Free Water Heater Under Warranty?
It's late at night and your water heater tank is leaking. You are mad not only because you have a mess on your hands, but because the water heater is only 3 years old. Shouldn't this be covered under warranty? Probably. You will have to do a little research first.
Generally, the minimum warranty on a water heater has been 6 years. However, builders have been known to install inexpensive units that have lesser warranties. Even homeowners can now buy a water heater at some home centers that carry only a 3 year warranty. They cost less, but I wouldn't want a flood in my garage every 3 years either.
On the side of the water heater is a sticker with the model number and serial number of the unit. You will need this to verify a warranty. As for contacting the manufacturer, you may get lucky and see a phone number on the water heater to verify the warranty. Some manufacturers also can verify a warranty on their website. As a last resort, look in the yellow pages under "water heaters" and you can find companies that service various brands. They may help you out. Generally, you are forced to jump through a few hoops to get a free water heater under a warranty claim. I guess they don't want to make it too easy to stick them for a freebie. It sometimes isn't entirely free either. The distributor for the manufacturer will often charge a "re-stocking fee" or a "service fee" to cover their expenses. This fee usually ranges from $45.00-$85.00.
A distributor will generally have you peel off the sticker on the side of the tank that has the model and serial numbers, and bring that in. For brands that are carried by home centers, you often have to bring the entire water heater into the store.
The warranty will generally not pay for installation of the new water heater. You will have to install it yourself, or hire someone to do it for you.