Warrantees on Water Heaters

[theseeker]

Question for all of you, my neighbor who lives in a bareland strata had his gas water heater go for unknown reason, the contractor says it has to be replaced because it's 8 years old, and that the insurance company won't cover it if it breaks, according to the contractor, who I question. Your thoughts.

[kgcayenne]

Question your friend as to when he's replacing his water heater.

Your Strata Management Company will also have information on the liability of knowongly having a faulty hot water tank.

[theseeker]

Question your friend as to when he's replacing his water heater.

Your Strata Management Company will also have information on the liability of knowongly having a faulty hot water tank.

He just had it replaced an hour ago, and the contractor mumbled about what was wrong to me and continued with saying the guarantee was up being 8 years old. My question is do you have to replace it when you live in bare land strata where the houses are separate from each other [detached] do the insurance companys force you to update when it would last 10 to 12 years if maintained.

[kgcayenne]

If you are all detached & no one else would receive damage from a leak, then worry about your own HW tank and ignore your neighbours' contractor (why he'd be talking to you about this other person's business is weird and unprofessional).

[fluffy]

A call to your insurance agent might be in order as well, I'm not aware of any industry standards when it comes to replacing hot water tanks but you can bet they've got their bums covered.

[mexi cali]

It is not a warranty (well it is sort of) on HWHs. It is kind of like a best before date on food. Some are rated for 6 years and some are rated for more. It has to do with the internal construction, mainly the pan which after time will corrode and deteriorate.

The more expensive the heater, the longer/higher the yearly rating that comes with it.

Just because it has a 6 or 7 or 8 or whatever is only a guide line and does not mean that when it hits that time that it automatically needs to be replaced.

While I have never queried my insurance provider about it, I don't think that you could even get insurance for damage caused by a faulty WH because they are unpredictable.

And to Kgs sentiment, it is weird that he is talking to you about something that is not an issue although I would guess he is simply trying to drum up a little extra business.

[mexi cali]

And not to be a smarty pants (mods). Lets spell it "Warranties". Just for posterity.

[LANDM]

If the hw heater is dead, then it simply needs replacement. With bareland strata, you own your home and your lot and there is shared common property, such as roads, fences, gates, etc.
However, even in "full" strata, if you have your own hw heater, it would be your responsibility. Sometimes they go in 8 years, sometimes in 15. Don't replace it until it is required but you said it was "gone" so there is not much to fix unless it is a gas regulator. It would be cheaper to replace a tank at that age than fix it so I don't think anyone was ripped off if there actually was a problem.

[twobits]

New strata's (not bareland) require pans under the HW tanks that are plumbed to the sewer piping to prevent cascading damage to lower floors.
Yes insurance companies pay for water damage caused by faulty HW tanks and it is the reason why many of the underwriters are now asking for verification of tank age. Age is imbedded in the serial number. They recommend replacement if they are ten yrs old and will deny coverage for damage from these tanks if not replaced. Average life expectancy with our local water is 12 to 14 yrs. My mothers went twenty before springing a leak but as it was in an unfinished portion of basement, there was no risk in leaving it to run it's course. Not wise to do if the tank is in a finished area or on the second story or higher.

[theseeker]

Thanks everybody for your help , including you KJ, our neighbor is a 90 year old with memory problems, with no family in Penticton so we just watch out for each other, and the tank was to expire in November of this year so it is better to be on the safe side.

[Midnite]

If it is a gas unit and the problem is the pilot light won't stay lit, there is a good chance it is just the thermocoupler. These cost around $10 and can be changed in about a half an hour.

[tlcruiser1]

I could not get a thermocouple for my tank made in 05 because this style was discontinued... I had to buy a new burner/gas valve assembly. After purchasing this for $125 from Andrew Sheret I still had to dick around getting plumbing parts to make it all fit. It was a total hassle and I should have bought a new tank... do the same if you have an 8 year old tank.

[scorpion1024]

I work in restoration so deal with these things all of the time. Unless your insurance company straight out asks you to replace it or asks you what the age is and you lie, your claim will not be denied. I have yet to see a hot water tank leak causing water damage, be denied. I have seen some VERY old hot water tanks and lots without pans. Obviously a new one will not go in without a pan if being installed by a plumber because it is now code to have a pan.

Insurance never covers the "cause of loss" whatever it may be. IE: hot water tank, fixing a burst pipe, sump pump etc. They cover the damage that the faulty plumbing caused.

:)

[twobits]

Thanks everybody for your help , including you KJ, our neighbor is a 90 year old with memory problems, with no family in Penticton so we just watch out for each other, and the tank was to expire in November of this year so it is better to be on the safe side.

There is no expiry date on a hot water tank. There is a warrantee date and it is generally 5 or 7 years. This does not mean we throw out our hot water tanks when the warrantee expires. Do you throw out your car or the toaster when the warrantee expires just to be safe?

[twobits]

I could not get a thermocouple for my tank made in 05 because this style was discontinued... I had to buy a new burner/gas valve assembly. After purchasing this for $125 from Andrew Sheret I still had to dick around getting plumbing parts to make it all fit. It was a total hassle and I should have bought a new tank... do the same if you have an 8 year old tank.

Thermo couples and power piles are universal and readily available......even Crappy tire and Home Hardware sell them for 12 bucks so your post does not make sense. The only explanation I can come up with in your instance is that your tank had no thermo couple but instead had an electronic ignition module that went, not a thermo couple. In that situation, you should have asked for a universal ignition module to replace your brand model that was discontinued. Honeywell makes them and they cost about 40 bucks. Too bad the help you got at Andrew Sheret was lacking that day. Most of the guys in there are just excellent.