Agency Warns Public About Dangerous Furnaces
Sept. 27, 2000 -- Ten years after California consumers began filing complaints about defective attic furnaces linked to some 30 fires, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a warning about the products.
The warning could affect up to 190,000 furnaces built between 1983 and 1994 by Consolidated Industries, a now-bankrupt firm that manufactured machines under numerous namebrands including Amana, Coleman, Kenmore, Premier, Sears and Trane.
The CPSC said it knew about problems with the furnaces since the mid-1990s, but did not recall them because it was prohibited from doing so under federal law while it was still negotiating the issue with the company.
“We have been investigating this case but because of Congress restricts us from doing warnings in the middle of an investigation, we were not able to do it earlier,” said Russ Raider, spokesman for the CPSC. Raider said the agency decided to send out the warning at the start of the heating season when most consumers are likely to check their furnaces.
No serious injuries have been reported as a result of the furnace failures.
Consolidated filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy two years ago, which has prevented the CPSC from mandating that the company honor a recall.
Faulty Part
Officials said the problem with the furnaces is a faulty steel control rod, which was added to satisfy California air quality regulations for nitrous oxide.
“The likelihood of the furnace failing is going to be a matter of when it happens and how much of a fire threat there is around it,” said Gerald Zamiski, an engineer for who has been testing the stoves for the last 10 years.
Consumer advocates say the commission should have moved faster.
“We are disappointed that they haven’t disclosed this information to the public earlier,” said Rachel Wientrab with national association of state Public Interest Research Groups. “We are not sure whether they are legally precluded from doing so but if they are then the law needs to be changed.”
At the same time, Wientrab understands the commission’s restrictions.
“They are always in need to balance three interests: budget constraints, negotiating with manufacturing and protecting the public,” she said.
Damages range from a 1990 blaze in North Tustin that destroyed a Ferrari and ball gowns, to a $750,000 fire in Rancho Palos Verdes in 1995, to a $300,000 blaze in Porter Ranch in 1999. All three fires prompted litigation. Two cases were settled. The Porter Ranch case is pending against a builder and Consolidated.
California homeowners filed a class action lawsuit in 1994 against Consolidated and four distributors: Addison Products, Bard Manufacturing, American Standard/Trane Co. and Amana Appliances. A Santa Clara Superior Court is scheduled to set a trial date inOctober.
A class action lawsuit was also filed in summer by a Bird Rock family who, contractors said, could have died when carbon monoxide leaked from a malfunctioning furnace.
Consolidated has said the cases are statistically insignificant.
Replacing the Furnaces
The commission recommends that a technician look at a furnace first to see if it can be repaired.
Raider said consumers may be able to recover at least some out-of-pocket expenses for replacement or repair of the furnaces but most of the burden will fall on the owners because Consolidated is still under bankruptcy liquidation.
Homeowners with attic furnaces that have one of the following brand names and model letters and numbers should call for an inspection:
Addison, GHC; Amana, GSE; American Best, HCC; American Standard, THN; Bard, ESG; Century, GSH; Comfort Aire, GSH; Coleman, 2505-2509B; Consolidated, HAC/HCC; Franklin Electric, HAC/HCC; Goettl, HCC; Goodman, HAC/HCC; GMC, HAC/HCC; Hamilton Electric, HAC/HCC; Heat Controller, GSH; Janitrol, HAC/HCC; Johnstone, HAC/HCC; Keeprite, HAC/HCC; Kenmore, 735; Liberty, HAC/HCC; Magic Chef, ENG; P.F.C, HAC/HCC; Premier, HAC/HCC; Sears, 735; Sunbelt, HAC/HCC; Sunburst, HAC/HCC; Sundial, GH; Sun Glow, HAC/HCC; Trane, THN; Weatherking, GHC.