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Appliance Examinations – Your Place or Ours

When Pyro-Technical Investigations first opened its doors in 1992, we concentrated on the determination of origin and cause of fires and fire related product issues. Over time, and based upon requests from clients, our services expanded to include the evaluation of products related not only to fires, but also products involved in water losses. Today, we maintain a fully equipped laboratory that is set up to evaluate appliance failures related to both fire and water losses.

An Alternative

Many clients now ship us appliances for an evaluation of possible failure mechanisms that led to the loss their insured suffered. This can be an economical alternative compared to a full site inspection, particularly when dealing with smaller losses or when it is obvious that the subject appliance is indeed the cause or source of the loss.

Did You Know…

When you have a suspected appliance failure, there are several factors to keep in mind to maximize our ability to provide a reliable determination of a possible product defect or failure.

  • It is preferable to receive the entire appliance. In today’s appliances, many times it is the communication between multiple parts of an appliance that ensure proper operation of the appliance.
  • Having the entire appliance allows us to conduct a proper diagnosis of the problem.
  • Some individual parts cannot be easily tested outside the appliance. In other instances, testing of the part may show that it is functioning properly.
  • An examination of the entire appliance may discover evidence of prior repairs or maintenance on the appliance. This may make a difference in determining whether to pursue subrogation.

Information that can make a difference…

Other information that is important in evaluating a possible appliance malfunction:

  • Knowledge of the circumstances leading to the loss
  • Was anyone home at the time of loss?
  • What did they observe?
  • How old is the appliance?
  • Is there an extended warranty?
  • What is the service history?
  • Photographs of the loss location showing the appliance immediately after the loss can provide additional support for any conclusions reached during the examination of the appliance.

Your Forensic Specialists at Pyro-Technical Investigations are ready to evaluate your appliance in a timely and cost-effective manner. Feel free to reach out to us either by phone, 800.377.1352, or by email appliances@ptiforensic.com if you have any questions or wish to discuss a loss that you are currently handling.

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