writersbrother
Member
I have posted on my experience with my newly installed engineered flooring delaminating in dozens of locations. I have had the opportunity to do loads of research and have come to the conclusion that manufacturers that exclude structural warranty claims based on maintaining the flooring at humidity levels of 35-65% are scams.
Why is this humidity level requirement a scam? First note that the manufacturers that have this exclusion frequently state that these levels must be MAINTAINED. In other words, if they find during an inspection or documented at ANY time that the relative humidity in your home was either above or below this level, then they can claim that your warranty claim is voided. So if there is a SINGLE measurement of humidity in your home that is below or above the level they specify in their warranty, they can void your warranty.
Secondly, doing a search for humidity levels in the United States,
www.cityrating.com/relativehumidity.asp
you find that MAINTAINING a relative humidity level at all times between 35-65% is virtually impossible. That is because as seen in this link, the average humidity levels in 127 out of 128 cities fall outside the 35-65% required levels. Since this site lists the AVERAGE humidity, even the one city where the AVERAGE levels are within the 35-65% range, there is a virtual certainty, that there are periods when the humidity falls outside of the required levels stipulated in the warranty. Even if you own a home with a humidifier, or dehumidifier, your home will of course tend to drift toward the outside levels at some times.
Therefore having this 35-65% humidity warranty exclusion provides manufacturers an "out" to avoid honoring their warranty in many many claims even when the claim involves poor manufacturing. It allows the manufacturer to void a warranty on a product that is inferior, and does not meet the current manufacturing standards (ANSI/HPVA EF 2009) which outline tests to prove structural integrity (three soak test). At the same time, many manufactuers claim the engineering superiority of engineered flooring to resist structural changes, and to be a perfect choice for extreme climates, and for installation in non-environmentally controlled homes. This is deceptive and once again reflects the ongoing scam in the engineered flooring marketplace.
Why is this humidity level requirement a scam? First note that the manufacturers that have this exclusion frequently state that these levels must be MAINTAINED. In other words, if they find during an inspection or documented at ANY time that the relative humidity in your home was either above or below this level, then they can claim that your warranty claim is voided. So if there is a SINGLE measurement of humidity in your home that is below or above the level they specify in their warranty, they can void your warranty.
Secondly, doing a search for humidity levels in the United States,
www.cityrating.com/relativehumidity.asp
you find that MAINTAINING a relative humidity level at all times between 35-65% is virtually impossible. That is because as seen in this link, the average humidity levels in 127 out of 128 cities fall outside the 35-65% required levels. Since this site lists the AVERAGE humidity, even the one city where the AVERAGE levels are within the 35-65% range, there is a virtual certainty, that there are periods when the humidity falls outside of the required levels stipulated in the warranty. Even if you own a home with a humidifier, or dehumidifier, your home will of course tend to drift toward the outside levels at some times.
Therefore having this 35-65% humidity warranty exclusion provides manufacturers an "out" to avoid honoring their warranty in many many claims even when the claim involves poor manufacturing. It allows the manufacturer to void a warranty on a product that is inferior, and does not meet the current manufacturing standards (ANSI/HPVA EF 2009) which outline tests to prove structural integrity (three soak test). At the same time, many manufactuers claim the engineering superiority of engineered flooring to resist structural changes, and to be a perfect choice for extreme climates, and for installation in non-environmentally controlled homes. This is deceptive and once again reflects the ongoing scam in the engineered flooring marketplace.
