Home & Garden

February 15, 1996 Release # 96-069 WASHINGTON, D.C. - CPSC, Berko Electric of Peru, Ind., is announcing the voluntary repair or replacement of approximately 1.5 million baseboard heaters. Wires inside the heaters may deteriorate, allowing electrical currents to flow to the utside steel air deflector cover. Arcing, or sparking, may occur, burning holes in the cover. As a result, a potential fire hazard exists. In addition, if the heaters are not properly grounded, an electrical shock could exist.Berko, a division of Marley Electric Heating, has received some 200 complaints of deteriorated wires and burned heater covers. To date, only minor property damage has been reported.This repair program affects only Berko heaters sold between January 1980 and March 1987 with model numbers that begin with "MBB," followed by four numbers, and ending in "M" (for example, "MBB2-524-M"). The tan-colored baseboard heaters are permanently installed units measuring two feet (500 watt) to ten feet (2500 watt) in length. The silver Berko identification label, which includes the model number, is located inside the heater on the right side, just below the steel air deflector. The black date code is printed directly on the heater, just to the right of the identifying label (for example, "FEB 22 85")To prevent a fire or electric shock, all of the potentially defective heaters should be repaired or replaced. Consumers who own Berko MBB...M series baseboard heaters should check for discoloration on the steel air deflector cover of the heater. If the cover is discolored, heaters should be disconnected immediately until repaired. Berko will either provide new wire to repair the heaters or provide a substantial discount towards the purchase of new heaters, depending on consumers' preference.Berko will provide free replacement crossover wire rated at 125 degrees centigrade rather than the 105 degree centigrade temperature of the original crossover wire. Detailed instructions for changing the wire will also be provided. Only a qualified electrician should perform the heater repairs. Owners or service providers who want to receive new crossover wires should contact Berko either through their local participating Berko distributor or by calling Berko's customer service center at (800) 545-8306.Owners who choose to replace their heaters can purchase a new model Berko baseboard heater at 60 percent off the retail list price. Consumers who choose this option must remove the silver Berko identification label from the MBB...M series baseboard heater and turn it in at the time of purchase of the equivalent new heater. Owners will obtain a discount on any purchase of the same number of heaters of equal or less physical size and wattage. Owners or service providers who want to purchase new heaters should also contact either their local participating Berko distributor or call (800) 545-8306

June 8, 1995 Release # 95-131 WASHINGTON, D.C. - CPSC, Meco Corporation of Greeneville, Tenn., announced today a program to give owners of Meco brand charcoal smokers a kit to reduce the risk of fire from hot coals falling through a hole in the bottom of the pan.The kits fit Meco Smokers and Grills with the model numbers 5022-3, 5024-2, and 5025-2. Model 5022-3 is red or black painted steel. Model 5024-2 has a stainless steel body with a black hood. Model 5025-2 has a stainless steel body and hood. Each of the Meco charcoal water smokers has a black charcoal pan with a hole in it, a metal water pan in the middle of the unit, and grills for food at the top of the unit. Since 1983, Meco has sold about 253,000 of these smokers nationwide through wholesalers and retailers, including many mass merchandisers, from about $75 to $180 each.The company is voluntarily participating in this program to help prevent the possibility of fires. Using the smoker over a flammable surface is contrary to current warnings and instructions included with the Meco smokers.Consumers should call Meco Corporation at (800)251-7558 for a free kit to close the hole in the pan. To help reduce the risk of fire, consumers should never operate charcoal water smokers on or near flammable surfaces, even after the hole in the pan is closed.CPSC is investigating other brands of charcoal water smokers that may present a similar fire risk. CPSC views all charcoal water smokers, which have exposed charcoal pans with holes that can allow coals to fall out, as a potential fire risk

