From the monthly archives:

May 2009

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
May 16, 2007
Release #07-190
Firm’s Recall Hotline: (877) 607-6395
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908
General Electric Media Contact: Kim Freeman, (502) 452-7819


General Electric Recalls Dishwashers Due to Fire Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of product: GE Dishwashers

Units: About 2.5 million

Manufacturer: GE Consumer & Industrial, of Louisville, Ky.

Hazard: Liquid rinse-aid can leak from its dispenser onto the dishwasher’s internal wiring which can cause an electrical short and overheating, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: GE has received 191 reports of overheated wiring including 56 reports of property damage. There were 12 reports of fires that escaped the dishwasher. Fire damage was limited to the dishwasher or the adjacent area. No injuries have been reported.

Description: The recall includes GE built-in dishwashers sold under the following brand names: Eterna, GE, GE Profile™, GE Monogram®, Hotpoint®, and Sears-Kenmore. The dishwashers were sold in white, black, almond, bisque and stainless steel. The brand name is printed on the dishwasher’s front control panel. The following model and serial numbers can be found inside the dishwasher tub on the front left side of the dishwasher.

Brand Model Numbers Must Begin With Serial Numbers Must Begin With
Eterna EDW20, EDW30 SS, TS, VS, ZS, AT, DT, FT, GT, HT, LT, MT, RT, ST, TT, VT, ZT, AV, DV, FV, GV, HV, LV, MV, RV, SV, TV, VV, ZV, AZ, DZ, FZ, GZ, HZ, LZ, MZ, RZ, SZ, TZ, VZ, ZZ, AA, DA, FA, GA, HA, LA, MA, RA, SA, TA, VA, ZA
GE and GE Profile GHD50, GSD40, GSD41, GSD43, GSD46, GSD4910Z, GSD4920Z, GSD4930Z, GSD4940Z0, GSD50, GSD51, GSD521, GSD522, GSD523, GSD531, GSD532, GSD533, GSD535, GSD536, GSD55, GSD56, GSD57, GSD58, GSD59, GSDL3, GSDL6
GE Monogram ZBD3500Z0
Hotpoint HDA3400F, HDA35 SS, TS, VS, ZS, AT, DT, FT, GT, HT, LT, MT, RT, ST, TT, VT, ZT, AV, DV, FV, GV, HV, LV, MV, RV, SV, TV, VV, ZV, AZ, DZ, FZ, GZ, HZ, LZ, MZ, RZ, SZ, TZ, VZ, ZZ
GE and GE Profile GHD35, GSD21, GSD2200D, GSD2200F, GSD2200G, GSD2201F, GSD2220F, GSD2221F, GSD2230F, GSD2231F, GSD2250F GSD23, GSD26, GSD27, GSD3115F, GSD3125F, GSD3135F, GSD3200G, GSD3210F, GSD3220F, GSD3230F, GSD33, GSD341, GSD342, GSD343, GSD345, GSD3610F, GSD3620F, GSD3630F, GSD3650F GSD37, GSD381, GSD382, GSD383, GSD385, GSD391, GSD392, GSD393, GSD4525F, GSD4535F, GSD4555F, GSDL122F, GSDL132F, GSDL24, GSM2100F, GSM2100G, GSM2100Z0, GSM2110D, GSM2110F, GSM2130D, GSM2130F
Sears-Kenmore 363.1438, 363.1447, 363.1445, 363.1448, 363.1457, 363.1467, 363.1475, 363.15161792, 363.1517, 363.1521, 363.1527, 363.1528, 363.1531, 363.1532, 363.1546, 363.1547, 363.1548, 363.1556, 363.1565, 363.1567, 363.1617, 363.1655 SS, TS, VS, ZS, AT, DT, FT, GT, HT, LT, MT, RT, ST, TT, VT, ZT, AV, DV, FV, GV, HV, LV, MV, RV, SV, TV, VV, ZV, AZ, DZ, FZ, GZ, HZ, LZ, MZ, RZ, SZ, TZ, VZ, ZZ

