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Sierra Limited Warranty

Limited warranty coverage for K&A and Shasta DNA Synthesizers: what is covered, what is excluded, user responsibilities, and how to request warranty service.

This article explains the limited warranty coverage for K&A and Shasta DNA Synthesizer instruments. It describes what is covered, what is excluded, user responsibilities, and how to obtain warranty service.

Quick Warranty Summary

  • Warranty period: 1 year, unless an eligible Warranty Extension was purchased with the Instrument
  • Warranty start: Date of installation by a Sierra-Authorized Installer
  • Coverage: Defects in electronics, materials, and workmanship, including parts, labor, normal shipping, diagnostics, customs, and insurance
  • On-site service: Included in the Warranty On-Site Region. Separately quoted and agreed elsewhere
  • Response: Meaningful initial response within 24 business hours
  • Service target: Approximately 2 weeks when reasonably feasible. Not a guaranteed deadline
  • Not covered: Computer, monitor, normal wear, consumables, cosmetic issues, and failures caused by customer conduct
  • Extensions: Purchasable only at the time of original Instrument purchase

About This Warranty

This article is a reference summary. The Limited Warranty statement delivered with the Instrument is the binding document and governs in the event of conflict with this summary.

Where an annex states a product-specific warranty term, the annex governs for that product. A specifically negotiated written term controls only the issue it expressly addresses; all other terms remain in effect.

Order of precedence: (1) executed negotiated warranty terms; (2) the applicable product annex; (3) these terms; and (4) marketing, website, and other descriptive materials. Descriptive materials do not independently expand warranty coverage.

A warranty is a defect remedy that ships with the sale of the Instrument. It is separate from the Sierra Standard and Premium Service Contracts, which are purchased maintenance and availability commitments. Nothing in this warranty creates a preventive-maintenance or availability obligation.

Definitions

  • Warranty On-Site Region. The United States, Canada, Mexico, member states of the European Union and European Economic Area, the United Kingdom, and Switzerland.
  • Instrument. The product identified in the applicable annex.
  • Sierra-Authorized Installer. A Sierra BioSystems employee, K&A personnel, distributor, service partner, or other person or organization Sierra BioSystems has authorized to install the applicable Instrument.
  • Service Contract. A separate purchased Sierra Standard or Premium Service Contract described in its own terms.

Warranty Period and Start Date

  • The Limited Warranty lasts one (1) year unless an eligible Warranty Extension was purchased with the Instrument.
  • Coverage normally begins on the date of installation when installation is performed by a Sierra-Authorized Installer.
  • If installation is delayed beyond 90 days after shipment, Sierra determines the warranty start date case by case based on the circumstances. The 90-day point is not an automatic start trigger.
  • Installation, repair, or replacement does not otherwise restart the original warranty period unless a written agreement expressly states otherwise.

Who Is Covered, Transfer, and Relocation

The warranty applies to users of the Instrument, whether or not they are the original purchaser, provided the Instrument is installed and maintained according to Sierra requirements. Coverage is verified by Instrument serial number. No purchase receipt is required unless reasonably needed to resolve a coverage question.

If ownership transfers, warranty coverage continues for the remainder of the original warranty period. The new owner must notify Sierra of the transfer, but Sierra approval is not required.

The customer must notify Sierra when the Instrument is relocated. Relocation does not void or restart the warranty. Warranty service is provided according to the coverage applicable to the Instrument's new location.

What Is Covered

  • Defects in electronics, materials, and workmanship.
  • Required parts, labor, normal shipping, diagnostics, customs, and insurance for valid warranty claims.
  • On-site labor and travel for Instruments located in the Warranty On-Site Region.
  • A meaningful initial response to a warranty support request within 24 business hours.
  • Troubleshooting and correction of covered defects or problems in Sierra-supported Instrument-control software.
  • Bug fixes, patches, maintenance releases, and software updates Sierra designates for supported Instrument operation during the warranty period.
  • Calibration reasonably necessary to diagnose, correct, or verify a covered warranty defect.
  • Any additional coverage stated in the product sections below.

For Instruments outside the Warranty On-Site Region, parts, normal shipping, diagnostics, customs, insurance, and remote support remain covered for a valid warranty claim. On-site attendance is separately quoted and agreed before dispatch.

What Is Not Covered

  • Computer and monitor supplied with or used to operate the Instrument.
  • Normal wear and routine replacement of wear items, except where Sierra determines the item failed because of a covered defect in materials or workmanship rather than ordinary wear or use.
  • Reagents, consumables, and routine operating supplies.
  • Cosmetic issues that do not affect Instrument function, including scratches, discoloration, and finish changes.
  • Failures or damage excluded under the causation rules below.
  • Operating-system problems, third-party software, customer IT or network issues, cybersecurity configuration, unsupported modifications, new software products, optional modules, separately licensed functionality, and major feature upgrades unless expressly included.

