U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE June 23, 2009 Release # 09-253

Firm�s Recall Hotline: (866) 876-3632 CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772 CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Crane Plumbing Recalls Bath Tubs With A Whirlpool Due to Entrapment and Drowning Hazards

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: Crane Bath Tubs With A Whirlpool

Units: About 5,500

Manufacturer: Crane Plumbing LLC, of Dallas, Texas

Hazard: The drain covers in the tubs can entangle a bather�s hair in the openings, causing the bather�s head to be held under water, which can result in drowning.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The bathtubs are acrylic with 6-12 jets. The Crane logo is printed on the whirlpool and/or noted on the air control valve.

Sold at: Home improvement, retail and wholesale stores nationwide from March 2007 through February 2009 for between $700 and $2,700.

Manufactured in: United States and Canada

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled tubs. Consumers can contact Crane for additional identification information on affected tubs. Consumers who have the recalled tub have two options:

1. Contact Crane directly to arrange for a service agent to perform a free, in-person replacement in their home or facility; or
2. Consumers can choose to replace the part themselves and Crane will provide them with a free repair kit and directions.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Crane Plumbing toll-free at (866) 876-3632 between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm�s Web site at www.craneplumbing.com

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

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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.

If you have a bathtub with a whirlpool then you should check into this.  As we have mentioned before in previous post as with all products in the home it is a great idea to go the consumer protection website to check on recall and general safety information (see the links in the paragraph above).

All the best out there!

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• Anticipation

Yesterday I encountered another Takagi tankless water heater at my home inspection.  This one was  labeled that it was an exterior model and it was installed on the exterior of the house!  So good so far.. We inspectors are delighted when something is as it should be.

The installation looked very clean and I had no issue with it.  The one thing I realized about these water heaters is it that the exterior ones will take more awareness from the home owner to keep the exterior vegetation away from the unit.  This water heater had a direct exhaust vent situation and because the vent gets hot it would be unsafe to have plants (brush, bushes or tree limbs) growing up against the unit.

Many people delegate their yard work and landscaping to others who may not be aware of the special needs at these type of appliances.  Let face it in this country up to now very few water heaters have been installed on the exterior of the house.  New fire safety vigilance will be required.

Over the last 14 years I have probably inspected between 4,500 to 5000 water heaters, and of those only about 15 now have been tankless water heaters.   All, yes all of these tankless units I have seen have been in the last year.  The tide may be shifting and tankless water heaters are coming to a neighborhood near you.

Like all items proper installation, location, and maintenance will be key.  Many of the buyers I inspect for indicate they want to put one in when they move in or when their current water heater gives out.  Their reasons vary from to save energy or to save space.  No one does it to save immediate cost.  These units are not cheap up front but if you have a small house with limited space losing the 40 gallon water heater out of an interior closet or the garage and installing a tankless water heater in it’s place or on the exterior of the house might make sense for you.

All the best out there.

Mildew or mold? You may as well ask is it good or bad.  Often we as inspectors encounter something that looks kind of fishy even kind of mean and hairy but is it mold?  I would venture that most of us inspectors do not know.  We are not trained lab technicians with an Industrial Hygienist degree or some such suitable moniker.  We are just simple guys and gals trying to do our best.  I know some inspector out there will take exception with this statement and has a suitable degree or certificate that says they know how to test for mildew and mold.  Some companies may even offer this kind of evaluation as an extra fee based service.

However, it is true that most of us are not experts on mildew or mold. Per the Standards of Practice I use (ASHI) it is not in the scope of our inspection to even inspect for Mildew or Mold.  Still stuff like what is shown in the photo below does not look right and at a minimum indicates possible water damage.  We certainly try to make our clients aware of these kind of things and point them in the right direction for further evaluation by qualified others.

Mildew or Mold?

The truth is we can not make our clients follow up on our recommendations.  We hope they do, we want them to but will they?  Will you?

All the best out there!

Tankless Water Heaters Recalled for Repair Due to Carbon Monoxide Poisoning 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: Power Vent tankless water heaters

Units: About 42,200

Importers: Water Heating Division of Rheem Sales Company Inc., of Montgomery, Ala. and Paloma Industries Inc., of Oxnard, Calif.

Hazard: Components inside the water heater may shift during transit, causing an air filter door switch to operate improperly. If the switch fails and the air filter door is out of place, the water heater could continue to operate and dust and lint could build up, posing a carbon monoxide poisoning hazard.

Incidents/Injuries: None reported.

Description: The recall involves indoor models of the Power Vent 199,900 BTUH tankless water heaters. The brands and model numbers included in this recall are listed below and are located on the front of the unit and the rating plate. The water heaters have a cream jacket or gray jacket enclosure with the piping on the top and bottom of the unit. The rating plate is a silver label located the front of the unit, in the lower right hand corner.

Sold by: Retailers nationwide and through plumbing wholesale distributors to plumbers, contractors and consumers from May 2004 through December 2006 for between $800 and $1,300.

Manufactured in: Japan

Remedy: Consumers with the recalled water heaters should stop using them immediately, if the air filter door is not in place. Consumers, who have not already been contacted by an authorized contractor, should immediately contact their installer or Rheem Manufacturing Company to arrange for a free, on-site repair. Consumers are reminded to use the air filter door for these water heaters to avoid a carbon monoxide hazard.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Rheem toll-free at (866) 369-4786 between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday and 9 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. CT Saturday and Sunday, or visit the firm’s Web site at www.tankless-recall.com

Note: Regardless of the type of water heater that is used, every home should have a CO alarm outside all sleeping areas, and consumers should ensure that their CO alarms have working batteries.

Model of the Power Vent 199,900 BTUH tankless water heater sold under the brand names: Paloma, Rheem, Ruud, Rheem-Ruud and Richmond

Heavy-Duty Indoor Models of the Power Vent 199,900 BTUH tankless water heater sold under the brand names: Paloma, Rheem, Ruud, Rheem-Ruud and Richmond

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.

In the area we inspect in tankless water heaters are still few and far between.  However almost all of the tankless water heaters we have seen during our inspections over the years have been in just this last year so they are coming.  As we have mentioned before as with all products in the home it is a great idea to go the consumer protection website to check on recall and general safety information (see the links in the paragraph above).

All the best out there!

GE Recalls to Inspect and Repair Wall Ovens Due to Fire and Burn Hazards

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®, GE Profile™, Monogram® and Kenmore® Wall Ovens

Units: About 244,000

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

Hazard: The extreme heat used in the self-clean cycle can escape, if the wall oven door is removed and incorrectly re-attached by the installer or the consumer. This can pose a fire and burn hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: GE is aware of 28 incidents of minor property damage in which adjacent kitchen cabinets have been damaged. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves GE wall ovens sold under the following brand names: GE®, GE Profile™, Monogram® and Kenmore®. The wall ovens were sold in white, black, bisque and stainless steel. The following model and serial numbers can be found inside the oven on the left interior wall. For microwave combination ovens, the serial number can be found on the left interior wall of the microwave.

Sold at: Home builders and appliance stores nationwide from October 2002 through December 2004 for between $900 and $3,600.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately inspect the oven to make sure they do not have an incorrectly re-attached wall oven door, which will not open into the flat position. If the wall oven door is incorrectly re-attached, consumers should not use the self-clean cycle and call GE for a free repair. Consumers can continue to use normal baking or broiling function in the oven until the oven is repaired.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact GE toll-free at (888) 569-1588 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. Monday through Friday, and between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday ET, or visit the firm�s Web site at www.GEAppliances.com

Lower rack extends without hitting the oven door

Extended lower rack hits oven door

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 can not 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.