I'm not sure everyone has heard about the
massive Kidde fire extinguisher recall, but Kidde is the giant in the field and more than 40 million fire extinguishers are affected. There are two lines of fire extinguishers affected: plastic-handled, and push button.
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced the recall of more than 40 million Kidde disposable fire extinguishers Thursday, saying they may malfunction during an emergency.
The faulty extinguishers are equipped with plastic handles and push-buttons
and can become clogged. Their nozzles also may detach with enough force
"to pose an impact hazard," the CPSC said.
The recall covers 134 models of Kidde plastic-handle fire extinguishers
manufactured between 1973 and August 15, 2017, including models that
were recalled in 2009 and 2015. It also includes eight push-button models manufactured between 1995 and September 22, 2017.
The
company has set up a web page with a couple of pages to help you determine if your fire extinguishers are included - Kidde labels their products for dozens of companies. We just spent the evening inspecting the four we have in various places around the house, and all but one are affected.
Replacements can be applied for online.
If Kidde determines that you have an affected model, the company says it
will send you a replacement within 10 to 15 business days. The new
extinguishers contain metal parts instead of plastic.
I hadn't heard that. I bought 5 of the big Kidde ABC units three years ago for use at Field Day, and I'll check their numbers as soon as we get that stuff unpacked.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info!
Both the garage and the shed extinguishers are affected.
ReplyDeleteAnd with a tiny bit of embarrassed foot shuffle we also realized we need a couple more extinguishers.
Thanks for passing this along. Goes to show that in 2008 when I bought 2 new Kidde extinguishers for the home, I know my selection process went something like "Oh the Pro 5 model has all metal parts". I'm sure glad I made the smart choice back then, since mine are unaffected today.
ReplyDeleteCool. What threw me was the language about plastic handles vs. push buttons until I saw the pictures of what they mean. See, in the ones with the plastic handles, the plastic is a lever that pushes a button.
DeleteSince Kidde virtually owns the small fire extinguisher market, and the recall is back to 1973, this is going to be a disruption. Epic disruption, I bet. I wonder how long it will take to get everything ironed out and replaced?
Blue seems to have First Alert instead. Orange is indeed Kidde.
Delete