Delfin
Grand Vizier
- Joined
- Jan 20, 2010
- Messages
- 3,852
Xantrex is routinely trashed by purchasers of their product for their abysmal and clueless support of their products.* Eventually, one would presume that this would impact their sales, as well it should.
I wanted to pass on an experience with Johnson Pumps as an example of how not to build/support products.* This may fall under the buyer beware category, but it also suggests a procedure I intend to follow before I buy anything costing more than $50.00 from now on.
Delfin was plumbed with 2 Whale Gusher diaphragm black water pumps for emptying the black water tank offshore.* After 3 years, the tri-fold inlet and outlet valves harden, and don't work as well.* The way the yard plumbed these in meant major work to get to these replaceable parts, so I decided to try a different pump that was advertised as being very simple to maintain - the Johnson Viking 16/32 diaphragm wastewater pump.* The brochure said that you just remove a couple of screws, then you can get to the tri-fold valve and a flat flapper valve to replace them when they wear out.* I installed the pump, and it runs much more silently than the Whale and looked great.* I figured I'd order a couple of spare valve kits for the Johnson so I'd have them when needed.*
As it turns out, you can buy a replacement flapper valve for the Johnson, as long as you buy the entire lower end of the pump, which would require sawing the unit out of an inline plumbing configuration, rather than just undoing a couple of screws to access replaceable parts as advertised.* I suppose you can buy the lower end of the pump, remove the $.25 flapper valve and throw away the other $99.75 worth of product if you like.* Maybe that is the plan....* And oh yes, they don't list the needed tri-fold valve as available at all, which means the pump goes over the side once that wears out in a few years.* In talking with their U.S. distributor, I was referred to an engineer for an explanation of the thinking behind this remarkable design, but he didn't call back.* I emailed a question to the Swedish parent wondering whether replacement parts that they advertised could be easily replaced were in fact available.* No answer.
Two lessons here.* First, DON'T BUY A PUMP FROM JOHNSON PUMPS.* Ignore their advertising, cause it isn't true.* Second, and this is the take home, before you spend money on any piece of equipment, call customer service with an imaginary problem and request for spare parts and see what happens.* If I had done this, I wouldn't have wasted money on a pump from a manufacturer that has no clue what they are doing, and could care less about designing rational products and providing reasonable service.* Perhaps all those Xantrex owners who have experienced the black hole that is their customer service wouldn't be Xantrex owners if they had done this.
Just a thought...
I wanted to pass on an experience with Johnson Pumps as an example of how not to build/support products.* This may fall under the buyer beware category, but it also suggests a procedure I intend to follow before I buy anything costing more than $50.00 from now on.
Delfin was plumbed with 2 Whale Gusher diaphragm black water pumps for emptying the black water tank offshore.* After 3 years, the tri-fold inlet and outlet valves harden, and don't work as well.* The way the yard plumbed these in meant major work to get to these replaceable parts, so I decided to try a different pump that was advertised as being very simple to maintain - the Johnson Viking 16/32 diaphragm wastewater pump.* The brochure said that you just remove a couple of screws, then you can get to the tri-fold valve and a flat flapper valve to replace them when they wear out.* I installed the pump, and it runs much more silently than the Whale and looked great.* I figured I'd order a couple of spare valve kits for the Johnson so I'd have them when needed.*
As it turns out, you can buy a replacement flapper valve for the Johnson, as long as you buy the entire lower end of the pump, which would require sawing the unit out of an inline plumbing configuration, rather than just undoing a couple of screws to access replaceable parts as advertised.* I suppose you can buy the lower end of the pump, remove the $.25 flapper valve and throw away the other $99.75 worth of product if you like.* Maybe that is the plan....* And oh yes, they don't list the needed tri-fold valve as available at all, which means the pump goes over the side once that wears out in a few years.* In talking with their U.S. distributor, I was referred to an engineer for an explanation of the thinking behind this remarkable design, but he didn't call back.* I emailed a question to the Swedish parent wondering whether replacement parts that they advertised could be easily replaced were in fact available.* No answer.
Two lessons here.* First, DON'T BUY A PUMP FROM JOHNSON PUMPS.* Ignore their advertising, cause it isn't true.* Second, and this is the take home, before you spend money on any piece of equipment, call customer service with an imaginary problem and request for spare parts and see what happens.* If I had done this, I wouldn't have wasted money on a pump from a manufacturer that has no clue what they are doing, and could care less about designing rational products and providing reasonable service.* Perhaps all those Xantrex owners who have experienced the black hole that is their customer service wouldn't be Xantrex owners if they had done this.
Just a thought...