One of the most common warranty or return concerns is heater assemblies and elements. Manufacturers often have to give a tech and the end user (customer) the bad news that a warranty claim is denied because a heater is dryfired or a water chemistry issue, at which point an argument ensues because the heater appears to be fine. Below is information from Thermcore, an industry leader in replacement heater assemblies and elements.
“Some heaters are returned as “bad” or defective and claimed under Thermcore’s warranty guidelines. Dry fired heaters (defined as heaters operated with either insufficient or zero water flow) are sometimes returned with no external evidence of overheating. Most heaters that are switched on completely dry develop a blue tint on the outer tube. They may also display burnt and wrinkled labels, melted plastic boxes or wires, or split open elements.”
Heaters that are victim of insufficient flow sometimes have a perfectly new looking outer tube. I recently removed an element from the housing on a 30 day old heater at which point I discovered a discolored clip & slight surface chafe. There is no way to see this damage from looking down a heater tube, and removal for inspection is required. Many heater manufacturers will void a heater warranty if the element is removed prior to their receipt which causes a conundrum. Should the tech provide a free heater and hope to have it replaced by the manufacturer or require a security deposit from the customer until the factory approved or denies the claim? Many Manufacturers recommend you charge the customer for the full cost of the repair and refund the balance when they have had the opportunity to inspect and approve (or deny) the part. Discolored s/s clips and chafing is a tell-tale sign that the element has overheated. All heaters that are returned under warranty are completely disassembled and tested by factory techs, and units displaying evidence of dry fire are denied warranty replacement. If a tech does not obtain pre-payment they are typically stuck footing the cost of the replacement part when or if the part is denied.
Factoids:
Elements that dry fire will only split their sheaths open if they are weakened by chemistry and/or old age.
Titanium elements sheaths will never split open (with some exceptions!).
Elements with thin sheaths can split. (typical Chinese junk is the best example) Note: Demand American made parts for the best quality. They may cost a little more but you have to pay for quality.