Instruments may ship with a limited set of spare consumable or wear parts to support routine maintenance. Their inclusion does not create warranty coverage for normal wear or consumables. Additional routine replacements are customer-paid.

User Responsibilities

  • Avoid leaving amidites or reagents in lines where crystallization may occur.
  • Perform routine wear-item replacement and required user-level calibration as part of normal operation.
  • Perform required maintenance stated in Sierra procedures and the product sections below.
  • Participate in reasonable remote troubleshooting as the normal first step of a claim, subject to Sierra's discretion to bypass it.
  • Use applicable Sierra training materials and operating instructions.
  • Maintain utilities and environmental conditions stated in applicable installation and site-preparation documentation.
  • Maintain appropriate backups of data, methods, configurations, and customer-created files before warranty service.
  • Provide required site access, credentials, escorts, safety information, site-specific PPE where applicable, and site training necessary for Sierra personnel to work safely.
  • Appropriately clean or decontaminate the Instrument and make it safe for service or shipment when necessary.
  • Supply all reagents, consumables, and operating supplies required during warranty troubleshooting, testing, and verification.

Sierra will use reasonable efforts to preserve existing data and configurations during warranty service but does not guarantee against data loss.

Environmental and Facility Requirements

The Instrument must be installed, operated, and maintained within the utility and environmental requirements stated in applicable Sierra installation and site-preparation documentation. Warranty coverage does not apply to failure or damage caused or materially contributed to by operation outside those requirements, improper electrical supply or grounding, inadequate ventilation, or contaminated utilities or reagents.

Note: Relative humidity is not, by itself, a warranty exclusion where it affects oligonucleotide quality without damaging the Instrument.

Causation and Customer Actions

Failure to meet a user responsibility, unauthorized repair or modification, misuse, improper maintenance, improper storage, or other customer conduct does not automatically void the entire Limited Warranty. Sierra may deny coverage for a particular failure or damage where the customer's act or omission caused or materially contributed to that failure or damage.

  • Unauthorized repairs or modifications do not by themselves terminate warranty coverage for unrelated defects.
  • Sierra-authorized customer installation is not unauthorized service. Damage caused or materially contributed to by improper customer installation is not covered.
  • If the customer declines a recommended out-of-scope repair, the warranty remains in effect, but later failure or damage caused or materially contributed to by the uncorrected condition may be excluded.

If Sierra discovers an unrelated out-of-scope condition during warranty work, Sierra will notify the customer and obtain authorization before performing billable work. Sierra may take reasonable action necessary to leave the Instrument in a safe condition.

Requesting Warranty Service

To initiate a warranty claim, email support@sierrabio.com or contact an authorized Sierra BioSystems service agent.

Sierra will provide a meaningful initial response within 24 business hours of receiving the request. A meaningful initial response means Sierra acknowledges the request and either begins triage and troubleshooting or communicates the next action. An automated acknowledgment alone is not a response. The commitment is to respond, not to resolve, dispatch, or ship parts within 24 business hours.

Business hours are measured according to Sierra BioSystems' normal operating schedule. Weekends and Sierra-observed holidays do not count.

Sierra may require reasonable remote troubleshooting before on-site dispatch. If the customer refuses reasonable troubleshooting, Sierra is not obligated to dispatch until those steps are completed, unless Sierra determines remote troubleshooting is not appropriate.

Service Timing and Priority

Sierra aims to complete warranty service within approximately two weeks when reasonably feasible. This is a service target, not a guaranteed resolution deadline. Timing may depend on issue complexity, parts availability, location, shipping, customer and site readiness, and other circumstances.

When Sierra must allocate constrained scheduling or service parts, active warranty customers share the highest priority level with Premium service-contract customers, followed by Standard customers, then customers without active coverage. This is relative priority only and does not create a guaranteed timeframe.

Warranty Remedies, Replacement Parts, and Depot Repair

Sierra BioSystems determines the appropriate remedy for a covered warranty defect. Options may include remote correction, field repair, depot repair, component replacement, Instrument replacement, or another reasonable solution. Instrument replacement is not an automatic entitlement.

Replacement parts or Instruments may be new, refurbished, remanufactured, or functionally equivalent. If Sierra replaces the entire Instrument, the replacement receives only the remainder of the original Instrument's warranty period. Replacement does not begin a new full warranty.

If Sierra determines depot repair is appropriate, Sierra pays normal shipping both ways and selects the normal shipping method. Customer-requested expedited or alternative shipping is handled case by case, including whether Sierra accommodates the request and whether additional charges apply.

Parts replaced under warranty generally become Sierra property. Sierra may elect to leave a removed component with the customer. If Sierra requests a removed part be returned, Sierra pays normal return shipping.

Sierra may authorize customer installation of a warranty replacement part when Sierra determines the procedure can reasonably and safely be performed by the customer. Authorized installation does not affect warranty coverage by itself.

