Garn warranty

[terry]

We just received our "Terms and Condition" contract from Dectra Corp, the maker of the garn. We were just about to purchase the garn 2000 WHS. We have read on this forum garn has a 25 year warranty along with a one time freebe. The info on the garn contract does not reflect that at all. What it does say is #1 "with respect to the blower moter, controls, and miscelaneous parts furnishes as part of the basic unit, a one year warranty shall apply." #2 "with respect to normal wear items such as all gaskets, firebrick, reaction chamber, door latch and latch pin, door hing and hing pin, anode rods, etc. no warranty shall apply. proper use and periodic maintenance will extemd the life of these items. #3 with respect to the storage tank, combutstion chamber, electric element box, door, flue tube and heat exchanger, a five-years warranty shall apply with regard to materials and workmanship. NO WARRANTY SHALL APPLY WITH REGARD TO EPOXY COATINGS, PAINT, CORROSION OR CORROSION INDUCED FAILURES OF ANY COMPONENT OF THE UNIT OR COMPONENTS ATTACHED TO THE UNIT.
As far as the "one time freebe" mentioned in previous threads this same contract does not mention a the word or indicated any free service. What it does state under service calls is "Any job site visit for other than warranty work that is requested by the purchaser and ececuted by Dectra presonnel or its representatives, will be invoiced at $125.00 per hour plus expenses.
More valuable information on this contract. We do think that the Garn product is good, we would be a lot less aprehensive to invest 14,900.00 for the basic unit plus other expenses if the warranty was 25 years as mentioned before.

 

[jebatty]

No comment as to Garn, but:
1) A warranty is good only if the product is good. The best warranty in the world will not save a bad product.
2) A warranty is only as good as the company that offers it. A great warranty from a bad company, or one which won't be around long, is worthless.
3) A good company making a good product only uses the warranty to limit its high-end exposure, and some offer no warranty at all - they simply stand behind their product with integrity and responsibility. This does not mean they fix user caused errors and losses, though.

I have received unequaled "warranty" service from a company that makes an excellent product but expressly refuses to provide any warranty whatsoever. I did not hesitate to buy the product because I knew its quality and the reputation of the manufacturer. The quality and reputation both of the underlying product and the manufacturer are the most important.

 

[EricV]

That's why I went with the Tarm. they offer a 20 year so that tells me they believe in it enough to offer that it must be ok.

But if you sef-install then it's very different but I knew that going in.

 

[Eric Johnson]

One thing about a Garn that makes it more susceptible to operator error is that it's an open (non-pressurized) system. If you don't treat your water and keep an eye on it, you can have corrosion problems that pressurized systems don't have. That's why they have the disclaimers.

That said, Garn has a long track record and a reputation for reliability and quality that some of the alternatives may lack. I doubt that anyone who invests that much in a boiler is going to blow off the maintenance. It ain't rocket science, after all, and I believe Garn will test your water samples annually and recommend the appropriate chemical treatment.

Also, bear in mind that all warranties are "limited" and in many cases, the actual coverage diminishes to a fraction of the original over time. Any reputable mfg, which I believe Dectra to be, is going to cover manufacturing defects and manufacturing-related failures.