When you need to buy a transformer for your building, you want a unit that will last for a long time and won’t fail prematurely.
Unfortunately, even new transformers can fail after just a few months or even a couple of years. And that’s why it’s important to make sure you buy a transformer with a warranty.
Having a warranty on your transformer can prove to be one of the most priceless investments you’ll ever make.
When you’re spending thousands of dollars on electrical equipment, you don’t want to be responsible for replacing or repairing it if it fails before its lifespan ends.
Considering there are manufacturers who don’t meet high standards with their craftsmanship, a warranty is sometimes the only way you’ll get your money’s worth.
Here are all the reasons your transformer should be under warranty.
1. A Quality Company Will Always Guarantee Their Transformer
When a company hesitates to place any kind of guarantee on their transformers, that’s a red flag.
It’s true that any piece of equipment has a chance of failing, but high-quality, hand-wound transformers built with premium insulation and conductive materials will always outlive units made with cheap materials wound by a machine without oversight.
For example, while most companies offer a basic 1-year warranty, ELSCO Transformers provides customers with warranties of up to 5 years for their dry type transformers.
If anything happens to your transformer that is covered by the warranty, you won’t have to pay to get it fixed or replaced.
Transformers are just too expensive to take a gamble. However, since transformers can fail well after a year, don’t just buy any unit that comes with a warranty.
Also look at the craftsmanship to ensure you’re getting a quality unit that won’t fail unexpectedly, yet predictably.
2. You Can’t Predict Every Failure
Nobody can ever predict every single failure that is about to happen.
However, transformers do show signs of failure that need to be addressed right away.
Since you can’t know ahead of time if or when these issues will arise, the only thing protecting you from spending an additional thousands of dollars will be your warranty.
3. Poor Quality Transformers Will Fail
If you’re going to buy a cheap transformer, it’s going to fail. It’s not a matter of if but when.
According to experts who analyze transformer failures, the main causes always boil down to poor design, low-quality materials, and subpar craftsmanship.
This applies even to new transformers because poorly-built new units are just as likely to fail as an older unit.
For example, rectangularly winding a transformer’s core makes it cheaper and easier to manufacture, but the performance will be extremely poor.
Rectangular winding places uneven forces around the coil, with the middle being stronger and the edges being weaker.
This can cause a short circuit, which can lead to catastrophic failure.
It’s important to understand that adding a short circuit into the mix with a square core will amplify the power with which the coil compresses in an attempt to reshape itself into a circle.
This will inevitably damage the insulation and cause the transformer to fail. Short circuit damage happens to be the most common cause for dry type transformer accidents.
Round-wound transformers are more expensive, but you get what you pay for.
Round-wound transformers can handle short circuits the best compared to both square and oblong cores, and when built by expert craftsmen, you really can’t get a better transformer.
4. Shady Companies Won’t Give You A Warranty
Perhaps the best reason to buy a transformer with a warranty is because companies that know they’re producing poor-quality units won’t give you a warranty.
If you find a manufacturer selling transformers that doesn’t offer any kind of initial guarantee, that is a huge red flag that they know their products won’t last long.
Again, this goes back to the fact that quality craftsmen will always be more than willing to stand behind their work for a reasonable period of time.
If a company can’t guarantee their transformer for at least a year, you’re better off looking elsewhere.
5. There Is A Transformer Shortage
The final reason to get a warranty on your transformer is the fact that there is a transformer shortage in the U.S. because of a raw materials shortage.
If you have a warranty on your unit, if it fails, you’ll be first in line to have it replaced or repaired. Otherwise, you could wait months or years for a simple part.
Warranties Are Worth Getting
You may not need that extended warranty on your vehicle, but never skip a transformer warranty. It could save you thousands of dollars.