April 18, 1995 Release # 95-104 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- CPSC, Fireplace Technologies Inc., of Louisville, Ky., is announcing a program to provide free kits to modify approximately 36,000 LockTop Fireplace Damper and Cap sets. The vent dampers might close if soot builds up and results in chimney fire. This could force smoke and flue gases back into the house, which may present a risk of death or injury from inhalation of smoke and carbon monoxide.Although no injuries have been reported, CPSC is aware of two incidents in which the vent closed during chimney fires, potentially exposing consumers to hazardous smoke and carbon monoxide.The box-shaped LockTop Fireplace Damper and Cap is 8 inches tall and has a hollow square, cast aluminum base ranging in size from 8 inches by 8 inches to 17 inches by 17 inches, depending on the model. The product's collapsible sides are connected to a solid cast aluminum lid.The device can be permanently mounted to the top of a chimney and functions as both a damper and a chimney cap. The products were sold through chimney sweeps and wood fuel appliance contractors from December 1989 to the present.Consumers who have a LockTop Fireplace Damper and Cap sets should contact the chimney sweep or contractor who installed the unit or call Fireplace Technologies at (800) 737-1067 for a free retrofit kit. The retrofit kit will be installed at no cost to the consumer and will prevent the vent from closing during chimney fires. All new LockTop Fireplace Damper and Cap sets purchased after May 15, 1995 will have the kit permanently incorporated into the unit

January 30, 1995 Release # 95-070 WASHINGTON, D.C. - CPSC, Rival of Kansas City, Mo., announced today a program to replace heating elements on about 1.1 million Rival electric crock grills. The heating elements on model 5740 and 5750 indoor electric grills, which were not sealed during production, can expose consumers to electric shock. To date, Rival has received 13 consumer complaints of electric shock and three retailer-returned grills that leaked electrical current.The Rival electric grills sold from January 1990 to December 1993 for about $20 each in retail stores nationwide. Both models contain a chrome-plated 11 inch steel grill, a heating element and a support bar, however, the model 5740 has a steel base, while the model 5750 has a stoneware base. Heating elements stamped with an "E" before the part number (see diagram) are not included in this replacement program.Owners of model 5740 and 5750 grills should stop using them immediately and contact Rival at (800) 557-4825 for assistance in identfying the element and replacing it, if necessary. Rival will instruct owners on how to remove one of the two end pins of the recalled element. Upon receiving the returned end pin, Rival will provide consumers a free replacement heating element

January 26, 1995 Release # 95-072 WASHINGTON, D.C. - CPSC, Morrone Company of Macon, Ga., announced today a program to give owners of Morrone brand charcoal smokers a kit to close the holes in the charcoal pan to reduce a fire risk.Since November 1992, Morrone sold approximately 35,000 Morrone Smoker and Grills, model number SG-1, that can cause a fire if used over a flammable surface such as a wooden deck. Using the smoker over a flammable surface is contrary to current warnings and instructions included with the Morrone smokers.According to Morrone, charcoal water smokers typically have a charcoal pan with a hole in it, a water pan in the middle of the unit, and grills for food above the water pan at the top of the unit. CPSC is investigating other brands of charcoal water smokers that may present a similar fire risk. CPSC views all charcoal water smokers, which have exposed charcoal pans with holes that can allow coals to fall out, as a potential fire risk. The Brinkman Corporation and W.C. Bradley Co. have recalled grills for the same hazard. CPSC is also seeking corrective actions from two other companies and will announce these actions at the earliest possible time.Although Morrone has not received any reports of fires from its smokers to date, the company is participating in this program to help prevent the possibility of fires. The recalled smokers were sold nationwide to wholesalers and retailers, including many mass merchandisers, for approximately $30 each.Consumers should call Morrone Company at (478) 741-3980 for a free kit to close the holes in the pan of the smokers. To help reduce the risk of fire even after the holes are closed, do not operate the charcoal water smoker on or near flammable surfaces

November 3, 1994 Release # 95-023 WASHINGTON, D.C. - CPSC, Amana Refrigeration Inc. of Amana, Iowa, initiated a program to fix a shock hazard in certain side-by-side refrigerators.Amana estimates that approximately 5,000 of the 353,000 side-by-side refrigerators made from April 1993 to September 8, 1994, have a screw on the light cover that could come into contact with a concealed electrical wire to cause a shock. To date, Amana has received four reports of people receiving electrical shocks. The side-by-side refrigerators, which sold nationwide through appliance retailers for about $1,200 to $2,200, have serial numbers 9304000000 through 9409156208. Some of these refrigerators (Models 596.9530820, 596.9530850, 596.9530880, 596.9535610, 596.9535650 and 596.95356800) were sold under the Sears Kenmore brand name. Owners of these Kenmore models with serial numbers within the range will be contacted directly by Sears.Owners of Amana side-by-side refrigerators with serial numbers within the range who mailed in ownership registration cards will receive screw replacement kits from Amana. The kits contain instructions, a special non- conducting wrench, and nylon replacement screws. Consumers who believe they have one of the recalled units, and who did not mail in their registration cards, should call Amana immediately at (800) 688-9900 for a free screw replacement kit. Media inquiries should be directed to Ann Humbert of Amana at (319) 622-2142

