10 year warrant seal

Warranty requirements for LED bulbs

Protect your investment in LED lighting by saving your warranty information. If the light bulb fails prematurely you may be able to get a replacement from the manufacturer.

With incandescent light bulbs you are accustomed to the short lifespan, thus don’t give it much thought when a light bulb goes out; you simply replaced it and throw the old bulb away. With LED bulbs you should expect them to last for many years, even in rooms that get regular use. If you do have a LED bulb go out, then it may be covered under warranty. However, if you didn’t save your warranty information and keep good records then you will be out of luck.

warranty LED bulb

Cree warranty statement from LED 60W replacement bulb purchased March 2014

The warranty is an agreement between the manufacturer and buyer. As with most agreements there is fine print. Let’s take a closer look at the requirements for the warranty provided in the example above.

  • Warranty period is 10 years from date of purchase. The parenthetical states “based on 6 hours per day of normal use”. I interpret this as 10 years or maximum of 21,900 hours of use (6 hours x 365 days x 10 years), whichever comes first. Unfortunately, determining the hours of use is, at best, a guess for most people.
  • Used as directed. For this bulb the restrictions are listed on the package under Cautions & Warnings.
  • Return the bulb to address indicated.
  • Include proof of purchase and receipt.

Basically you need to save your proof of purchase (bar code from package), receipt, and failed bulb to submit your warranty claim.

Seems simple enough but in practice it likely will be rather difficult to manage unless you keep very good records to track when each bulb was purchased, the brand and model of each so you can later match it to the proof of purchase, and when and where each bulb was installed.

While a 10 year warranty is good, all said and done, I question if it’s worth the time, effort, and cost. Ultimately the real value in the warranty may be the confidence in the product by the manufacturer.

If you have lighting questions or would like to schedule a technician to perform lighting maintenance, please contact McGill’s Repair and Construction at 641-437-1086.

Thank You,

David McGill
James McGill

Article written by Tim McGill, editor@Tree Branch Publishing.

 

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Rebates on AC cleaning and tune-up from Alliant Energy

An annual inspection, cleaning and tune up of your central air conditioner will help ensure you are ready for the summer heat.

For Alliant Energy customers you may be eligible for a rebate of 50% of the service fee (up to$50 maximum) on the cleaning and tune-up on your air conditioner.

To be eligible you

- must be Alliant customer,
- your home must be built before 2009,
- service must be completed by professional.

Have your contractor complete the rebate form and submit it along with copy of invoice to Alliant within 90 days of service.

Note – At this time this applies only to Alliant customers. We are not aware of any similar rebates for Charitan Valley Electric or Southern Iowa Electric customers.

See also article Schedule your AC Cleaning and Inspection Now.   Contact David or James today to schedule an appointment to service your AC unit.

McGill’s Repair and Construction, LLC is a licensed contractor for HVAC and Refrigeration. Licensed by Iowa Plumbing & Mechanical Systems Board as required by Iowa Code. Member of Refrigeration Service Engineer Society (RSES)

 

A dirty AC condensor coil is the leading cause of performance loss and failures in central air units.

Schedule your AC cleaning and inspection now

Soon the warmer temperatures will cause you to switch from heating to cooling. To get ready for the summer heat, have your air conditioner cleaned and inspected by David or James McGill.

A dirty AC condensor coil is the leading cause of performance loss and failures in central air units.

A dirty AC condensor coil is the leading cause of performance loss and failures in central air units.

After cleaning. This AC unit is happy.

After cleaning. This AC unit is happy.

Call David McGill at 641-437-1086 to schedule your appointment for late spring or early summer. Cleaning and testing will be conducted when outside temperature are above 70 degrees.

Cleaning and inspection of window air conditioners is also available.

 

Thank You,

David McGill
James McGill

 

Article written by Tim McGill, editor @ Tree Branch Publishing.