FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Originally issued December 14, 2001, Revised August 12, 2005
Release # 02-068 |
Firm Telephone Number: (800) 999-4688
CPSC Consumer Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: Mark Ross, (301) 504-7076 |
Note: Revised Telephone Number and Responding Firm.
CPSC and TruHeat Corp. Announce Recall of Spa Heaters
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), TruHeat Corp., of Allegan, Mich., is voluntarily recalling about 142,000 spa heaters sold with Hot Spring® and Tiger River® spas. The spa heaters have an internal electrical connection that can overheat and ignite the heater and spa, posing a fire hazard.
CPSC and TruHeat have received 192 reports of the heaters on these spas failing, and 22 reports of these incidents resulting in fire damage outside the heater or spa. No injuries have been reported.
These are No-Fault® 6000 model spa heaters sold with Hot Spring® and Tiger River® spas. The spa brand name is written on the control panel. The spa heater brand name and model number are on a label on the side of the heater. The spa heater is located behind a removable panel on the front of the spa. Read the owner's manual for instructions on turning off power to the spa before accessing the spa heater. This recall only includes spas installed in 220-volt applications.
Independent spa dealers nationwide sold spas with these heaters from January 1997 through January 2001. The price for these spas is between $4,000 and $9,000.
TruHeat is contacting its customers about this recall and providing them with a free insulation kit. Consumers who have not been contacted should immediately call Watkins, the firm now responsible for TruHeat and this recall, at (800) 999-4688 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, any day of the week, to determine if their spa heater is part of this recall. To avoid all risk of an incident pending receipt of an insulation kit, consumers are advised to shut off their heaters until a kit is installed. If the spa is in a location where it is exposed to freezing temperatures and the heater is shut off (pending receipt of a kit), the spa should be drained according to the owner's manual to prevent damage to the spa by freezing water.
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (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 your experience with the product on SaferProducts.gov
CPSC is charged with protecting the public from unreasonable risks of injury or death associated with the use of the thousands of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. Deaths, injuries and property damage from consumer product incidents cost the nation more than $900 billion annually. CPSC is committed to protecting consumers and families from products that pose a fire, electrical, chemical or mechanical hazard. CPSC's work to ensure the safety of consumer products - such as toys, cribs, power tools, cigarette lighters and household chemicals - contributed to a decline in the rate of deaths and injuries associated with consumer products over the past 30 years.
Federal law bars any person from selling products subject to a publicly-announced voluntary recall by a manufacturer or a mandatory recall ordered by the Commission.
To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury go online to www.SaferProducts.gov or call CPSC's Hotline at (800) 638-2772 or teletypewriter at (301) 595-7054 for the hearing impaired. Consumers can obtain news release and recall information at www.cpsc.gov, on Twitter @OnSafety or by subscribing to CPSC's free e-mail newsletters.