Heater Installation - Self install and Warranty

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M

Mycall9550

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Apr 5, 2017
247
Houston
What is the consensus from the TFP "PROS" on self installation?

I know heaters are the most expensive part on the pad, and most likely to have a part fail. It's very likely I know WAY more than the pool store and tech doing the installation, but to get the warranty you have to have it "professionally" installed. I've even seen posts here where Pentair has pushed back on owner negligence due to water chemistry or some other excuse.

Looking online, it's about 3200. Retail, it's 3400-3900 + $400 on install. PLUS, by the time retail gets it there is likely another price increase.


The rest of the story.
Howdy, so I had some drama at my local pool store. I put a deposit on a VS Pump and 400K BTU due to a running sale. I asked for a services to replumb, and they never got back to me. I fixed it, and now they sold my hardware. !!!
 
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Is a retail warranty worth it?
Essentially I'm paying a premium to going retail to get a 2 or 3Y "trade" warranty. So if they (Pentair or Retailer) don't stand behind it, Im better off saving the money and self repairing.
 
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My,

It is a risk reward kind of thing... Pentair offers a warranty, not because they expect their products to fail, but rather as an incentive for customers to buy.. The question is how much risk are you willing to take.

Before I retired (for real) I ran several repair centers, mainly for military electronics "stuff"... What I found in every one them was pretty much the same thing. Equipment tends to fail right out of the box, or with in 30 days or so.. After that, it rarely comes back while still under warranty. You might get a few failures, but the failure rate was always very low.

My story, in a way, proves this out.. I bought two EasyTouch systems, with IC40 salt cells, and IntelliFlo pumps for rent house pools, from Amazon with no warranty. The original equipment is still in place today and working fine, except the two salt cells, which have been replaced.. One lasted over 9 years and the other over 7 years.. These are consumables, so that was to be expected.

Then I had a pool built at my house and the pool builder installed the same equipment, this time under a three year warranty. About 2.5 years later, my neighbor took a direct lightning hit and I got what was left over.. It blew up main board in the EasyTouch, the SWCG power supply card, the ScreenLogic Protocol Adapter.. plus a bunch network stuff inside the house. Pentair replaced their equipment at no charge. A couple of weeks later the salt cell itself failed and they replaced it.. I'm pretty sure it was also damaged by the lightning.

The moral of the story is you throw the dice and takes your chances and hope luck is on your side... :mrgreen:

Just because of my background, I would never pay more just to get the warranty.

To go back to my war story.. I can see why Pentair, Hayward, Jandy and others restrict their warranties to "professionals"... When we would ship new equipment for an initial installation, it was installed and tested by "professional" technicians and engineers.. Almost all the equipment that was sent back by those folks was bad.. Very few were considered No Trouble Found.. After integration, the average Air Force or Navy tech would send items in for repair.. My guess is at at least 50% of those returns were found to be "No Trouble Found". The moral of that story is that Pentair and others have no way to weed out those DIY guys that have a clue, from the vast majority that don't.. :)

Thanks,

Jim R.
 
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@Jimrahbe, I share the sentiments exactly. Like 99% of things, an extended warranty just is not worth the $$. I did have my current heater have a service call, it would cycle on and off. In the end they replaced either the controller board or LCD/LED panel, but this is the only time a home warranty paid off. I dropped the home warranty also.In the end, based on what I know vs the "skilled labor", is Im better off DIY. I mean, the pool store didnt know about bypass - which I know am a solid believer, nor the new rodent kits. I mean, it right there in the manual.
 
Given the current climate where it is nearly impossible to get any skilled professionals to do the work (they're all busy with big jobs and send out the clueless day laborers to plunge toilets and fix leaky sinks), I believe you are truly better off doing it yourself and saving a few hundred bucks. As @Jimrahbe said, these units are either going to be DOA or fail within the first few months OR they are going to "live forever" and be rusty piles of junk 10 years from now. In the in-between time you're probably going to have to replace an igniter or a thermistor or maybe even troubleshot the Fenwal controller, but it's not rocket-science and you sound like someone that knows how to ask questions and figure things out. If you're in a pinch for time some day in the future, you can pay the premium for some bored HVAC guy to come by, scratch his rear-end, ask questions on his contractor forum (they all have one) and wing it.

Turn the install into a fun weekend job and invite a buddy over for pizza & beers to help hold your tools for you while you do all the sweaty work ... he can even be your go-fer to the hardware store when you inevitably forget to buy enough PVC glue ...
 
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Jimrahbe said:
Matt,

I don 't know about @Mycall9550, but I have NEVER been to the hardware store, "just once" on any project that I have done... :mrgreen:

Jim R.
Click to expand...
I usually end up with enough spares that I have to find one the next project to use them (and got extra parts for it too).
 
I installed my Hayward heater, had a control board fail after a couple months and Hayward wanted to charge me $150 to send somebody out. Part cost $125 so I took a chance and just replaced it myself.
Good news is the new one has lasted 5 or 6 years.
 
Mycall9550 said:
Is a retail warranty worth it?
Essentially I'm paying a premium to going retail to get a 2 or 3Y "trade" warranty. So if they (Pentair or Retailer) don't stand behind it, Im better off saving the money and self repairing.
Click to expand...
Mycall9550,

I agree with Jimrahbe, if you are capable, do the install yourself. Possibly Pentair is making it more difficult for non-professionals to get warranty parts and support, but when I installed a Pentair Intellitouch, IntelliFlo VF, and MasterTemp heater their support was great.

Regarding your current plans though, I completely agree with the pump purchase, but question your replacing a MasterTemp. My MasterTemp 400k heater has been COMPLETELY UNRELIABE, but ~$100 control panel boards from eBay about every 4 years has kept mine going since it was installed 11 years ago. Now, if our Houston freeze cracked your heater core, then I'd vote 100% to replace the heater! :)

Regards,

Jim
 

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To get the extended warranty all Pentair requires is that the unit be installed "by a qualified installer*". *Note: Qualified Installer - Defined as a licensed professional who charges a fee for his services, and possesses a business license, contractor's license and/or resale permit. Common examples of a "qualified installer" include: Swimming Pool, Home Repair or Landscape Professional; Plumber or Electrician; General Contractor; Heating and Air Conditioning Specialist. <-- Right from Pentair's Site.

I installed a new IntelliFlo pump at my rental. I had it all plumbed and installed except gluing the last union. I paid $75 for a plumber to glue and connect the union. On the receipt it states pump install, I forwarded it to Pentair with the registration and I now have a 3 year warranty.
 
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