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Triangle Tube Ceasing Operations

Chip_8
Chip_8 Member Posts: 22
edited November 4 in THE MAIN WALL

They ceased operating this morning. Any hear of a buyer, or are parts going to be unobtanium?

Comments

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 11,317
    edited November 3

    WOW. I guess that happens when you have a recall that big. Customer service is being handled online so far at techsupport@triangletube .com

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

  • Chip_8
    Chip_8 Member Posts: 22
    edited November 3

    Ceased operations completely. Even the tech support line says they are out of business as of today! All reps are released from what I was told. I just sent an email.

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 11,317

    All the stuff is online for now. How would like to go to work this morning and the doors are locked…. We are closed for business as of this morning!

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

    Miata
  • Snowmelt
    Snowmelt Member Posts: 1,449

    I think that happened to eastern airline in the 70s. Maybe 80s

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 14,705

    1991. aren't there like regulations about this type of product that it has to be supported and such?

  • Chip_8
    Chip_8 Member Posts: 22

    You would think! I have alot of them installed and one in my own home!

  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,663
    edited November 3

    I work for a large-ish distributor of their product and we have no information on what happens next. The rep was informed this morning that they are closing effective immediately. reps are on for 30 days as is usual with rep agreements, some reps have stock and do not know if they are stuck with it or not!. Seems they are now in charge of playing PR as triangle tube hasn't made a public statement about it. not surprised, lack of accountability is a sign of poor leadership so it makes sense they are closing up.

    Going to try to call the Ideal boiler number and see if they are still in business, Triangle tube is part of the same company as Ideal so if you need parts that would be a source!

    Edit: Ideal phone number still active, they have distribution in the east coast and west coast, with the Triangle Tube brand name in the middle. Hopefully they are just transitioning everyone to the main brand name, any Instinct boilers you have installed should be very similar if not identical to the Ideal boilers.

  • EdTheHeaterMan
    EdTheHeaterMan Member Posts: 11,317

    They had a gasket leak carbon monoxide into the cabin?

    And if the doors are locked, who will "THEY" enforce that rule against? And who is THEY anyway?

    I know that my customers with TT boilers won't get a dime out of me. I don't even live there anymore

    Edward Young Retired

    After you make that expensive repair and you still have the same problem, What will you check next?

  • mattmia2
    mattmia2 Member Posts: 14,705

    i think it would be a liability that has to be covered in the bankruptcy case.

    EdTheHeaterMan
  • Chip_8
    Chip_8 Member Posts: 22

    called ideal...... they are closed too. Shocker

  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 25,972

    that stranded inventory might be better than money in the bank.

    Tariffs bit them too hard? joining Oventrop and Adey out the door

    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
    GGross
  • Chip_8
    Chip_8 Member Posts: 22

    The Ideal number has the same message during business hours. I called again after hours and it makes no mention of being closed. I think someone forgot to change the after hours message.

  • Tom_133
    Tom_133 Member Posts: 948

    man thats a bummer, I got a customer who has at least 5 boilers that are affected by the recall. They may be real sad tomorrow

    Tom
    Montpelier Vt
  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,663

    @Chip_8 It's true Both Ideal and Triangle Tube are closed, both updated their websites. Not sure why they had normal phone service when I called.

    Triangle Tube.JPG

    ideal.JPG
  • If and when the parts run out, we'll be replacing boilers that could have gone on.

    I'm sorry to see the company go like that. They've been with me my whole career.

    8.33 lbs./gal. x 60 min./hr. x 20°ΔT = 10,000 BTU's/hour

    Two btu per sq ft for degree difference for a slab
  • Ironman
    Ironman Member Posts: 7,776

    Closing their doors may stop some of the hemorrhaging, but it won’t relieve them of the liability for what’s already out there in the field.

    We had over 25 hours trying to correct one that we installed at the end of last season before they announced the recall. Everyday, tech support kept telling us to do something different when they knew there was a design flaw in the boiler. We finally demanded and got a new boiler. Then, a couple of weeks later they announced the recall. They knew all along that there were issues.

    It’s a shame since they were the ones that introduced the fire tube HX in the US and the original boilers were very reliable.

    Bob Boan
    You can choose to do what you want, but you cannot choose the consequences.
    Alan (California Radiant) Forbesmattmia2SuperTech
  • hot_rod
    hot_rod Member Posts: 25,972

    Ideal and TT/ ACV are part of Group Atlantic a French company. I don't recognize any of their other brands? In the US.

    Screenshot 2025-11-04 at 8.24.19 AM.png Screenshot 2025-11-04 at 8.25.09 AM.png
    Bob "hot rod" Rohr
    trainer for Caleffi NA
    Living the hydronic dream
  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,663
    edited November 4

    @Tom_133 The recall is handled by a 3rd party, the number is still up on their website. I am pretty sure the recall is unaffected, if it is there will be a big lawsuit

  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,663

    What makes no sense to me is the boilers they were having problems with were the old "good design" (prestige) I haven't had issues with the "ideal built" instinct boilers with the exception of a board issue that caused slightly out of spec combustion on LP units, and that was during the first year they were being sold.

  • HeatingHelp.com
    HeatingHelp.com Member, Moderator, Administrator Posts: 178

    Forum Moderator

  • Tom_133
    Tom_133 Member Posts: 948

    Im also curious about the fire tube design. I dont think I have it right, but for some reason I was told that TT designed and patented the fire tube design. Then they lost the patent. That sounds ridiculous anybody know the real story?

    Tom
    Montpelier Vt
  • adambuild
    adambuild Member Posts: 422

    Really sad, they were pioneers in the industry….

  • SuperTech
    SuperTech Member Posts: 2,623

    This is quite a surprise. I'm sad to see them go. Why couldn't it be Navien instead?

    I really liked most of their boilers, the fire tube heat exchangers are easy enough to clean. Triangle Tubes controls were easy to use. I never had any problems with them.

    The amount of stuff involved in correcting the recall was kinda ridiculous.

    Alan (California Radiant) Forbeskcopp
  • GGross
    GGross Member Posts: 1,663
    edited November 5

    People involved with the original iteration of IBC designed the firetube heat exchanger. They weren't able to get manufacturing to scale up and so the manufacturer they had re-tool all their equipment to make the firetube sought out new customers so their investment wasn't wasted. Triangle Tube was the biggest customer that bought them and ran the design through the tests (this is the first iteration of TT) The manufcaturer of the heat exchanger had some weird family drama that resulted in a split, and one of the manufacturers underbid the other to steal business but wasn't able to weld the stainless steel correctly, that resulted in about 6 months of defective heat exchangers that just about put TT out of business. The firetube design was still solid and now cost less money due to lack of trust, that is when you saw every other boiler manufacturer jump on the wagon. Triangle tube never fully recovered from those 6 months of defective heat exchangers, my customers still talk about it. This is the abridged version there is a lot more to the story of the 2 heat exchanger manufacturers but it really isn't important in the long run and I would probably get details wrong, basically just drama and business mixed with family.

    Alan (California Radiant) Forbesmattmia2