Most state laws now require some form of rain water storage for use in gardens, toilets and sometimes washing machines. My home, new in 2023, was fitted with an Onga Tankbuddy OTB450W submersible pump that failed two days ago. The failure blew the plastic top off the pump while it was operating and water ingress popped the circuit breaker. The dealer advised that Onga rejects any warranty claim over 12 months and that they no longer deal with Onga pumps as a consequence of warranty issues.
The pump in question costs around $800 to replace, like for like. There is no economic justification for the system as it probably pumped around $100 of water in its lifetime. That’s a fairly expensive warm feeling, isn’t it?
After the dealer’s comments, and a neighbour’s recent similar failure, I’m wondering just how widespread the problem is? I’ll probably take them on with an ACL claim, mainly because I can and I’d find some history helpful. If you have (or had) a similar pump, could you please post how long it has lasted, or did last. Oh, and the brand/model as well. Thanks.
We are one of those households off the water grid, as are our neighbours along the same road. $800 is around the mid range for a brand name household pressure pump. Davey is a very common brand if you are looking for pricing. Grundfos another although possibly more premium choice. Our old Davey circa 1995 was replaced in 2015. The main bearing was rattling and it had the accumulator bladder replaced once in its lifetime. The Grundfos is 10 years young. We replaced he accumulator last year.
Suggest that the reasonable life of a midrange branded household pressure pump might well be 10 years or longer. Irrespective of the product/design differences the Onga ( a recognised brand) is being used as a household pump. Albeit for a lesser duty than the whole of house duty our pumps have seen. Similar expectations and experiences from our neighbours.
To suggest that the ACL makes no exceptions when a retailer/seller is saying they are no longer responsible for resolving your complaint because they have chosen to no longer deal with the manufacture/representative business. Reality is Onga may be more responsive, however if they were not responsible for the installation with the supply it could become a more difficult situation if the installer contributed to the failure. Assume the pump was installed by the business you purchased from and their or a licensed plumber?
P.S. Davey Manufacturer’s Warranty on their Dynajet household pumps is typically 24 months and the warranty on their Rainwater harvesting system pumps 36 months. Grundfos provide 24 months on their CM series pumps. The basic CMB series household pumps are priced around $800-$1000 at the larger water and pump discount warehouses.
If your Onga pump is one of these it currently has a 24 month Onga warranty.
The Onga household pumps appear to be in the same price range as Grundfos. Personal experience with submersible pumps varies. They can be very reliable in clean water. Grundfos and Davey as example brands offer both external and submersible rainwater harvesting pump solutions. If similar to the Onga product above a replacement submersible pump will need to be ordered with an external pressure controller. The submersible options are quieter in operation, which may be a preference or more able to satisfy local council requirements. There are also submersible pump products with a built in pressure controller. Purchasing any alternative pump other than a warranty solution through Onga, best to follow the advice of a licenced plumber and or reputable supplier.
Certainly report to ACCC: the failure sounds like it is dangerous. The circuit breaker cut in because it detected a situation that could result in electrocution. Could be a design fault that requires a recall.