September 15, 1994 Release # 94-127 Washington, D.C. - CPSC, Char-Broil, of Columbus, Ga., announced today a program to give the owners of "Char- Broil" brand charcoal water smokers a kit to close a hole in the charcoal pan to reduce a fire risk.Approximately 80,000 Char-Broil brand charcoal water smokers sold since March 1993 have a hole in the exposed charcoal pan that can cause a fire if used over a flammable surface like a wooden deck. Using the smoker over a flammable surface is contrary to current warnings and instructions included with the Char-Broil smokers.According to Char-Broil, charcoal water smokers typically have a charcoal pan with a hole in it, a water pan in the middle of the unit, and grills for food above the water pan and at the top. CPSC is investigating other brands of charcoal water smokers that may present a similar risk of fire. CPSC views all charcoal water smokers, which have exposed charcoal pans with holes that may allow coals to fall out, as a potential fire risk. CPSC, which is seeking corrective actions against other companies, will announce these actions at the earliest possible time.Although Char-Broil has not received any reports of fires with its smokers to date, the company is participating in this program to help prevent the possibility of fires.The recalled smokers were sold nationwide in mass market retail stores for $29 to $39 each. They are red or black and are labeled "Char-Broil H2O Smoker" on the body of the smoker. Only smokers that have a hole in the exposed charcoal pan are involved in this recall. Call Char-Broil at (800) 241-8981 for a free kit to close the hole in the pan. To help reduce the risk of fire even after the hole is closed, do not operate the charcoal water smoker on or near flammable surfaces

September 1, 1994 Release # 94-121 Washington, DC -- Over a million Brinkmann and COOK'N CA'JUN charcoal water smokers distributed before 1993 have a hole in the charcoal pan that can, if used over a flammable surface like a wooden deck, cause a fire. Use over flammable surfaces is contrary to current warnings and instructions included with the smokers. In addition, some of the metal brackets holding the water pan and/or grills on these models have sharp edges that can cause cuts.Today, Brinkmann, in cooperation with CPSC, announced a program to give the owners of these charcoal water smokers a kit to close the hole and reduce the fire risk. The kit also contains redesigned brackets to replace the original ones. Although Brinkmann is fully confident in the safety and quality of its charcoal water smokers, Brinkmann is voluntarily participating in this program to help prevent injuries.According to Brinkmann, charcoal water smokers typically have a charcoal pan with a hole in it, a water pan in the middle of the unit, and grills for food on the water pan and at the top. CPSC is investigating other brands of charcoal water smokers that may present a similar risk of fire. CPSC views all charcoal water smokers that use exposed charcoal pans with holes that may allow coals to fall out of the smoker as a potential fire risk, and is seeking corrective action from other companies. CPSC will announce these actions at the earliest possible time.Since 1974, Brinkmann has recorded approximately 10 claims of fires allegedly involving holes in the charcoal pan of Brinkmann smokers and 6 claims of cuts allegedly involving the brackets of these charcoal water smokers.To identify your charcoal water smoker, look for the names "Brinkmann" or "COOK'N CA'JUN" on the top or body of the smoker. If either of these names appear, check the charcoal pan at the bottom. If the pan has a hole, it is involved in this program. Only Brinkmann and COOK'N CA'JUN water smokers manufactured before 1993 are included in this program. These water smokers were sold by major retailers nationwide. Charcoal water smokers manufactured after 1993, as well as Brinkmann Gourmet and COOK'N CA'JUN S-80, and Brinkmann and COOK'N CA'JUN electric or gas water smokers are NOT included in this program. These other models either don't have exposed charcoal pans or have no charcoal pan at all. Call Brinkmann at (800) 675-5301 for a free modification kit to close the hole in the pan and to replace the sharp brackets.Even after the hole is closed, to help reduce the risk of fire, do not operate the charcoal water smoker on or near flammable surfaces