What is Entran II hose?
Entran II is an orange rubber hose used in radiant hydronic heating and snowmelt systems. Scientists and juries alike have concluded that Entran II is defective; within just a few years of use, the hose hardens, leaks, and fails. Entran II can cause severe property damage to the contents of homes in which it is installed when it leaks and fails. In addition, when the hose leaks, the heating system itself may fail, leaving the home without heat.

From 1989 until 1994, Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company manufactured Entran II hose. The hose was distributed to plumbing supply houses, contractors, and consumers by Childs Power Supply, Inc., doing business as Heatway Radiant Floors and Snowmelting (Heatway). Heatway has since declared bankruptcy. Along with Goodyear's Entran II hose, Heatway sold clamps and manifolds for use in radiant hydronic heating systems.

In hydronic radiant heating systems, Entran II hose was installed under flooring, connected to a heat source, and filled with a liquid. The liquid typically used in hydronic radiant heating systems is water or a water-glycol mix. The fluid is heated by a boiler and circulated throughout the system via Entran II hose. The fluid radiates its heat through the floor and into the adjoining space. Similar systems have been used for melting snow on driveways, sidewalks, and roofs.

Goodyear designed, manufactured, and sold approximately 25 million feet of Entran II hose from 1989 through 1993. That hose was then distributed throughout the United States and Canada. Documents obtained from Heatway indicate that Entran II hose was installed in homes in nearly every state in the country.

In the early to mid 1990's, homeowners who had installed Entran II in their homes began to experience problems. Typically, the owners observed discoloration of the hose. As time went on, the hose hardened, and frequently began leaking at the point where it was connected to the manifolds. Many homeowners noticed a black sludge emanating from the hose, which often fouled mechanical components of their heating systems, such as pumps and expansion tanks, and caused them to fail. In many instances, Entran II ruptured in mid-loop, causing catastrophic flooding and serious property damage.

The problems experienced with Entran II are made worse by the fact that most of the hose is not readily visible for inspection. Entran II is often buried under floors, embedded in concrete, or hidden in ceilings. Thus, it is difficult for homeowners to determine if their Entran II hose is deteriorating, and it is expensive and invasive to have to replace the hose.

Due to the likelihood that all Entran II hose is hardening and will eventually fail, even a homeowner whose system appears normal may suffer damages in the form of diminished resale value of his or her home.

According to Heatway, there are three typical stages of failure for Entran II hose:

Many expert witnesses have studied Entran II in connection with litigation. Testing performed by these experts retained by homeowners has determined that Entran II is defective as designed by Goodyear, that it is not fit for use in hydronic radiant heating systems, and that it must be replaced. To date, more than 2,000 homeowners have filed claims with Heatway related to Entran II hose. It is believed that many more homeowners who have not yet filed claims are also affected by Entran II hose, although they may not be aware of the problem because failure of Entran II often goes unnoticed and unreported until significant property damage to the home occurs.

Entran II Litigation
In January 2002, the law firm of Rothgerber Johnson & Lyons LLP (RJ&L) successfully tried the first case brought by homeowners against the Goodyear Tire & Rubber Company as a result defects in Entran II hose. The trial, which lasted six weeks, was tried by RJ&L attorneys Richard K. Clark, Michael D. Plachy, and Kristin M. Bronson. Within four hours of beginning its deliberations, the jury returned a verdict in favor of RJ&L's clients on all claims. Specifically, the jury found Goodyear liable for negligence, negligent failure to warn, sale of a defective product, deceit based on fraud, and violations of the Colorado Consumer Protection Act in connection with Goodyear's design, manufacture, and sale of Entran II.

The jury found that the six homeowners in the case had suffered nearly $5.8 million in actual damages, and awarded punitive damages against Goodyear in the same amount. Because Goodyear violated the Colorado Consumer Protection Act, the judge in the case tripled the homeowners' actual damages and awarded RJ&L's clients their attorneys' fees, costs, and interest, for a total judgment of $22,666,598.51. Since that time, other homeowners, from across the country, have explored the possibility of filing litigation against Goodyear in their respective states. For example, in August 2002, a group of homeowners in New York, represented by RJ&L, filed a class action lawsuit on behalf of all property owners with Entran II in New York.

This site is intended to provide information to homeowners with hydronic radiant heating and snowmelt systems using Goodyear's Entran II about the problems with the hose, the ongoing litigation around the country involving Entran II, and the rights of homeowners who are affected by Entran II.

The authors of this website, as well as preeminent experts and juries, have concluded that Goodyear's Entran II is defective and must be replaced. Goodyear, however, denies this, and blames any failures of Entran II on improper design, maintenance, and operation of the heating system. Goodyear has posted its views on this issue on its website at www.goodyear.com/corporate/heatway.

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