Special to CONTRACTOR
UTICA, N.Y. — ECR International, in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, is voluntarily recalling about 8,000 gas-fired boilers.
The boilers could produce excess carbon monoxide, posing a risk of CO poisoning to consumers.
ECR and the CPSC have not received any reports of injuries or incidents relating to these boilers. This recall is being conducted to prevent the possibility of injuries. The firm discovered the problem with these boilers during routine testing.
The recalled boilers have the Dunkirk, Sears Kenmore, Bryant, Carrier, Payne, Lennox and Pennco brand names.
ECR discovered the spacing between the boiler sections is too narrow and could result in spillage of combustion products if the flue is blocked, said Ron Passafaro, vice president/sales and marketing for ECR.
ECR’s vendor retooled its castings last summer and began production of the new sections Aug. 1, 2001, Passafaro said. ECR discovered the problem in February during routine quality control testing. The sections are 11/48 in. too close together.
The boilers are required to meet a CSA International standard of less than 400 ppm of CO. The boilers passed at 100% firing rate and at 106% firing rate, but failed when the flue was blocked.
The standard requires boilers to produce less than 400 ppm of CO for six minutes during a blocked flue condition, after which the spill switch should shut off the burner, Passafaro explained.
When the boilers failed the test, the company compared the new castings to the old castings, discovered the problem and called the CPSC immediuately.
ECR won’t make a claim against its vendor, Passafaro said, because “we should have checked it right from the get go.”
The company has fixed the problem by retrofitting the boilers with a burner that it has used in the past that allows more combustion air.
More than 50% of the 8,000 boilers have been identified already, Passafaro said. All boilers in warehouses or at wholesalers have been fixed. Production was changed over to the corrected castings in April.
The following models and serial numbers are included in the recall:
Dunkirk/Sears Kenmore PVWB-4 through PVWB-9; PWB4 through PWB9; PWB-4 through PWB-9; PWX-4 through PWX-9, with serial numbers from 320100007S - 520100299S and 010200098S - 090200182S.
Lennox GWB8-105E through GWB8-280E, GWB8-105S through GWB8-280S, with serial numbers from 340100148S - 500100600S and 010200199S - 050200279S.
Carrier/Bryant/Payne BW1AAN-000105 - BW1AAN000280; BW-1AAP000105 - BW1AAP000280; BW2AAP000105 - BW2AAP000280, with serial numbers from 3601V-04044S - 5201V08708S and 0102V-000015S - 0902V01118S.
Pennco 1504HWID and 1509HWID (natural gas); 1504HWD and 1509HWD (natural gas); 1502HWID - 1509HWID (LP gas only) and 1502HWD - 1509HWD (LP gas only), serial numbers 90131-0924 through 90152-0424 and 90201-0421 through 90208-0424.
ECR is sending out a replacement kit that includes the replacement burner and orifices. The company will reimburse contractors $75 for labor for the fix, which should take a half hour. Passafaro said the company wants to make sure that contractors are “made whole” and will negotiate the labor reimbursement with contractors in high labor cost areas.
Independent heating contractors sold and installed the boilers nationwide from August 2001 through March 2002.
Consumers should contact ECR International immediately to see if their boiler is includeed in the recall and to arrange for a free repair. Consumers can call ECR International at 800/241- 5501 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or go to the firm’s recall Web site at www.boilerrecall.