Earlier this week, officials with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall alert for an estimated 1.4 million “pressure-assisted flushing systems manufactured between 1996 and 2013 after nearly 1,500 of the systems burst in toilet tanks.” So far, the incidents of exploding toilets have resulted in 23 injuries and nearly $710,000 in damages. In one case, the unsuspecting victim was injured so severely they had to undergo foot surgery.
Earlier this week, officials with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a recall alert for an estimated 1.4 million “pressure-assisted flushing systems manufactured between 1996 and 2013 after nearly 1,500 of the systems burst in toilet tanks.” So far, the incidents of exploding toilets have resulted in 23 injuries and nearly $710,000 in damages. In one case, the unsuspecting victim was injured so severely they had to undergo foot surgery.
The CPSC issued the recall on Thursday for the Flushmate II 501-B pressure-assisted flushing systems. According to the recall notice, the flushing systems “can burst at or near vessel weld seams and release stored pressure, sometimes with enough force to lift the tank lid and shatter the tank.”
The recalled flushing systems were sold nationwide at popular retailers such as Home Depot and Lowes, as well as “plumbing contractors and distributors” and online retailers from 1996 to 2015. According to the notice, “they were installed in toilets manufactured by American Standard, Corona, Crane, Kohler, and Mansfield.”
To help consumers better identify if they have one of the recalled flushing systems, the CPSC issued the following product description:
“The units are rounded oval, black, two-piece vessels made of injection molded plastic. Recalled units have a date code/serial number that is 15 characters long and is located on the label on top of the Flushmate II 501-B unit. The first six numerals of the serial number are the date code. The date code range for units included in this recall in MMDDYY format is 090396 (September 3, 1996) through 120713 (December 7, 2013). The model code is 10 characters long and is located on the same product label. The model code starts with M and ends with F.”
For the time being, CPSC officials are urging anyone with the recalled systems to stop using them. If you have one of the systems, you may contact Flushmate for a free replacement.
Sources:
Exploding toilets prompt recall of 1.4 million flushing systems
1.4 million flushing systems recalled due to exploding hazard
Join the conversation!