Dangerous Flexible Gas Connectors Used on Home Appliances

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Office of Information and Public Affairs Washington, DC 20207
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT:
October 10, 1996 (301) 504-7908
Release # 97-003

CPSC Warns About Dangerous Flexible Gas Connectors Used on Home Appliances

WASHINGTON D.C. Some older corrugated metal tubes used to connect home appliances to natural gas supply pipes could corrode leading to a fire or explosion, according to Chairman Ann Brown of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). These connectors are used most often with gas ranges, ovens and clothes dryers.

"The CPSC has received 200 reports of these connectors failing," Brown said. "These failed connectors have been associated with 35 deaths and 59 injuries. We are urging people to have their gas appliances inspected to see if they have one of these old, potentially dangerous connectors."

The connectors the CPSC is warning consumers about are older, uncoated, brass connectors, which have not been made for at least the past 10 years. The brass fittings on these connectors which attach the connector to the natural gas supply pipe and the appliance, were soldered onto a corrugated brass tube. The CPSC believes that the solder can fail, causing a break in the connector and resulting in a gas leak.

Many of these connectors may still be in use, and the CPSC is warning consumers to have their connectors inspected. Because it is very difficult to tell just by looking at it whether a connector has been soldered, the CPSC recommends that ANY uncoated brass connector be replaced immediately by a new stainless steel connector or a new plastic-coated brass connector.

The CPSC warns consumers not to move their appliances in an effort to inspect the connectors themselves. The connector should be inspected only by a professional service provider. These older brass connectors with weak, soldered connections could break if moved, leading to an explosion or fire. Moving an appliance, even slightly, if only to clean behind it, could cause a weakened connector to fail.