Special to contractor
WASHINGTON — NY Thermal Inc. of Sussex, New Brunswick, Canada, and the the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a voluntary recall in early April of a component of the NTI Trinity gas-fired hot water boilers.
About 4,800 boilers are affected. A fitting in the condensate drain line can corrode from acidic condensate, potentially resulting in a carbon monoxide leak.
"One of the interior fittings on the boiler is defective," NTI President Kevin Dennison told CONTRACTOR. "It won't withstand the acid in the condensate, and we noticed that in a few instances it will disintegrate. We announced the voluntary recall to replace the fitting because we can't predict when it is going to fail."
The fitting deteriorated in operating conditions when the condensate is 20 times more acidic than normal. The company has been unable to come up with a definitive answer why the condensate can become so acidic, but Dennison said it seems to be related to high methane content in the outdoor air from agriculture, fertilizer, crop dusting or heavy industry.
NY Thermal has received one report outside the United States of a leaking fitting resulting in a CO alarm activation. No injuries have been reported.
This recall affects only Trinity "Ti" models manufactured between Nov. 28, 2005, and Jan. 8, 2007, or with serial number greater than 16,000. NTI is providing free upgrade kits for all affected units, together with a reimbursement to perform the work.
NTI has sent repair kits to all its wholesalers. Labor allowance for the repair is $65. Kits are also available by calling 800/688-2575 between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday.
The Ti100, Ti150 and Ti200 are wall-mounted units, and the Ti400 rests on the floor. The boilers are gray and "NTI" appears on the front cover. The model number and date of manufacture are located on the ID label inside the front cover of the boiler.
The boilers were sold nationwide from November 2005 through February 2007. Photos of the product are available on CPSC's Website at www.cpsc.gov/. Detailed instructions and photos of how the fitting should be changed out appear on NTI's Website at www.nythermal.com.