| The problem of hose in question came into light when an engine supplied in August 2007 created a problem |
Clarke UK Ltd. has issued the following circular to all their customers. It relates to Service Bulletin CSB 002 dated 14 July 2010.
The first point we feel that has to be made is that this is not seen by Clarke Engines as a campaign. It is a service bulletin communication which suggests that there could be a problem with a water heater hose and as such, a preventative proactive response is needed from the operators and service providers etc. The hose in question has been fitted since 2003 but only came to light as a problem on an engine supplied in August 2007.
We have put into two categories how we are approaching this from a Servicing perspective:
- If a unit is out of warranty period and it is the case that a hose needs replacing then we would expect this to be handled as per the standard service criteria. The coolant mixture should be checked at the same time and if it is of poor quality then this should be changed as a matter of course - again as per the standard maintenance scheduling. This should be chargeable to the end user as part of any normal service transaction.
- If the engine is in warranty and the hose has to be replaced then you can either contact Clarke UK – or alternatively we will come to an arrangement with the service provider who may wish to handle this direct with “their client”. Our plan is to supply free issue hoses and a labour supplement of £45 per engine to cover the labour charge should you change a hose on a routine service or unscheduled visit. To apply this we would need the old hose returned with the engine serial number and the standard service sheet showing the hose has been replaced and signed off by the site representative. Again you should ensure that the proper Coolant mixture ratio is evident even if the unit is in warranty.
The water heater hose is fitted in the engine since 2003
As a result of this bulletin and if we take it that these units are being maintained in line with standard routine maintenance as set out in the O&M instructions (as they should) then we would see no reason why we would be having any engine failures in or out of warranty :
- The operator’s routine weekly visual and maintenance checks prior to starting the unit
- An experienced operator being present during the weekly 30 minute test
- The operator’s witnessing the weekly testing parameters of the unit in operation
- That the routine servicing principles are applied at all times then there is no reason why a potential problem with this specific hose would not be noticed prior to any serious failure
- In such instances should an Engine failure occur as a result of a hose failure within warranty we will send a Clarke technician to site to investigate
- Should an engine fail out of warranty then we will look at this on a one by one basis but as detailed above there are “ Many Checks “ that should be applied to prevent this from happening
As your respective companies are in day to day contact with end-users on routine and unscheduled service visits, it makes sense that we supply you a stock of hoses to allow your service engineers to carry out replacement of any of these hoses during routine or unscheduled service calls for clients.
We have had a good response from Service Providers we have spoken to, some of whom have contacted us on the back of the Service Notification and we appreciate this dialogue, we are in the process of sending out hoses to allow you to make arrangements with your customers.
Please advise Address and Contact details for Free Issue Hoses:
Primary Contact
Jim McCardle
Customer Support
Tel : 01236 429946
Mob : 07760779430
Email: jmccardle@clarkefire.com
Website: www.clarkefire.com
Secondary Contact
Duncan Murray
Customer Support
Tel : 01236707560
Mob : 07979496154
Email : dmurray@clarkefire.com
Website : www.clarkefire.com