90-Day Replacement-Part Warranty

A Sierra-supplied replacement part installed under this Limited Warranty carries a 90-day warranty beginning on the documented installation date, even if the original Instrument warranty expires during that period. If that specific replacement part fails during its 90-day period, Sierra covers the replacement part, reasonable diagnostic and replacement labor, and normal travel or shipping Sierra determines is reasonably necessary to remedy that specific part failure.

The 90-day replacement-part warranty does not extend or restart the overall Instrument warranty or cover unrelated failures. A subsequent replacement under this 90-day protection does not begin a new rolling 90-day period beyond the original replacement-part tail.

Loaners

The Limited Warranty does not create a loaner entitlement. Sierra may provide a loaner during warranty service at its discretion and subject to availability. Loaner terms, including logistics and responsibility for loss or damage, are established when a loaner is offered.

Warranty Extensions and Service Contracts

A Warranty Extension may be purchased only at the time of the original Instrument purchase. It extends the duration of defect-remedy coverage for the specific Instrument, not the scope, unless the extension agreement expressly states otherwise. Extensions are not available after the original warranty has begun.

After or during the warranty period, the customer may purchase a Sierra Standard or Premium Service Contract subject to eligibility. Service contracts are separate maintenance and availability commitments and do not restart or alter the Limited Warranty.

Account Standing and Non-Payment

Warranty repair coverage for a fully paid Instrument is honored for the full warranty period. Where the Instrument itself was purchased on payment terms and payment for that Instrument is past due, Sierra may suspend warranty service until the Instrument account is brought current. Past-due balances on unrelated invoices do not automatically suspend defect-remedy coverage.

The warranty period continues to run during any suspension and is not extended by the suspension. Payment terms and late charges, if any, are stated on the applicable quote or invoice.

Site Access, Cancellations, and Safety

If Sierra cannot perform scheduled warranty service because the customer failed to provide required access, credentials, escorts, safety conditions, decontamination, or other customer-controlled prerequisites, Sierra may charge reasonable travel and service costs associated with the unsuccessful visit. The underlying warranty remains intact.

If the customer cancels or reschedules a warranty visit after Sierra has incurred nonrecoverable costs, Sierra may charge the reasonable nonrecoverable costs actually caused by the change. The warranty claim remains covered.

Delays Beyond Sierra's Reasonable Control

Sierra is not responsible for warranty-service delays caused by circumstances beyond its reasonable control, including significant transportation disruption, severe weather, government restrictions, supplier disruption, site closure, or similar circumstances. Sierra will resume or continue performance as reasonably practical when circumstances permit. Such delay does not eliminate the underlying warranty obligation.

K&A H-series: Additional Terms

These terms apply to eligible K&A H-series DNA Synthesizer Instruments in addition to the terms above.

Components Not Covered

  • Computer
  • Monitor

Additional Coverage: Compressor

Compressor failures are covered, provided the compressor has been maintained in accordance with Sierra BioSystems requirements, including regularly draining accumulated water and maintaining the required oil level. At the time of a compressor claim, Sierra will ask the customer to confirm in writing that required maintenance has been performed. No maintenance records or logs are required. Sierra may decline compressor coverage where the compressor or Instrument condition on inspection is inconsistent with the confirmation, or where improper or insufficient maintenance caused or materially contributed to the failure.

Wear Items

Valves, seals, and bottle caps are wear items. Normal wear and routine replacement are not covered. If Sierra determines a wear item failed because of a defect in materials or workmanship rather than ordinary wear or use, that defect is covered.

Additional User Responsibilities

  • Regularly drain water from the compressor.
  • Ensure the compressor contains sufficient oil.
  • Perform routine flow tests as recommended by Sierra BioSystems.
  • Perform routine replacement of valves, seals, and bottle caps as part of normal operation.

Shasta: Additional Terms

These terms apply to eligible Shasta DNA Synthesizer Instruments in addition to the terms above.

Components Not Covered

  • Computer
  • Monitor

Wear Items

Valves, seals, and fittings are wear items. Normal wear and routine replacement are not covered. If Sierra determines a wear item failed because of a defect in materials or workmanship rather than ordinary wear or use, that defect is covered.

Additional User Responsibilities

  • Perform required user-level calibration according to Sierra BioSystems procedures.
  • Perform routine replacement of valves, seals, and fittings as part of normal operation.

Legal Notes

To the extent permitted by applicable law, any implied warranties, including merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose, are limited to the duration of the express warranty. Sierra BioSystems' total liability under this warranty is limited to the purchase price of the Instrument, and Sierra is not liable for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages except where applicable law prohibits such limitation.

Sierra BioSystems may update warranty terms for future products and future sales. Changes do not retroactively reduce the warranty terms applicable to an Instrument already sold unless Sierra and the customer expressly agree otherwise in writing.

Last reviewed: 1 September 2026. Owner: Harold Devoz, Director of Field Operations.