Burnham Series 2 Boiler Overview

Bought a home in New Hampshire with Burnham Series 2 boiler. Boiler was manufactured in March 2005. Owned home less than 4 weeks when I noticed a bit of water around the corners of the boiler. A local plumber confirmed a hairline crack in the block. He said that has dealt with Burnham for years and that they would replace it under warranty. What a joke! First, they offered me $300 toward the purchase of a new Burnham Boiler. Then, they said they would replace the block, jacket, and canopy; but I would need to pay $50 for shipping plus the cost to have it all installed. I replaced the boiler with a different brand. Now, I'm trying to get the parts they offered so that a local contractor can install them and put this boiler in a home that currently doesn't have central heat; but now Burnham is reneging on that offer. Stay as far away from this company as you CAN. They are not honorable.

I had the Burnham Series 2 boiler installed in 1996. Ran fine until this November when I noticed water around the boiler. My heating man told me that the boiler is cracked and will have to be replaced. When I contacted Burnham about the limited warranty, I was initially told that I would only have to pay 85% of the cost of a new boiler if it was determined to be a manufacturers defect. Well, we all know that it is a defect in the casting. Now, they are offering to replace the block. I will have to pay $800 plus shipping & handling, and of course all the labor to remove the old block & install the new one. When I asked for a credit towards a more efficient boiler, one that would meet the requirements for the federal tax credit, I was offered $ 467. What happened to 85% of the average retail price of the boiler? You would think Burnham would do whatever they can to keep customers happy. Apparently not. I will probably replace the unit with a Weil-McLain or a Buderus boiler.

I replaced my 26 year old boiler 2 years ago with a Burnham Series 2 unit at a cost of over $4,000 as parts were no longer available for the old unit and it was rusting out but not leaking yet. A few days ago, the temperature in the house would drop to 9 degrees or so below the thermostats setting before the unit would kick in. I could hear the unit trying to fire up but it would stop and then try again in 5 minutes or so. I called Center Point Energy where I had purchased the unit and they told me I could have an appointment in a week and a half to have someone come out! I called another company who installs Burnahm units and they said that there have been problems with that series and he was pretty sure he knew what the solution was. They came out and replaced the Hiney ignition module and it fired right up. The problem is that the warranty for anything outside of the actual boiler was only for 1 year. He said he would try to get me a refund from Burnham on the $200 bad part made by Honeywell but couldn't guarantee it but Burnham had made good on that part in a few cases last year eventhough they were out of warranty. Total cost with labor and service call was over $400. We'll see what happens but so far, it has been a Honeywell issue for me.