Contractor responsibility
#1
Contractor responsibility
I had two additional hot-water baseboard zones put in just over two years ago for a basement finishing project. The zones are fed by zone valves in manifold thingy. The manifold is fed by a new circulator pump.
(This was all added next to my existing cicrulator pump that fed the main living area's baseboards)
The new manifold now appears to be leaking at the ends (copper threaded intake at one end and threaded plug at the other end, I think). Perhaps putty, if required, was not used - I just can't tell, and not sure if called for on these high-temp connections (this is a tankless oil furnace, water is about 170-190 F).
Question: After this much time has passed (2 yrs, 1 month), does the contractor still have a responsibility to come out and fix this [minor] issue? What is standard practice?
(This was all added next to my existing cicrulator pump that fed the main living area's baseboards)
The new manifold now appears to be leaking at the ends (copper threaded intake at one end and threaded plug at the other end, I think). Perhaps putty, if required, was not used - I just can't tell, and not sure if called for on these high-temp connections (this is a tankless oil furnace, water is about 170-190 F).
Question: After this much time has passed (2 yrs, 1 month), does the contractor still have a responsibility to come out and fix this [minor] issue? What is standard practice?
#2
The contractors responsibility would be spelled out in your written warranty.
Warranty on this type of installation is normally one year so I doubt whether you will get this fixed for free.
Did this dealer service your unit last fall?
If he didn't and it was leaking then it would likely not have cost much more to fix it then.
Warranty on this type of installation is normally one year so I doubt whether you will get this fixed for free.
Did this dealer service your unit last fall?
If he didn't and it was leaking then it would likely not have cost much more to fix it then.
#4
hosed
What warranty? I always thought the warranty was implied. I hear lots of contractors mention the dreaded "callback", and I have heard people mention that tradespeople have come out to do fixup work where the quality was lacking. However, this is the first I have heard that the underlying agreement to do good and lasting work should be backed up in writing. Then again, I have not been around much, nor did I ask these folks whether such agreements were verbal or written.
I will take your advice in the future.
It was the technician doing the yearly service (today) that called leak to my attention: "If the installers who did the work don't fix it, give us a call and we'll fix it." The installers are not the yearly service company. I did not notice if there were dollar signs in his eyes, but maybe I should have looked closer...calling his company back will cost me a service call.
If it is a matter of tightening, I will try it. I believe I can also close this pair of zones, as there is a ball valve upstream from the circulator.
If a year's service is typical, this puts it right in line with most of today's mass-produced consumer items, where a $1000 price tag will get you a year at most before you are on your own if it breaks.
I will take your advice in the future.
It was the technician doing the yearly service (today) that called leak to my attention: "If the installers who did the work don't fix it, give us a call and we'll fix it." The installers are not the yearly service company. I did not notice if there were dollar signs in his eyes, but maybe I should have looked closer...calling his company back will cost me a service call.
If it is a matter of tightening, I will try it. I believe I can also close this pair of zones, as there is a ball valve upstream from the circulator.
If a year's service is typical, this puts it right in line with most of today's mass-produced consumer items, where a $1000 price tag will get you a year at most before you are on your own if it breaks.
#5
I'm just a homeowner too and while I fully appreciate that your system shouldn't be leaking 25 months later, the important thing is to get the leak fixed. The fix is cheap compared to the eventual cost of replacing nearly everything due to corrosion from adding oxygenated makeup water.
If the outfit that installed your manifolds wasn't the low bidder, why not just call them up and tell them what is happening and find out if they are willing to deal with it? If they were the lowest bidder you can probably save the effort of a call - now you know why they were the lowest bidder.
From a business standpoint, I can see why most only cover their work for a year (outside of the boiler). They have to factor potential callbacks into that, they often have to provide labor when it is a defective part (manufacturers often only cover the replacement of the item itself and it is often far cheaper than the labor), and they don't know what else is being done to the system or what someone else might have messed up or even if the system is being run as recommended
If the outfit that installed your manifolds wasn't the low bidder, why not just call them up and tell them what is happening and find out if they are willing to deal with it? If they were the lowest bidder you can probably save the effort of a call - now you know why they were the lowest bidder.
From a business standpoint, I can see why most only cover their work for a year (outside of the boiler). They have to factor potential callbacks into that, they often have to provide labor when it is a defective part (manufacturers often only cover the replacement of the item itself and it is often far cheaper than the labor), and they don't know what else is being done to the system or what someone else might have messed up or even if the system is being run as recommended