Tankless Water Heater Warranty
What is the Best Tankless Water Heater Warranty?
Tankless water heaters are sophisticated piece of appliance. In stark contrast to the traditional storage tank water heater they contain electronics, electro mechanical and mechanical valves and actuators. As there are more parts to a piece of equipment it is inherently more prone to failure.
This is not to make the Tankless Water Heater be a bad thing, no. We don’t drive Ford Model T today either because of its simplicity. However there are certain things that need to be looked for when choosing a Tankless Water Heater, beside its functionality, namely its manufacturer’s warranty policy.
Warranty time length is not always important
As with any of today’s modern appliances there is a plenty chance for things to go wrong. Manufacture’s defect or installation defects usually shows up in the first year or less. After that it is mostly wear and tear.
Most Tankless Water Heaters have long warranties, some are less valuable than others. In a Tankless Water Heater it is Heat Exchanger that endures most stress and is likely to be effected by material defect or manufacturing defect. Some companies like Noritz warranty their heat exchanger for 12 years, but it is prorated. It is like your tire warranty on your car, usually not much worth.
Some companies like Noritz warranty the parts ONLY. That is if something goes wrong they will dispatch one of their authorized installers to come and check the unit. That installer, a private company will charge its labor rate for the warranty call that could easily be few hundred dollars. Noritz in turn will warranty a few dollar item that may have gone bad.
You should pay good attention and inform yourself PRIOR to purchasing about their warranty policy. Below is the OFFICIAL warranty policy of Noritz that has been communicated to us as an example. It won’t warranty anything unless you buy it from its “Noritz Authorized representative” and NOT online and be sure to send in the appropriate registration form.
INTERNET SALES POLICY: Improper installation of gas appliances, including but not limited to Noritz products, can be extremely hazardous to you, your family and your property. Accordingly, Noritz: (i) insists that all of our products to be installed by a Noritz authorized licensed contractor or approved and qualified plumber or contractor according to pertinent federal, state and/or local regulations; and (ii) specifically disapproves and prohibits any Internet sale of its products through online retailers, auction sites or any other online direct sales method to consumers. Further, Noritz's warranties are not applicable unless: (i) you purchase a Noritz product through an authorized Noritz representative; (ii) your product is installed by a Noritz authorized licensed contractor or approved and qualified plumber or contractor according to pertinent federal, state and/or local regulations; (iii) you use a Noritz product in compliance with the applicable Installation and Operation Manual; and (iv) you complete and mail in an appropriate registration form. |
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Noritz is just an example that we have been confronted with, other Tankless Water Heater Manufactures may or may not have the same warranty policy. We'll update this article as we come across similar situations.
So it is therefore important to inform yourself about the warranty policy of a company before you buy their product. Tankless Water Heaters are pricey and are meant to last a long time and a wrong decision can have long lasting implications.
It is best to ensure that you buy a product from a reputable company who solidly is behind and supports its products no matter who and where you buy it from and who installs it as long as it is done according to their recommendations and government building regulations and codes.
Most companies that install a tankless water heater will give you a one year installation warranty. An installation warranty is NOT the same as a warranty call for the labor cost if something goes wrong.
Ask for written warranty policy of the manufacture and installation company PRIOR to purchase to prevent any disappointments when a warranty issue comes up.
Make sure you have at least one year of LABOR and PARTS warranty unconditional as to where and how the unit was purchased.
For a printable official version of the above stated warranty please click here.
For more information please contact:
Mr. Carlos Morales
VP Sales / Noritz America Corp
11160 Grace Ave
Fountain Valley, CA 92708
Phone: (714) 433 - 2905
Fax: (714) 241 - 1196
email: cmorales@noritz.com.
