Water Heater Warranty Denied: Causes and Solutions
Last Updated: 11 July 2023
Why Did My Water Heater Warranty Claim Get Denied?
***DISCLAIMER: PLEASE REFER TO YOUR MANUFACTURER’S INSTALLATION MANUAL FOR INFORMATION REGARDING YOUR SPECIFIC MODEL. IF YOU ARE ATTEMPTING TO SERVICE YOUR OWN HEATER, PLEASE DO SO WITH CAUTION; U.S. WATER HEATING SOLUTIONS IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR THE RELATED OUTCOMES. THIS ARTICLE IS MEANT TO PROVIDE AN INFORMATIVE + EDUCATIONAL SUMMARY AND DOES NOT SUPERSEDE OFFICIAL ONSITE DIAGNOSIS/REPAIRS OR INFORMATION FROM YOUR UNIT'S MANUFACTURER.***
Are you wondering - why did my water heater warranty get denied? We at U.S. Water Heating Solutions take on a lot of authorized warranty work. We also see customers' warranty claims get denied when they expect coverage. However, some warranty denials aren’t so unexpected. We will cover the most common reasons your water heater warranty got denied.
About Your Water Heater Warranty
Before we get started, it’s a good idea to understand the basics of water heater warranties and how they can help you. Your water heater warranty covers some or all of the cost of water heater damage within a specific timeframe.
A water heater warranty covers the tank, parts, and labor or only the tank and parts. When the warranty covers the tank and parts but not labor, it’s often referred to as a “limited warranty”. Generally speaking, water heaters under one year old have a warranty that includes labor.
For an additional fee at the time of purchase, you can also get an extended warranty that will extend the labor coverage on the water heater another year through major retailers, such as Menards, Lowe’s, and Amazon.
If a homeowner wants additional coverage, they can consider a third party home warranty, or extended warranty, that includes a home’s water heater as a covered item. A home owner will pay a monthly fee for the home warranty coverage and a service fee when the company performs repairs. Some of the most popular home warranty companies include:
- American Home Shield
- American Home Warranty
- Choice Home Warranty
- Select Home Warranty
Your home warranty plan will typically
cover more than just your water heater, such as your HVAC system and roof leaks. Home warranty cost, coverage, and the coverage limit varies based on the home warranty company you choose and the plan you choose. Read through the home warranty contract thoroughly to learn more.ļ»æ
Warranty Vs. Insurance
You may assume that your water heater falls under your homeowners insurance policy. Unfortunately, insurance policies rarely cover water heaters unless damage occurs as a result of a covered incident, such as a fire or flood.
In the cases of fire and water damage, warranties typically won’t cover the hot water heater, and you’ll be forced to go through your insurance company.
8 Common Reasons Why Your Water Heater Warranty Got Denied
When you receive a claim denial after submitting a manufacturer or home warranty claim, arguing with customer service can get frustrating. However, you can prevent the problem in advance by knowing the most common reasons your claim may get denied.
#1. Improper Installation
Your warranty may become voided right at installation if the water heater isn’t installed properly (according to the manufacturer’s specifications).
A warranty claim will get denied for
improper installation
if a homeowner attempts to install the water heater themselves or hires an unauthorized third party to install the water heater for them at a discounted rate. Improper installations usually result from improper ventilation for a gas water heater or improper wiring for an electric water heater.
Trust an authorized service provider, such as U.S. Water
Heating Solutions, to install the water heater for you. Don’t forget to register the water heater’s warranty immediately after installation, too!
#2. Hard Water/Excess Sediment Buildup
Water contains various minerals, such as calcium and magnesium. When water heats up and evaporates, these minerals get left behind and gather together, creating sediment buildup.
The more mineral deposits accumulate, the more impact it has on the inside of your water heater. Hard water
contains more minerals than soft water. Unfortunately, a large portion of the country gets hard water.
If sediment buildup causes damage earlier than expected due to hard water, the warranty won’t cover the repair as the water heater would be working properly under softer water conditions.
Bottom line, consider a water softener if you get hard water coming into your home. It will reduce sediment buildup in your water heater and throughout your entire plumbing system.
#3. Lack of Maintenance
Your water heater, like your car, requires regular maintenance. Maintenance involves flushing the water heater, removing sediment buildup inside of the unit.
As you can imagine, maintenance is extremely important in prolonging the life and efficiency of your water heater. For this reason, most warranties become void if the owner of the water heater doesn’t perform regular maintenance.
Some warranties will allow owners to perform the maintenance themselves, while others may require proof of professional maintenance.
#4. Flooding
When water seeps into a building’s basement, it can create significant damage. Unfortunately, most water heaters can be found in the basement in the Midwest. If the water heater isn’t on a water heater stand, the flooding will cause serious damage to both electric water heaters and gas water heaters. A flooded water heater will experience corrosion and may contaminate the insulation that prevents standby heat loss. The water will also damage any electrical components, potentially causing a fire hazard.
Your manufacturer’s warranty will not cover flooding. They consider it the owner’s responsibility to keep the water heater from coming into contact with flooding by waterproofing their basement and keeping the water heater on a stand.
To reduce the potential risk of flood damage to your water heater, you may want to consider investing in a
Water Heater w/ Evidence of Customer Tampering
#5. Unauthorized Repairs
A lot of us like to consider ourselves “handy”. However, if a water heater under warranty (or any appliance under warranty for that matter) requires repair, leave it to a professional. Even if an amateur does the repair properly, it can potentially void the warranty on the grounds of tampering. This is especially important if your unit has an active labor warranty for safety and liability purposes.
#6. Dry Fired Elements
Dry firing refers to operating an electric water heater operating with no water inside of it or not enough water to submerge the elements, most commonly the upper element. When this happens, the
heating elements in the water heater get damaged prematurely.
If you indicate that your unit was dry fired or a technician can tell that the unit has been dry fired, the manufacturer will likely void the warranty; this can either result in the customer being responsible for the labor and parts on the element replacement or a complete warranty cancellation.
#7. Out of Warranty
Warranties expire.
While it’s a good idea to check the status of your water heater’s warranty, even if the water heater is a couple of years old, sometimes the warranty becomes void simply due to it being out of the original
warranty period.
Manufacturers will use the manufacture date to determine the time frame of the warranty unless you have proof of purchase. If you have proof of purchase, many manufacturers will consider the date of purchase the start of the warranty.
#8. Transfer of Ownership/Movement
Some warranties allow for transfer of ownership, while others only apply to the original owner. Be sure to read your water heater's warranty paperwork if you buy a house or sell your house with a new water heater.
In most cases, you also can’t move the water heater without voiding the warranty because warranty coverage and unit registration are linked to a single address. Talk to the manufacturer to learn how to keep the warranty intact if you need to move the water heater from one location in your home to another.
U.S. Water Heating Solutions
Whether your water heater qualifies for warranty service or not, you can trust U.S. Water Heating Solutions to resolve your issue for you.
Start by calling your manufacturer to verify your warranty. While on the phone with your manufacturer, verify your level of
warranty coverage (labor, parts, and tank or just parts and tank). After you verify your warranty and get an authorization number , verify if the manufacturer will send you parts or not. If you do need to wait for parts, you will need to receive your parts before we can schedule service. If you don’t have parts coming to you in the mail, you are ready to schedule your appointment.
Contact U.S. Water Heating Solutions
to schedule your water heater warranty service or
repair
service.
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