FWIW, I am triing to move forward. The rear-view won't solve my current problems. Understanding the warranty process; customer support and a new rep might. That's the direction I am going.

Well said.

I asked a few questions as;
I find that many folks will not do their due dillegence and then blame a manufacturer.
In your case it appears that you were victimized by circumstance/installer as opposed to bad shopping.
I appreciate your patience with my grilling.
Be well,
j

Here’s an update … the new rep came out to the house late last week.  Tweaked a few things on the system:  it was over charged with Freon (as a result of the reversing valve repair);  increased water flow;  one dip switch was not to his liking.  Said there are some install issues … most glaring was I need to cut in an expansion tank prior to the radiant tubes.

 

As far as the reversing valve failures:  these were manufacturing faults in his opinion.  The condenser was seen to vibrate the system too much.  Over time – he speculates – the weak link on the reversing valves lets go (happened to me twice in two years).  So he loosened the 3 bolts anchoring the compressor and shimmed it away from the floor.  The vibration was significantly reduced. 

 

The water to water unit is still tripping out with an “FP”.  Running on the electric hot water tank for now.  He has some ideas to share the water between the units.  Needs to come back this week.  He’ll also install the electric “backup” panel.  My original installer insisted he “never” installs them.  The new rep “always” installs them.  I’ve learned a back-up.   is a must (not a luxury).

 

Stay tuned

The original poster wrote:

"Anyone have problems with thereWaterfurnace Synergy 3d. Our house is brand new. With the synergy 3d the hydro bill was about 85kw/d. Our old house with the same applainces was about 45 kw/d. I haven't seen the aux heat come on, but can I just pull the breaker so it doesn't come on? We run the fan constanted, it's an ecm fan. We have forced air heating and cooling in the whole house. The basement has in floor radient heat. In floor is set at 72 f and forced air is set about the same. We don't have it set to change temps itself. "

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I know I'm coming into this kind of late, but how unreasonable is this electric usage?  To me, using an additional 40 KWhrs/day is not that bad depending on the square footage of the area being heated.

Doing the math:

40 kwhrs/day at lets say 15 cents per kwhr is $6 per day.  Assuming a rough estimate of 150 days of heating equates to $900 per year to heat your home.  To me, this is not unreasonable and is actually quite good.  But of course, I am just a homeowner and not a professional.  This is also highly dependent on your climate, square footage and insulation. 

there is a dip switch on the board that can enable or disable the aux heat. Thermostat of choice is the Utec stat from WFI with outdoor sensor to lock it out aux. above a certain temperature so as to control when it comes on. Also it alows for smart staging if needed. you can also adjust the temp. difference so as to provide a larger temp drop before it comes on. as rule most auxilary heat cost annually are very minimal if the unit is sized correctly

one bad contractor does not mean a bad product. warranty is done on the dealer end. they reimburse the dealers for the labor and parts. not sure why you were charge to do the work. The warranty may not cover the contractors total time and perhaps that balance due may come into play but the parts are simple to warranty. The synergy 3D is a solid product and would not worry about it all. One suggestion is to allways have a standard water heater and suppliment it with the Desuperheater. use the hydro part for what is best for radiant heating. Your contractor should be one that has done the training and has given you some references for you to call.

Here’s an update … Waterfurnace paid for the reversing valve and repair ($603); received the check today. Paid my repair man last month.

After the new rep tweaked the unit, it was locking out on high pressure and low water. So the rep - still trouble shooting the unit - suggested running the unit without the radiant tubes. So the unit is running just the FHA side. No further problems. Plenty of hot air … no lock outs. Electric back-up also install and operating.

The expansion tank has been added to the radiant tube side. I am resigned to running only the FHA thru the winter. Then start messing with the radiant tube side in March/April. The radiant tubes are in an unfinished basement slab; not really critical to heating the house. We leave the house for extended periods so lockouts are a PITA.

And the water to water unit is still OFF due to FP lockouts … running an electric hot water heater. This might change after I see the new reps bill … and the electric bill. Until then, one of the three units is what I have.

I am updating my service chart to reflect the last few visits by my WF rep. Still running 1 out of 3 units. I’ll try running the radiant tube side of the Synergy at the end of March (expansion tank has been cut into the water line). This way if the lockouts persist, shutting down will be an option (no heat required). The water to water unit still OFF due to FP lockouts (running an electric hot water heater).

Obviously these service costs are shifting my break-even point out several years.

Date...... | Service $$ | WF Warantee| Failure .................... | Days no service
01/2008 | $ 975.58 .. | 1 part ............ | reversing valve ...... | 10
03/2009 | $ 1122.90 | nothing ......... | motherboard .......... | 14
11/2009 | $ 603.13 .. | $$ + part ...... | reversing valve ....... | 10
12/2009 | $ 1938.40 | TBD ............... | Lockouts hi/lo/H2O | 1

If seeing the bills will help diagnosis, EMAIL me your fax number. I have no problem sharing. Nobody wants these issues solved more than I do …