Home & Garden

March 7, 1990 Release # 90-043 WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Thermos Company, Freeport, Illinois, is voluntarily replacing a component part in some of its "Thermos" and "Structo" brand gas barbecue grills sold since April 1989. The part is a hose, valve and regulator assembly which might leak gas and possibly result in fire. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is not aware of any fires caused by defective assemblies placed in "Thermos" or "Structo" grills. Consumers who have purchased Thermos or Structo gas grills since April 1989 should inspect their grills before cooking again. Check for the name of the manufacturer of the hose, valve and regulator assembly which is stamped on the round metal regulator which connects to the liquid propane gas tank. If the name "Taiwan Pao-An Ind. Co." is not stamped on the regulator, no further action is required and the grill may be used for normal operation. If the name stamped on the regulator is "Taiwan Pao- An Ind. Co.," look for the serial number located on either end of the bottom base or inside the side panel of the grill. If the serial number is between 721791 and 886390, the hose, valve and regulator assembly may be defective and the grill should not be used until the assembly is carefully examined. If the serial number is not between these numbers, the grill may be used. Consumers with Thermos or Structo grills bearing serial numbers within the suspect range should call Char-broil, which bought the Thermos grill business, toll-free at 1-800-241-7548, to obtain instructions for determining whether the hose, valve and regulator assembly on their grill is in fact defective and, if it is, instructions on how to retrofit their grill with a new assembly from Thermos. According to Thermos, 87,606 of approximately 675,000 grills shipped since April 1989 contain a hose, valve and regulator that may be defective. Thermos statistical studies indicate that one percent of those 87,606 (877) parts are defective

November, 1989 Release # 90-008 WASHINGTON D.C.--An inspection and discount replacement program announced last year for Model 8600 Solar Pak mobile home furnaces is being continued by the Coleman Company Manufactured Housing Products Division of Wichita, Kansas, in voluntary cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). This program was developed in 1988 in response to reports received by Coleman and the CPSC of deaths and serious injuries caused by leaking carbon monoxide from aging furnaces which have allegedly been inadequately inspected and maintained and/or altered or modified. Coleman is continuing its 1988 program to arrange inspections of its Model 8600 Solar Pak furnaces produced for mobile homes manufactured before December 1971. Coleman is offering homeowners a free Coleman cooler to encourage participation in this safety inspection program. Although approximately 380,000 Solar Pak furnaces were manufactured from 1964 through 1971, relatively few are still operational. The furnaces were sold exclusively for use in mobile homes either as original equipment or as replacement appliances. Investigations of the incidents show that no single factor is solely responsible for the carbon monoxide poisoning incidents. Nearly all of the incidents involved aging furnaces and a combination of factors, including improper or inadequate maintenance, improper installation, alteration or modification to the furnace. To participate in this inspection/replacement program, mobile homeowners should check their gas furnace for the presence of the Coleman brand name on the front of the furnace. They can then identify a Coleman Model 8600 Solar Pak by opening the furnace door and checking the rating plate. If the furnace is a Coleman Model 8600 Solar Pak or if the homeowner is uncertain, they should call (877) 874-7378, then follow the message prompt and press 2 to be directed to the consumer relations department. Coleman is offering up to a 50 percent discount on certain replacement parts as well as up to a 50 percent on a new replacement furnace. Furnace installation charges are not included. Consumers may receive further details of the program by calling the Coleman toll-free number listed above. Homeowners are reminded that annual maintenance and inspection of all furnaces are vital to the safety of consumers and to the proper operation of their furnace. Aging furnaces, 20 years old and older, should receive special annual care and attention to insure continued safe and efficient operation

Fall

Wiring Problem Prompts Deep Fat Fryer Inspection NEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 28, 1989 Release # 89-016 Wiring Problem Prompts Deep Fat Fryer Inspection WASHINGTON -- T-Fal Corporation of Fairfield, N.J. is notifying consumers that certain of its TEFAL type 8215 deep fat fryers may have the potential for serious electric shock. T-FAL has identified a wiring problem that may exist in certain type 8215 fryers with specific manufacturing date codes. The firm has received two reports of shock out of approximately 40,000 units of this model that bear these specific date codes. In voluntary cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product safety Commission, T-FA.L will verify and correct consumer units which have specific date codes. Fryers involved are identified as TEFAL, Safety Super Fryer, type 8215 and have a three or four digit manufacturing code which ends in the numbers 6, 7 or 8. The fryers with numbers ending in 8 must also be preceded by the number 22 or less. Before calling, consumers should look on the bottom of their fryers for the type and date code numbers, then call T-FAL toll-free at 1-800-548-0588, or write T-FAL Corporation, 23 Kulick Road, Fairfield, N.J. 07006. Consumers with type 8215 fryers should stop using the appliance immediately until contacting T-FAL for further instructions as to the need for any correction.

