Heatwells' Warranty Policy
Heatwells' Warranty Summary
Heatwell provides a 25-year installation warranty on its own installation work, covering the heating cable. The installation warranty applies even where Heatwell installs a Gold Series cable.
Heatwells' Pro Series cable carries a 25-year manufacturer's warranty. Heatwells' Gold Series cable carries a 15-year manufacturer's warranty.
All Heatwell thermostats carry a 2-year warranty.
Heatwell is a New Zealand company governed by the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993. Nothing in these warranties limits a customer's rights under that Act.
However, there are always limits to a warranty. Duty of care is expected from our customers. Heatwell cannot warranty issues that other people create. Nor can Heatwell warranty damage from things like natural disasters. No warranty has open ended lifecycle expectations. Heatwell has stated some reasonable time limits.
Heatwells' Installation Warranty
25-year Warranty
Heatwell has been installing in Auckland for over 25 years. We know what we are doing. Heatwell has developed our Best Practice system to ensure our cable will last. There is no substitute for experience. There is no substitute for quality control.
There are several main risks to underfloor heating cable. They are poor floor preparation, misuse, a shifting subfloor, a natural disaster, poor installation of the final flooring product, or fixing items directly onto the final flooring. Most of these risks Heatwell cannot warranty.
Heatwell needs to be given the chance to rectify any issue as they arise.
Poor floor preparation is not an issue for Heatwells' installation warranty. We refuse to install onto a floor that has not been prepared properly. For more information look at our FAQ section.
Heatwell Installation Warranty Limits:
Misuse: A reasonable level of use is required. No electrical product reacts well to never being used or used on full all day every day.
Shifting Subfloor: We cannot warranty poor construction. A shifting floor due to subsidence or poor construction will automatically void warranty.
Natural Disaster: We cannot warranty acts of God. Lightning, earthquake, and flooding are examples that will void warranty.
Unnatural Disaster: We cannot warranty bad luck or negligence. Unfortunately fires or man made floods happen. They are an insurance issue.
Poor Installation of final flooring: Final flooring installation of final flooring like tiles is Heatwells' greatest worry. We have developed our installation system and follow best practice to help mitigate our worry. However, the final flooring installer is expected to have a high duty of care and is expected to stop work and contact us if they think cable may have been damaged.
Fixing items directly onto a finished floor: We cannot warranty avoidable damage. Fixing items like a doorstop or shower glass onto a finished floor can damage the heating cable. If items do need to be fixed to the floor, we need to know before cable install so we can plan.
Remedial work on final flooring after it has been installed: It is very difficult to lift final flooring, tiles especially, without damaging the floor leveling underneath. Damage to the underfloor heating cable is likely. Remedial work on a finished floor will void warranty.
Use of an unauthorized person or technician: It is very unusual for any of our installs to go wrong, however, we reserve the right to fix any issue that arises. If you try and fix it yourself or you use someone that is not authorized by us, you will void our warranty.
Please note that the installation warranty is for the heating cable only. Thermostat warranty is covered in another section
Heatwells' Cable Warranty
Pro Series Cable - 25-year Warranty
Gold Series Cable - 15-year Warranty
Heatwell designs all the underfloor heating cable we install and sell. Heatwells' cable is manufactured to our own specifications.
Heatwell has two Chinese manufacturers. Both Chinese manufacturers are massive companies that supply underfloor heating product around the world. Both companies have exemplary QC and testing. They are both ISO9001 certified.
The manufacturer of the Gold Series Cable supplies a 15-year warranty. The manufacturer of the Pro Series Cable supplies a 25-year warranty.
Please note that Heatwell has a 25-year installation warranty even if we install a gold series cable.
Heatwell Cable Warranty Limits:
Purchasers of the Pro and Gold series of cable should take note of our installation warranty. Customers who are installing for another end user should apply the same conditions to their own warranty.
All the installation warranty conditions (above) apply to cable warranty. There are several additions:
Installation over particle board or plywood: Our cable must be installed on tile and slate underlay, insulation board, concrete, or floor leveling compound. Underfloor heating can be installed on particle board or plywood. However, both often have raised edges (from different thicknesses or uneven floor joists), have raised screw or nail heads, and are often not fixed to the floor joints well enough to stop floor movement. Particle board and plywood cannot be trusted.
Poor floor preparation: Underfloor heating cannot be installed over a surface is uneven or rough. You will void the cable warranty if you do. The surface must be flat and clean. We recommend using tile and slate underlay or insulation board over any timber floor. We recommend that additional floor-leveling be done before underfloor heating cable is installed over uneven concrete surfaces.
Heatwells' Best Practice must be used: You must follow our Best Practice steps, and you must take the four required photos. If the installer follows our Best Practice procedure you won't have any problem with our cable, and the underfloor heating will last the lifetime of the floor.
Floor primer must be applied before underfloor heating cable is installed: Floor primer is essential for floor-levelling compound to bind properly to the sub-floor. Floor primer must be applied over the full area where floor-levelling is to be installed and should not be applied more than once. Poor, or no application of floor primer, risks the floor-levelling compound de-laminating from the sub-floor and will void the cable warranty.
For more information on Heatwell's Best Practice:
Heatwells' Thermostat Warranty
2-year Warranty
A 2-year warranty is the industry standard. A 2-year warranty for an electrical product seems to be short. However, all thermostats do not have a high IPX rating. Thermostats are not waterproof. Thermostats are often installed in areas that create water vapor. Water and electricity is never a good mix.
All of Heatwells' range of thermostats have a 2-year warranty.
Heatwells' Thermostat Warranty Limits:
Misuse: A reasonable level of use is required. No electrical product reacts well to never being used. Water vapor builds up and allows corrosion. Misuse includes damage to the thermostat created by being hit.
Natural Disaster: We cannot warranty acts of God. Lightning, earthquake, and flooding are examples that will void warranty. However, please call us. We may have a solution that won't cost a fortune.
Unnatural Disaster: We cannot warranty bad luck. Power surges are always a danger to electrical products. They are an insurance issue. Again, please call us. We may have a solution.
All thermostats must be installed by a registered electrician: All thermostat installations, including new installs and replacements, must be done by a registered electrician. An electrician is the only one who can issue an electrical code of compliance (COC). A COC is essential for insurance purposes. DIY thermostat installation will void our warranty.