Sold at: Department and appliance stores from September 1997 through December 2001 for about $400.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled dishwashers and contact General Electric for a free repair, a $150 rebate towards the purchase of a new GE dishwasher, or a $300 rebate towards the purchase of a new GE Profile or GE Monogram dishwasher.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact General Electric toll-free at (877) 607-6395 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Saturday. Consumers also can visit the firm’s Web site at www.geappliances.com


Picture of Recalled Dishwasher

Picture of Serial Plate Location Picture of Serial Plate

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx

Send the link for this page to a friend! The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from thousands of types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. The CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical, or mechanical hazard. The CPSC’s work to ensure the safety of consumer products – such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters, and household chemicals – contributed significantly to the decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.

To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call CPSC’s Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC’s teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To join a CPSC e-mail subscription list, please go to https://www.cpsc.gov/cpsclist.aspx. Consumers can obtain recall and general safety information by logging on to CPSC’s Web site at www.cpsc.gov.

As Home Inspectors we do not check model #s or try to keep abreast of all possible product recalls.    Nonetheless, this caught my eye, and may be of interest and/or use to many readers.  For further information about appliances or products please visit the US Consumer Product Safety Commission link under the blogroll area.

All the best out there.

{ 0 comments }

Garage Fire Shield / Garage Fire Wall

by admin on May 18, 2009

The garage fire shield or often referred to as as the firewall in the garage.

Due to the nature of our business we get to talk to our clients on a regular basis about this subject.  What is a a fire shield?.  It is any wall or ceiling that the garage shares with the house that has an approved fire rated Sheetrock that is properly installed.  Now there can be differences as to exactly what that means from town to town so check with your local building department for specific details and or requirements.

The purpose of the Fire Shield is to slow the spread of fire.  However it needs to be intact, common sense will tell you that if you have a fire shield that it cannot have holes or missing areas or it will not work properly.  Any holes or missing Sheetrock or missing fire tape on the joints needs to be repaired or be installed as the case may be.  Bear in mind there are very strict requirements on how this needs to be done.

This is a very common issue in the home that needs corrections, and it turns up frequently on Home inspection reports in need of corrections.  Holes, damaged or missing Sheetrock can occur anywhere in the garage.  In our experience it is most commonly on the back wall of the garage or at the water heater or washer dryers areas where past leaks have damaged the Sheetrock or where plumbing repairs have been performed (sometimes that is on the ceiling below a bathroom area).  If you have damaged or unfinished repairs anywhere in your garage fire shield then we recommend you hire a qualified licensed contractor right away for corrections to protect you and your home.

To learn more about common items that homeowners fail to maintain or that sellers often fail to correct before a home inspection go to www.beattheinspector.com

All the best out there.

{ 0 comments }

What is an air gap?

by admin on May 10, 2009

This is one of the most common thought that runs through our clients mind when we as inspectors are taking about issues that need correction.  Generally when we are talking about “the air gap” we are referring to the air gap valve at the kitchen sink that is for the dishwasher (see photo below).  However this concern can occur at any sink or at the bathtub.

The purpose of the air gap valve for the dishwasher is to help prevent dirty water from being siphoned into the the dishwasher contaminating the clean dishes.  This is a safety item. Properly installed faucets at all sinks or tubs have a gap between the faucet and the rim of the sink or tub.  If the faucets extend down below the rim there is the potential of the sink water or the tub water (dirty water) being siphoned back into the clean house drinking water.  This was a common design problem/flaw with many old tubs that had a spout down below the rim.

We often see properly installed faucets at the laundry sink, a utility room sink or at the garage sink that has been modified with a hose attachment going down into the laundry sink basin.  Many people seem to find this hose handy for rinsing/cleaning items however it is an unsafe practice and needs to be corrected.   Cleaning products or dirty water from these sinks can be pulled into the house water making you and yours ill.  The fix in these cases is to remove the hose.

The air gap valve for a dishwaher

The air gap valve for a dishwasher. The are usually silver in color but can be found in other colors as well.

{ 0 comments }