Indirect Water Heater Coverage via Warranty Company
I have an 80 gallon hot water heater that is 20 years old and had contracted with a Home Warranty Company (American Home Shield) to protect if/when this device and/or my aging AC and boilers crap out. I'm having a problem with my water heater, which I've had to beg and plead for them to acknowledge, and now I feel like I'm being further railroaded by AHS. The incident cap is normally $5000, but now trying to impose what I interpret as a false cap of $1500.
Their contract has a category for "Water Heaters" which has no exclusions and it seems to me that this is where any legalize would need to be included.
However, under heating systems, they include the following language:
1. The Covered Item Limit is $5,000. However, the CoveredItem Limit for the following types of Heating Systems is$1,500: glycol, hot water, or steam circulating heating system, any water heater which supplies heated water to such system(s), geothermal and/or water source heatpumps.
My questions are as follows:
a. Does it sound like language refers to an indirect water heater to you?
b. Does it sound like if my boiler goes, that they would limit the payout based on it supplying the water heater?
Thanks in advance for any guidance you could provide?
-Keith
Comments
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A 20 year old indirect? How long does the warranty cover it for?
This language seems to indicate the $1500.00 coverage, although nothing about DHW tanks specifically.
Is there a section on water heaters for DHW?
Bob "hot rod" Rohr
trainer for Caleffi NA
Living the hydronic dream0 -
I think they are referring to a standard water that is being used as a space heating appliance not an indirect. Many indirect water heaters come with a factory lifetime warranty to the original owner have you checked your indirect heaters warranty?
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Just like an insurance company they will do anything to avoid a claim.
Save you money. Insurance is never a "GOOD BUY" it is only for catastrophic events.
When you drive buy an insurance company building is there building falling down?, is the grass cut, is the landscaping perfect? Yes.
They make exorbitant money off all of us
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Thanks. Apparently this warranty isn't as generous and probably wouldn't cover it, because it's probably a result of normal wear and tear:
HTP warrants each indirect fired water heater to be free from defects in materials and workmanship according to the following terms, conditions, and time periods. UNLESS OTHERWISE NOTED THESE WARRANTIES COMMENCE ON THE DATE OF INSTALLATION. This limited warranty is only available to the original consumer purchaser (hereinafter “Owner”) of the water heater, and is nontransferable. Residential Use Warranty (Seven [7] years – Tank, One [1] year – Parts) “Residential” setting shall mean water heater usage in a single family dwelling, or usage in a multiple family dwelling, provided that the water heater services only one (1) dwelling in which the Owner resides on a permanent basis and operating temperatures do not exceed 140oF.
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I hear you. But got tired of hearing the old lady go on and on…
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Exactly my argument. I'm not clear what they're talking about, but I don't see how they could interpret this as a/the heating system when I have a gas boiler and there's a separate section addressing Water Heaters:
Water Heater Units
Covers: All parts and components of the water heater unit including the tank, circulating pumps, mixing valves and thermal expansion tanks.
Excluding: Tempering tanks (holding and storage tanks); or fuel storage tanks.
But now if I get through this issue, it feels like they're going to try and apply it if and when my boiler goes.
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Sounds like she wants to deal with the claim.
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If I take their muddled language as is and they interpret the claim under "heating systems", isn't it true that the indirect water heater doesn't supply heated water to the boiler — it's the other way around?
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Eh? Yes, the boiler supplies hot hot water to the indirect, which in turn supplies domestic hot water to the house. Technically the indirect is a water heater, and is not part of the heating system, though it is powered by it.
Br. Jamie, osb
Building superintendent/caretaker, 7200 sq. ft. historic house museum with dependencies in New England1 -
home warranty companies are all a scam!
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a. Does it sound like language refers to an indirect water heater to you?
b. Does it sound like if my boiler goes, that they would limit the payout based on it supplying the water heater?
a. No. This is the section on heating systems. Quote the section on water heaters to see if there's anything about indirects there.
b. No, but it sounds like if your boiler goes, since it's steam or hot water, it will be limited to $1500 payout.
reference: "the Covered Item Limit for the following types of Heating Systems is $1,500: glycol, hot water, or steam circulating heating system"
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 -
bottom line
There lawyers make more then yours!
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If you have the time (like I do since I'm retired), You can stay on the line with the CSR until you wear them down. You need to ask pointed questions. How much does the warranty cover if you had an electric powered water heater? How much does the warranty cover if it is gas powered?, how much does the warranty cover if it is oil fired? How much does it cover if it is Solar powered? Then why does it not cover my water heater for that amount if it is gas powered by way of the heating furnace? (use that word instead of boiler). Your heating furnace is gas powered and sends that gas heat to the water heater just like the gas powered water heater gets heated water from gas that is covered for up to $5000.00 like all the other water heaters.
Please let me understand what you are trying to say?
If you are saying that my water heater is heating the Furnace that heats the home, that would mean that the heat is flowing from the water heater to the furnace. That is not what it does, You're telling me the reason you are not covering it is because it does something that it does not actually do. So your reason for limiting the claim to $1500.00 is incorrect because your assumption of how it operated is incorrect. I need to speak to a manager that understands how this policy works. and that understands that it covers water heaters that make hot water that I use for showers. Not hot water systems, that heat radiators for heating the space and rooms in the house.
When I signed up for this warranty and you accepted my money I read this exact part of the contract and asked your sales representative Jonathan (make up a name if you do't remember the name of the person that sold you the policy) at the time about what this $1500.00 limitation means with regards to my water heater. He specifically told me that clause refers to heating systems that heat the space or the rooms in my home. It has nothing to do with the water heater that you use to take a shower with. If he was incorrect then you have been accepting my payments for all these years under false pretenses. I do not believe that this it a good business model. The better business bureau and the (Your State) attorney general’s office along with the (your state) division of consumer affairs will look dimly on this practice.
You see, now that I'm retired, I have the time to look into all these different options and will have no problem looking for the correct answer to your claim denial. This is an unacceptable practice and may even be bordering on fraud. So please get me to your supervisor as quickly as you can. If you can't, then please give me his or her number and I will add them to this call. But we are not getting off this call until I can speak to someone that has the actual authority to listen, understand, and do what is right by your customer.
When they say something like I will have a manager call you back. Just say "I'll hold while you summon your manager." They don't expect that, and they can not just hang up on you as long as you are cool, calm and collected. When they insist that you will be called back then you insist that you will stay on hold until the manager is available. The CSR can not end the call successfully and will not know how to handle this situation
I have many other catch phrases that will make the CSR from AHS stay on the phone until you get your claim resolved.
If you do not actually have the time then perhaps you know someone that can (like Me). PM me if you want to talk further on this subject. I just got ADT alarm services to zero out my $141.00 past due bill and actually offer me a credit of $42.00 dollars for my 1.5 hours of telephone time. That comes out to about $13.00 per hour for the credit I was not expecting, and over $120.00 per hour for the total credit to my ADT alarm bill.
Edward Young Retired
After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?
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I think "bordering on fraud" is the home warranty industry's motto.
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Sometimes the homeowner wins. I know a guy who got a new furnace out of one on a house he bought. If the warranty outfit had come & inspected before they took on the liability, they would have noticed the missing pieces, but they didn't.
Curiously, there was no pushback. He called, they came out & replaced it, no arguments.
The kids they sent out to replace it managed to forget to cut out for the return air duct, but that's a different story.
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