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Author Topic: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?  (Read 15270 times)

neil

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Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« on: December 25, 2012, 01:25:47 AM »


Warranty ?
Where does one start to see if the warranty is even believable before you buy. Its the only thing left for me to decide, A bit late this winter but its my last year for OIL !
This report I found seems to have a good review of most stoves, after looking at all of the ones listed here – [a dated report] it seems to me that Hawken is rated the best here, and they seem to do the warrant ok.  I found a new one Polar Furnace  http://www.polarfurnace.com/  too, anyone have experience there yet ?
Furnace Manufacturer Rating http://www.devisemedia.com/clients/AC/images/Heating_Logos/Energy_Industry_Report.pdf
Hawken Energy ------------     4.5
Royall-------------------------      3.0
Heatmor ---------------------      3.0
Woodmaster ---------------       2.5
Wood Doctor ---------------      2.5
Empyre ----------------------      2.0
Hardy ------------------------      1.5
Central Boiler---------------      1.5
Aquatherm -----------------       1.0
Taylor -----------------------       1.0

I see after doing a BBB on the list I found 1 out of business ,  there is no notice of Fraudulent company’s though on this Blog , but  this Wood Doctor is still taking people’s money posted in the wooddoctor link ,  If you call on the phone they will take the $ and their website is a new domain http://www.wooddoctorfurnace.com/   but are one of the crooks giving all the OWB business a bad name .

Is there other Manufacture on here that are also out of business but still have their hand out I wonder.


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« Last Edit: December 25, 2012, 01:29:31 AM by neil »
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AirForcePOL

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #1 on: December 25, 2012, 06:20:55 AM »

I'm no expert but I'm not sure if I believe those numbers.  I really don't know how you can tell if the warranty is really worth a crap.  From everything I've read on here, you buy the unit you want and just hope that if anything goes wrong with it that they will honor their warranty.  Good luck!
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johnybcold

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #2 on: December 25, 2012, 07:38:05 AM »

In my option the warranty is only as good as your dealer, a lot of my choice was based on the local dealer, he is the manufactures rep, if his operation sux then any little issue is a nightmare, my local CB always answered the phone, keep stopping by during my install and i did have a motherboard fail last year, he sent someone over they replaced it has been working great since, and still keeps in touch. And if there is ever a issue my dealer is the one I am going to see and expect him to send someone out go fix it.
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boilerman

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #3 on: December 25, 2012, 09:31:20 AM »

When you read down to the fine print, all warranties will be fairly similar. But yes, only as good as the company and dealer. As I've stated before, your best warranty is your own operation and maintenance of your own furnace. Regarding the report you are referring to, it is a joke. Pacific Western, Global Hydronics,  Free Heat Machine and a few other defunct companies have "utilized" this fake report many times over, dropping "their" furnace name in as the #1 rated furnace with all the best features,while dropping the real top companies and features well down on the list. Every year it seems another company has picks it up and their dealers are handing it out at their show booths at the fairs. I would beware of any company trying to pump out fraudulant information in their intial sales pitch. This info is not from "independent" companies but their own media generating machine.
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Scott7m

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #4 on: December 31, 2012, 11:08:40 PM »

Your dealer is more important than that paper.  A dealer selling 50 stoves a year has the power and leverage to get things done for his customers, unlike a dealer selling 5-6 a year
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neil

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #5 on: January 01, 2013, 07:16:33 AM »

Yes I think you are correct, I wonder who builds Hawken ? after reading all this data  I seem to think there are only a few factory's. So really there are dealers reselling to small dealers, For sure Woodoctor and hawken were same supplier at 1 time. But now seems they are different. I really wonder if that wooddoctor new Boiler is a good idea, The pressure maybe something to consider on a corrosion issue, but are or who are they buying from as it seems they are out of business officially. Hawken  has had no issues the past few years so it seems a safe bet also.
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Scott7m

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #6 on: January 01, 2013, 12:53:26 PM »

Wood doctor or hawken, IMO your kinda scraping the barrel with both.  There are a few hawkers near me, folks aren't thrilled..  Also had several threads on here last year that were "removed" all on warranty issues. 

Wood doctors new idea isn't new, it's just a different way to sling more crap.  Pressurizing can help with corrosion but is dangerous and requires special permits and licensing.  A properly treated open system is fine, it's all about the water treatment.

Sadly so much of the info on these forums and stuff you'll find isnt good, often times companies put out info on the Internet that looks independent but is far from it. 

There are reputable companies out there, wood master, heatmaster,central boiler, empyre, portage and main, but then there are others I wouldn't touch. 

Being in the industry is what makes me chuckle when I see such reports as what you have found here, it's just hard telling where this info came from, and knowing how these companies operate almost assures me most of it is likely false.  If you'd like to call and talk about furnaces in general feel free to give me a call, there is always Internet hype and falsehoods as with any product, But in this industry it's out of control. 
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victor6deep

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #7 on: January 02, 2013, 10:00:50 PM »

I still feel from what I have read and seen from other stoves that a round firebox is the best way to go.
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Scott7m

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #8 on: January 02, 2013, 10:50:19 PM »

I still feel from what I have read and seen from other stoves that a round firebox is the best way to go.

