SWG Warranty

[peacefulkancer]

So as I look around for a new SWG to replace my Monarch Ecomatic-24 I am confused about one thing - warranties.

How often to SWGs fail in a manner that utilizes the warranty?

to make matters worse... you have differences with units such as the Pentair Intellichlor that it is 1yr no matter where you buy it and you can get a 3yr if you have a Pentair dealer install it... albeit for $200 more. Are such deals worth the extra money?

Are there certain units that you would feel safe with a 1yr and others that you wouldn't feel safe unless you had a 3yr? Or what about installing it yourself vs having someone else install it just to get more warranty?

What is the general consensus around here? Thanks for your time.

 

[Bama Rambler]

Most of the major brands usually last well beyond the warranty period. I wouldn't have a problem with any of them regardless of warranty length.
I think you're mistaken about the intellichlor warranty. The 3 year warranty is if you buy 3 major pieces of Pentair equipment. Not just if a dealer installs a single piece.

 

[peacefulkancer]

Most of the major brands usually last well beyond the warranty period. I wouldn't have a problem with any of them regardless of warranty length.
I think you're mistaken about the intellichlor warranty. The 3 year warranty is if you buy 3 major pieces of Pentair equipment. Not just if a dealer installs a single piece.

I've called around... it is dependent on the dealer.

Some offer no extended warranty... others offer 3yr... others only 3yr if you buy 3 or more Pentair... etc.

 

[peacefulkancer]

I guess my question is this... Let's just say that I can buy a SWG for $800 and install it myself and get a 1yr warranty. Or, I can spend $1100 on a SWG, have someone else install it and get a 3yr warranty. Is the difference of $300 worth the extra 2 years or am I better off just pocketing the money and praying to the pool gods?

 

[Bama Rambler]

You're the only one who can really answer that. Are you the type person who buys extended warranties?
In all but an extremely few cases, extended warranties aren't worth what they cost. But that's just my opinion.

 

[peacefulkancer]

BamaRambler,
Thank you for your opinion. And yes, in general I am one who generally does not use extended warranties. I like to think that as an engineer I can build or fix things myself (not always the case :lol and save a buck. In some instances I do think they are valid though.

Being a new pool owner I'm not sure of the answer to how reliable it is. For something like a stereo I can partly rely on the brand reputation and user reviews. This is partly because with a stereo you just turn it on and if the workmanship is good then the product works and continues to work. There isn't a lot of variation in something like that.

However, with a pool, I think there are a lot more variables. Say, Person A takes good care of their pool and keeps all their numbers in check and Person B constantly has a swamp. Person B will be much harder on a SWG than Person A, IMHO. Likewise, there are other variables that are harder to discern. In my case I live in Phoenix, Arizona, where my SWG sits in the sun 300+ days a year. Does it sitting in the sun case it fail sooner than someone in Iowa? I'm not really sure. I can only assume that it does... but I'm not really sure of how any SWG design handles different elements.

you are ultimately right though - what type of consumer am I and how much do I want to gamble?

 

[susa]

... you have differences with units such as the Pentair Intellichlor that it is 1yr no matter where you buy it and you can get a 3yr if you have a Pentair dealer install it... ...

it just so happens that today I had a visit due to a warranty covered issue with one of my IC40 cells. after some fiddling around, unit is currently at just below 3 years and is still running strong (no cost for the tuneup..).

since the tech had a sealed factory box from Pentair with a new IC40, I picked it up in exchange for a new 3 year warranty (*got it in writing*).

my plan is to occasionally swap out the older unit (cleaning, inspection, rest...) and use the new cell since I've essentially reset the warranty clock and no sense in making the new unit sit idle on the shelf since new warranty clock started ticking today.

 

[peacefulkancer]

Seems like the amount of warranty really is based fairly erratically depending on who you work with!

 

[Strannik]

I guess my question is this... Let's just say that I can buy a SWG for $800 and install it myself and get a 1yr warranty. Or, I can spend $1100 on a SWG, have someone else install it and get a 3yr warranty. Is the difference of $300 worth the extra 2 years or am I better off just pocketing the money and praying to the pool gods?

only if the brand you are buying is known to be of poor quality.
but then this begs the question - why buy it?

 

[ping]

I'll chip in .02 with my Jandy unit. In the first year I had one tri-sensor replaced under warranty and in years 2-3 I had 2 more tri-sensors replaced and the cell was replaced with a couple months remaining on a 3 year warranty. My pool was a new build and is open year round with heavy use during the summer months and light use the rest of the year. I wouldn't say my cell failed early due to how it runs, but I would consider the life span to have been on the low end of normal.

From my experience, I would pay $200 more for someone to do the installation and get an extra 2 years of warranty time for a SWG. It's not just the extended warranty you are paying for, you don't have to spend your labor time doing the install. In my case, the warranty and no labor on my part tells me to pay for the install.