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Main » 2013 » October » 08 » Gas Grill Warranties - The Less Said, The Better
11:43 AM Gas Grill Warranties - The Less Said, The Better |
| Gas Grill Warranties - The Less Said, The Better The proof of the pudding, so to
speak, is the warranty coverage. Generally, the better the burner, the better
the warranty.If this statement is true, then the grill company is willing to
stand behind their burners to the point where they will replace their burners
for whatever reason for as long as you own the grill, right?You would assume so,
wouldn't you?So why would a company then limit the conditions where this would
be true? There are several valid reasons, among them hostile environment, misuse
and abuse.A hostile environment is a situation where the burner is subjected to
forces not within the design intentions, like grilling on the planet Venus, or
under water, or inside a burning garage, or something like that. It's an out for
the company, especially when you push the envelope Louis Vuitton bags. Actually, it is
most commonly defined as a grill installed next to a swimming pool; the chlorine
in the water has a tendency to do nasty things to grills.Misuse would be using
the grill in a way that is not specified by the manufacturer as "proper," like
using the rotisserie at the same time that you have the lower burner grilling a
steak. Another way is to grill while the grill is not level. Or another way
would be to use the grill when it is dirty.Abuse is generally an extreme thing,
but some people will actually abuse their grill when it doesn't work right. Then
they try to get recompense from the manufacturer, retailer, or both, for the
harm the abuse creates. Most of the time, it is because the owner doesn't take
the time to read the owner's manual. But, just like what you see on "CSI," they
can tell if you have tried to adjust the fuel mixture with a sledge hammer
rather than a small screwdriver.These are all valid reasons not to cover a
product. Consumers can -- and will -- come up with the craziest of situations
where the grill will fail, and it's the manufacturer's fault that they didn't
consider the possible failure for the given condition.That's the primary reason
that they will not cover malfunction of the grill when it has been installed in
Timmy's treehouse, even though it has been leveled properly, cleaned thoroughly
and consistently, and generally cared for like a member of the family: they are
not willing to pay for your car after the grill caught the tree on fire, which
caught the house on fire, which caught the tree in the front yard on fire, which
collapsed on your car in the street -- 50 yardsHere's the deal: the more
limitations placed on the warranty, the less faith the manufacturer has in the
burner, or the less money they are willing to part with if the burner were to
fail. To cover themselves, the company will write in exceptions to what they
will not honor; the idea that a "more defined" warranty is a better warranty is
false: the "more defined" the warranty, the less that company is willing to
cover.To demonstrate this, the DCS and Star burners are virtually identical; the
only difference is the feeder tube, which is ramped up into the burner tube on
the DCS and straight in to the burner tube on the Star. You would think that
they would carry a similar warranty, but they do not: Star warrants their burner
for burn-through, and DCS does not!Guess who has the more verbiage in their
warranty? Yup. DCS Louis Vuitton
outlet. What's the difference? More exclusions.Let's take a look at the
warranties for the burners we have tested so far:Fire Magic:Warranted for as
long as you own your Fire Magic grill; includes burn-through; "limited to
personal, family or household use only"; non-transferrable.Lynx:Lynx's warranty
states: "The solid brass grill burners are warranted to be free from defects in
material, workmanship and structural integrity when subjected to normal domestic
use and service for the lifetime of the original purchaser." Includes
burn-through; no replacement burners are available for purchase,
notably.Alfresco: "Lifetime warranty to the original purchaser, covers the main
grill burners. This does not apply if the unit was subject to other than normal
household use... ...Alfresco Gourmet Grills will NOT cover... ...damage
resulting from accident, alteration, misuse, abuse..."The special section on
"Orifice Cleaning" states: "Use a needle to clear any debris post by haiyan902.
Be extremely careful not to enlarge the hole or break off the needle." Another
section of the warranty states: "Clean appliance after each use, and check for
blockages, especially at the burner orifices..."DCS: "Lifetime warranty on all
stainless steel components, including stainless steel grill burners..." and:
"For proper lighting and performance of the burners keep the ports clean." The
DCS warranty does not cover burn-through.Conclusions:Cast burners consistently
outperform sheet metal burners.A better warranty is NOT more defined, but less
defined.Look for a warranty that covers burn-through. This would mean that Lynx,
Fire Magic and Star are the best-warranted burners on the market.
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