Should plumbing/heating company repair this under warranty?

[Newtorepair]

Hello all, this is my first post here, but I have read the forum in the past.
I am hoping to get some opinions on how best to proceed here. I have a leak in the first nipple coming out of my hot water boiler. The boiler is a lennox gwm-075ie. This was installed a year and a half ago, paid for by the previous owner of the home (I recently purchased the home). I had the plumbing company come out that installed it, to look at the leak. They stated they will not cover it under warranty because 1)I am not the original purchaser, and 2) it is an external leak. They quoted the repair cost to be $255 .On their webpage, the company claims to offer a 5 year warranty on all boilers they install. By the looks of the nipple, I am guessing it was leaking from day 1, and I think the company should repair it under warranty, because it looks like there must have been an incorrect installation. I would just like some opinions on what the industry standard is here. I called Lennox, and they stated that the warranty goes with the home/boiler. I know this is not a boiler issue, but I am upset with the way the plumbing company is handling this.

I will try to post some pictures of where it is leaking. Thanks!

This pipe looks worse in person, it is completely rusted all around.

 

[Reach4]

I will try to post some pictures of where it is leaking.

Are you saying that the leak is elsewhere? What you posted does not look wet.

 

[Sponsor]

 

[hj]

The boiler warranty covers the boiler, NOT the connections to it, and the typical installer warranty is for 1 year, and some companies, such as Sears, DO limit it to the original 'purchaser'.

 

[Newtorepair]

Are you saying that the leak is elsewhere? What you posted does not look wet.

The leak is on the first nipple coming out of the bottom of the boiler. That nipple was covered with insulation, and it seemed like it trapped the water inside. The entire nipple is rusted solid. Its only about a year and a half old.

 

[Newtorepair]

The boiler warranty covers the boiler, NOT the connections to it, and the typical installer warranty is for 1 year, and some companies, such as Sears, DO limit it to the original 'purchaser'.

I understand about the boiler warranty covering the boiler, I just figured the plumbing company would repair it, since they installed the entire system, and the connection they installed is leaking.

 

[Dj2]

Quote: "I am guessing it was leaking from day 1"
- You don't know that unless the seller told you that.

"I called Lennox, and they stated that the warranty goes with the home/boiler."
- What the manufacturer states is about the unit itself, not an external connection.

"I know this is not a boiler issue, but I am upset with the way the plumbing company is handling this..."
- I understand your frustration.

Let's go back to the purchase of the house. Did you inspect the house/had it professionally inspected before you closed escrow? A pipe in this condition, if leaked from day 1, could not have passed an inspection, not by you or by a home inspector. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, you are out of gas here.

So what can you do now? get more estimates. You might find a plumber who will do it for less. Try a semi retired plumber who works alone, with very little overhead - he could repair it for less. Don't hire anyone without seeing his past work.

Or, DIY.

 

[Cacher_Chick]

There is no requirement for a company to warranty an installation after the property is sold. You are expecting something only 1% of businesses might provide.

 

[Craigpump]

My feeling is.....

If it's been leaking since day one then the original owner should have called the installer back to make the repairs. That said, what better way for the installer to make a new customer than to repair it at a reduced cost?

 

[Standardairconditioner]

They stated they will not cover it under warranty because 1)I am not the original purchaser

There's your answer plain and simple. What part of this answer do you not understand?

I think the company should repair it under warranty

See first answer above.

 

[Standardairconditioner]

the original owner should have called the installer back to make the repairs.

A bit too late now since they are aware it is a new owner, and this VOIDS the warranty.

 

[Standardairconditioner]

Did you inspect the house/had it professionally inspected before you closed escrow? A pipe in this condition, if leaked from day 1, could not have passed an inspection, not by you or by a home inspector. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, you are out of gas here.

It's amazing how many problems are discovered in a home only after it is purchased.

Prospective home buyers really should inspect with caution, but they don't.

Buyer beware.

 

[Craigpump]

So, you're telling us that you don't extend warranties to new owners?

Obviously the warranty is void but why not build consumer confidence & good will by fixing it? Remember on average a dissatisfied consumer will tell 22 people while a satisfied customer tells 9.

 

[Standardairconditioner]

So, you're telling us that you don't extend warranties to new owners?

That's not up to the contractor.

That's up to Lennox.

It would also be prudent to assume and EXPECT a working contractor to donate their busy time and supply paid parts for free.

Houses are monumentally costly things. If a homeowner can't afford $255, they surely shouldn't be spending $255K.

 

[hj]

quote; Try a semi retired plumber who works alone, with very little overhead - he could repair it for less.

I charge as much, or maybe even a bit more, than most contractors in this area.

 

[Gary Swart]

How many times do we have a question about how to fix something for cheap because the want to sell the house and don't want to spend any more than they have to to get by. They aren't interested in a quality job, just cheap. You are on the buyers end of this deal.

 

[WJcandee]

They put it in a year and a half ago. It is not correct. The insulation hid the leak. One thing for sure is that neither connection is plumb to the unit. So they brute-forced it in there, and now it's leaking. To a layman, that seems pretty obvious. In sum, they did a crap installation job and now they are disclaiming it.

File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and send them the photos. Usually, they try to mediate a settlement. If they will do it for $100, pay it and call it a day, but make sure they do the repair right. Also, find a highly-recommended local plumber and get an estimate from him over the phone (don't expect him to come and look on a job this small). If his price is reasonable, and you haven't heard from the original guys, bite the bullet and get it fixed right by a good company. Then do your thing on Yelp!, the BBB web site, etc. to the original company. Include as many ugly photos as the site will hold and a notation that this happend after a year and a half and they refused to fix it. They may not be legally-obligated to fix it, but assh---ish business practices are things that potential new customers should be aware of. Because many good guys who take pride in their work would fix it, and they deserve ALL the new business.

All of what I say above assumes that this isn't some old POS pipe that was there previously. That spigot to the right looks 18 months old; the rest of the pipe doesn't. Which may or may not be the result of sloppy work.

 

[hj]

quote; File a complaint with the Better Business Bureau and send them the photos. Usually, they try to mediate a settlement

That is one reason I do not belong to the BBB, and I NEVER give an estimate over the phone, because the job will ALWAYS be different than the customer describes.

 

[Newtorepair]

My feeling is.....

If it's been leaking since day one then the original owner should have called the installer back to make the repairs. That said, what better way for the installer to make a new customer than to repair it at a reduced cost?

Well, this is how I feel as well. I can say for certain I will never use this company again. Even a decent response along the lines of, this is not something that is covered under a normal warranty, it normally costs x amount of dollars, we will split the cost etc. Would have made a much better impression.

 

[Newtorepair]

So, you're telling us that you don't extend warranties to new owners?

Obviously the warranty is void but why not build consumer confidence & good will by fixing it? Remember on average a dissatisfied consumer will tell 22 people while a satisfied customer tells 9.

Exactly. Between the boiler and water heater, it was something like 10k, and now they want to nickel and dime over a few bucks.

 

[Newtorepair]

There's your answer plain and simple. What part of this answer do you not understand?

Well, if you read my entire post, maybe you would understand. I was asking if this is how most plumbers/plumbing companies operate. I know what their answer is, and I understand what their viewpoint is.

See first answer above.