Guarantees and what do
they mean.
What exactly do the claimed guarantees actually mean? There
are manufactures and web trading sites that offer anything from a Lifetime
Guarantee to the legal 1yr period.
1). Most guarantees are not
transferable, basically this means that they cannot be transferred from the original purchaser
to another person
2). Did you know that the average
time people stay in a property is between 5-7year
3). So on
average a guarantee will only be valid between 0-7 yrs.
4). You will be
asked to produce a receipt and prove the item was fitted and maintained correctly.
5). If you are lucky enough to
find the guarantee terms and conditions(try it) you will see that they will all quote
they cover manufacturers defects. What sort of
manufacturing defect will manifest itself outside of the initial 1 year. Anything likely to go wrong such as
electrical components, tap washers and cartridges, only carry the statutory 1 year warranty
and lie outside of the extended period.So what is likely to go wrong to your product once fitted
correctly and in use. Below I will attempt to list under various categories for
products found on this site.
TAPS AND MIXERS Gush warranty 5 years
Taps and mixers are often fitted using flexible hose
connections. There is a possibility that these can fail. It is however
extremely rare and not even worth considering. The CP plate on the units can start to peal. This will be a
manufacturing defect. Chrome can wear through. This is not a manufacturer's
defect but most probably cleaning using an abrasive product.
Cartridges and washers. These have moving parts and at some
point in the life of your mixer will fail. This is normally general wear and
tear. If the spares are available its never to much of a problem.
RADIATORS Gush warranty 5 years
Retailers will offer unbelievably long periods for their
guarantee, anything from 1-25 years. So what can go wrong? If a radiator does
not leak on installation the likelihood of
a radiator developing a leak further down the road is very rare if
fitted correctly. If you can find the guarantee conditions most will have
quotes in that include the following.
Water
Treatment
These products are for use on all heating systems.
On completion of the installation the entire
system MUST be thoroughly cleaned
and flushed to remove debris/flux residues
etc. If a chemical cleanser is used, it
must be thoroughly flushed from the system.
Following this, the system MUST
be dosed with a good quality water treatment
to prevent corrosion. System
design, flushing and dosing must be in
accordance with BS 5449: 1990, BS EN
12828: 2003 and BS 7593: 1992
IMPORTANT:
Failure to observe these requirements will render the guarantee on
the product void.
Corrosion inhibitor must be used in accordance with the
manufacturer's
instructions and recommendations and should take into account the particular
metals within the system.
The above paragraph was lifted from a manufactures
guarantee. Take note of the 2 sections highlighted in red. Flushing
out the system when a plumber fits a bathroom radiator is rarely done and if
fitted in a building with common heating supplies never done. Guarantee null
and void.
The next highlighted text is just as important. Taking notes
of the particular materials the system consists of. The guarantee listed above
is for a stainless steel bathroom radiator. An example the guarantee will be
pointing to, although not actually listed will be cast iron pipework. Stainless
steel and iron filings do not go well together and can cause the radiator to
corrode from the inside and fail. Guarantee null and void.
Thus if your radiator has not failed within the first week,
if fitted correctly it is unlikely to fail in the future.
SHOWER HEADS, WASTES, SEATS AND ACCESSORIES Gush warranty 1 year
So what can fail with the above products.
SEATS � Well generally speaking the soft close mechanism will
fail at some point, hinge sets can become marked just by the environment that
they reside in. Spares are readily available.
WASTES � The clicker mechanism can fail but spares are
available.
SHOWER HEADS � Keep them clean and free from lime scale and
you should have a trouble free product.
ACCESSORIES � Should be a trouble free product, toilet brush
head may wear but spares are available. Soap pump mechanism may fail, again
spares available.
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