronics

Unknown

Tim

I am somehow suspecting that this paperwork somehow ended up in the wrong place or with the wrong person. If you could e-mail me with some more information as to where you are, what the claim was for and when, I will be more than glad to follow up on it. Thanks for your patience and I will wait for your e-mail. Hope this helps.

Glenn Stanton

Burnham Hydronics