Sadia Megaflo Hot Water Cylinder (Baxi) - Warranty Question

GeoffCad

A recurring problem I’ve discovered: There is an internal baffle plate that maintains the air gap of this unvented cylinder. The material of said baffle plate breaks down over time (in our case 17 years) causing granules to block all hot water outlets. It is a non-serviceable part as it is sealed inside the cylinder.
 The cylinder has a generous 25 year warranty conditional on having been serviced annually.
We do not have evidence of service before we took ownership in 2010 other than it was installed in 2008, so well within the 25 years.

Our plumber has said that the baffle plate is not part of the annual inspection, but even if it was, it is not serviceable or replaceable. As a result, other users(like us) who have missed an inspection are denied a replacement under these warranty terms. I argue this is a ‘Catch 22’ because of what Ive explained above and that the warranty business is used to abrogate responsibility for a part that would fail regardless.

Can such warranty clauses be challenged? Anyone else experienced this? Thanks.
 

grumpy_codger

I think, it's possible, but the result is difficult to predict.
MSE: 

Consumer rights: 'Give me my money back!'

• What are your consumer rights?
• Understanding the law
• Your rights when buying goods

'last a reasonable length of time' 

is vague, but the 25-year warranty and expert report about the fault you described put some meaning into this.


+ Small claims court

I think the main problem here is that you aren't the original buyer/owner.

Albermarle

When I last had a boiler service I asked them to have a look at the unvented cylinder as well.
The guy who came said he could have a visual inspection, but not much else he could do.
He said if they messed with the pressure relief valves, they would have to replace them with new ones.

Ibrahim5

Our megaflo hasn't been 'serviced' for 25 years. Still working well.

mcplumb

Fit an external vessel