Coleman 8600 Solar Pak Mobile Home Furnaces Replacement NEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE October 26, 1988 Release # 88-88 CPSC Warns Of Potential For Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Involving Improperly Maintained Coleman 8600 Solar Pak Mobile Home Furnaces WASHINGTON, DC - An inspection and discount replacement program for some 100,000 Model 8600 Solar Pak mobile home furnaces is being undertaken by the Coleman Co. Manufactured Housing Products Division of Wichita, Kansas in voluntary cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. In response to reports received by Coleman and the CPSC of deaths and serious injuries caused by leaking carbon monoxide from furnaces which have allegedly been inadequately inspected and maintained and/or altered or modified, Coleman has initiated a program to arrange inspections of its Model 8600 Solar Pak furnaces produced for mobile homes before December 1971. Coleman is offering home owners a free cooler to encourage participation in this safety inspection program. Although approximately 380,000 Solar Pak furnaces were manufactured from 1964 through 1971, it is unlikely all are still operational. The furnaces were sold exclusively for use in mobile homes either as original equipment or as replacement appliances. Investigations of the incidents show that no single factor is solely responsible for the carbon monoxide poisoning incidents. Nearly all of the incidents allegedly involved a combination of factors including improper or inadequate maintenance, the furnace improper installation, alteration or modification to the furnace. To participate in this inspection/replacement program, mobile home owners should check their gas furnaces for the presence of the Coleman brand name on the front of the furnaces. They can then identify a Coleman Model 8600 Solar Pak by opening the furnace door and checking the rating plate. If the furnace is a Coleman Model 8600 Solar Pak or if the home owner is uncertain, they should call Coleman's toll-free Hotline number 1- 800-232-SOLR. Coleman will assist in arranging an inspection with the closest service center. Coleman is offering up to a 50% discount on critical replacement parts as well as up to a 50% discount on a new replacement furnace. Consumers can receive details of the program by calling the Coleman toll free number listed above. Home owners are being reminded that annual maintenance and inspection of all furnaces is vital to the safety of consumers and to the proper working of their furnace. Older furnaces, such as the Coleman Solar Pak series, should receive special care and attention to insure proper operation.

Fall

Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Explosion/Projectiles

Explosion/Projectiles

Honeywell-V5130 Gas Valve Announcing Issuance Of Complaint NEWS from CPSC U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE April 24, 1984 Release # 84-027 Honeywell-V5130 Gas Valve Announcing Issuance Of Complaint Washington, D.C.-- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announces that its staff has issued an administrative complaint against Honeywell, Inc., of Minneapolis, Minn., which alleges that Honeywell's V5130 gas combination control valves contain a defect which, when used with LP gas water heaters, presents a substantial risk of injury to the public from fires and explosions. The Commission has learned of approximately 64 explosion incidents involving this control valve-- including 16 deaths and approximately 35 incidents of personal injury to consumers. The complaint is limited to valves used in water heaters fueled by LP gas. Since LP gas is heavier than air, it does not vent easily and, in the case of a leak, tends to settle toward the floor, accumulate there, and may lead to an explosion when touched off by a nearby ignition source. The combination valve serves the dual purpose of regulating the gas supplied to the water heater and the safety function of shutting off the gas supply when the pilot light becomes extinguished. The complaint alleges that the design of the valve knob, which utilizes plastic lugs keyed into the metal slots of the gas cock, is defective. It maintains that V5130 controls which were made between 1958 and 1976, have knobs that can be easily worn and broken such that the knob can become reversed (rotated 180°) with respect to the gas cock. Should this happen, the knob could become stuck in the depressed position and defeat the pilot-flame safety system. Thereafter, if the pilot flame should go out, the water cools, the thermostat calls for heat, and the control valve opens to heat the water. As a result, substantial quantities of unburned gas will be released through the pilot and main burners and create a serious explosion and/or fire hazard. This control was used on various water heaters manufactured by numerous different manufacturers. Some of the controls are identifiable by the Honeywell name on the front faceplate. Others may only have the name of the water heater manufacturer. The consumer may need to consult his LP gas supplier or a qualified plumber to get positive identification of the valve. Persons who become aware of explosion or fire incidents that may be associated with this product should contact the CPSC on its toll-free Hotline 800-638-CPSC. Information regarding this matter may also be obtained by calling the CPSC toll-free Hotline. The teletypewriter number for the hearing impaired is (301) 595-7054.