Nothing wrong with round, but if it's built right many shapes will work.  Kinda hard to argue against the central boiler and empyre design fireboxes.  They make em work, but that's not to say that there are still less chances for something to go wrong with a round firebox.  We'll probably see less and less round fireboxes as owb evolve though
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Vaulter

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #9 on: January 22, 2013, 06:22:52 PM »

Yes I think you are correct, I wonder who builds Hawken ? after reading all this data  I seem to think there are only a few factory's. So really there are dealers reselling to small dealers, For sure Woodoctor and hawken were same supplier at 1 time. But now seems they are different. I really wonder if that wooddoctor new Boiler is a good idea, The pressure maybe something to consider on a corrosion issue, but are or who are they buying from as it seems they are out of business officially. Hawken  has had no issues the past few years so it seems a safe bet also.

Hey Neil, Hawken and WoodDoctor are not, nor were they EVER the same.  I know some have thought this and this led me to investigate further - definitely not true.  Wood Doctor was owned and run by a guy in Canada named Arthur Turple.  Apparently he was not such a good businessman.  Wood Doctor failed and left everyone without warranty coverage.  Turple published a story online attempting to explain his sad story.  Hawken is a totally different company in Michigan.  The Hawken guys distributed a Canadian furnace for a few years ('04-'07) built by Global Hydronics - not Wood Doctor.  Global did not meet Hawken quality standards so they dropped them and now build their own.  Hawken spent 100s of thousands forcing Global to take care of their warranty claims and the Hawken guys even purchased new furnaces for Global customers with their own money.  Now Hawken builds their own furnaces and I know a few people who have them and love them - including myself.  I even had a problem that was my own fault and the Hawken guys took care of it with no questions asked.  I can't speak to the other companies' warranties, but the Hawken guys take good care of their customers.

Hey Scott, this is me ribbing you - we don't expect you to say nice things about other brands that you don't sell.  Aren't you like some territory manager for Nature's Comfort?
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victor6deep

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #10 on: January 22, 2013, 07:00:06 PM »

The hawken and burnrite were my top 2 to decide from. They are very similar but the total weight of the burnrite sold me.
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Scott7m

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #11 on: January 22, 2013, 07:28:34 PM »

Yes I think you are correct, I wonder who builds Hawken ? after reading all this data  I seem to think there are only a few factory's. So really there are dealers reselling to small dealers, For sure Woodoctor and hawken were same supplier at 1 time. But now seems they are different. I really wonder if that wooddoctor new Boiler is a good idea, The pressure maybe something to consider on a corrosion issue, but are or who are they buying from as it seems they are out of business officially. Hawken  has had no issues the past few years so it seems a safe bet also.

Hey Neil, Hawken and WoodDoctor are not, nor were they EVER the same.  I know some have thought this and this led me to investigate further - definitely not true.  Wood Doctor was owned and run by a guy in Canada named Arthur Turple.  Apparently he was not such a good businessman.  Wood Doctor failed and left everyone without warranty coverage.  Turple published a story online attempting to explain his sad story.  Hawken is a totally different company in Michigan.  The Hawken guys distributed a Canadian furnace for a few years ('04-'07) built by Global Hydronics - not Wood Doctor.  Global did not meet Hawken quality standards so they dropped them and now build their own.  Hawken spent 100s of thousands forcing Global to take care of their warranty claims and the Hawken guys even purchased new furnaces for Global customers with their own money.  Now Hawken builds their own furnaces and I know a few people who have them and love them - including myself.  I even had a problem that was my own fault and the Hawken guys took care of it with no questions asked.  I can't speak to the other companies' warranties, but the Hawken guys take good care of their customers.

Hey Scott, this is me ribbing you - we don't expect you to say nice things about other brands that you don't sell.  Aren't you like some territory manager for Nature's Comfort?


Yea, and if you were on here much you'd know I don't sugar coat nothing, I work on this stuff year round and service all brands.  I have been critical of every brand I sell and offer advise and help anyone I can regardless of brand. 

As far as NC, I've caused more fusses on here over them than anyone. Stick around and don't jump to so many conclusions
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ready4more72

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #12 on: January 28, 2013, 12:36:05 PM »

We purchased a HE2100 in 2012 and have had nothing but problems with it. The woodstove will not do what it is rated to do. They claim on there web site that it will heat 10,000 sq. ft. It will barely do less then 5000.  We have had some other warranty issues and the company after speaking to our dealer refuses to honor there warranty.
 
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victor6deep

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #13 on: January 28, 2013, 12:40:29 PM »

WTF? I am cofused because fire heats water and the pump circulates the hot water. Either your pump isn't big enough or your operating temp isn't set high enough. I didn't buy a hawken just because I wanted a even simpler machine. I just get really confused when people say they have nothing but problems with their stoves. Sorry
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ready4more72

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Re: Warranty - How do you choose what is real ?
« Reply #14 on: January 28, 2013, 01:16:40 PM »

We have everything set according to the manufacturers specifications.  This is not our first outdoor wood furnace. We upgraded to this one last spring and we needed to heat another new well insulated building.  We chose this brand because it appeared to be similar to our previous stove and we wanted to support our local community.

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