Water Heaters Recalled Because They Pose Carbon Monoxide Risk

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) this week announced the recall of an estimated 13,000 water heaters that have a defect that could lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml12/12074.html

The voluntary recall is being done in conjunction with the company that imported the “instantaneous” or tankless water heaters, Navien America Inc. of Irvine, Calif.  They were manufactured by Kyung Dong Navien Co. of South Korea.

The Navien water heaters pose a hazard because “an unstable connection can cause the water heater’s vent collar to separate or detach if pressure is applied,” according to the CPCS’s press release Tuesday.

“A detached vent collar poses a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning to the consumer,” the CPCS said.

So far, no one has been injured in an incident involving the recalled water heaters.

The recalled  Navien tankless hot water heaters are white with “T-Creator” and “NAVIEN” on the front.  The recalled model numbers are CR-180(A), CR-210(A), CR-240(A), CC-180(A), CC-210(A) and CC-240(A) manufactured in 2008.

A label on the side of the water heater lists the model number along with the manufacturing year in YYYY format.

The suspect heaters were sold by wholesale distributors to in-home installers nationwide from February 2008 through March 2009, for between $1,500 and $2,100.

The CPSC warned consumers to immediately stop using and check the model and manufacture year information on their Navien water heater.

Consumers with recalled water heaters should immediately contact Navien to schedule a free repair. Navien will replace all Nylon 66 vent collar with PVC collars. Consumers who continue use of the water heaters while awaiting repair, should have a working carbon monoxide alarm installed outside of sleeping areas in the home.

The CPSC advised  people seeking additional information to contact Navien at (800) 244-8202 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday, or to visit the company’s  website at www.navienamerica.com

http://www.navienamerica.com/

On its own website, Navien said, “In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Navien America Inc. (“Navien”) has, on its own decision, proactively initiated a recall to replace the Nylon 66 exhaust vent collars with PVC collars on certain tankless water heaters.

The vent collars of the products manufactured by Navien in 2008 were not properly connected to the vent pipes in some cases. In the event pressure is applied, then the vent could separate and break away from the collar. If the vent separates from the vent collar, then this could lead to the risk of carbon monoxide leaks and poisoning if the water heater is located inside the house.”

http://www.navienamerica.com/event/notice_view.aspx?idx=12&skin=notice&kind=view

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, according to the CPSC.