Rheem recall

[John Arnold]

Rheem Recalls to Repair Oil-Fired Furnaces Due to Fire Hazard

NEWS from CPSC
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
Office of Information and Public Affairs
Washington, DC 20207

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2009
Release #09-104

Firm's Recall Hotline: (800) 577-3960
CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Rheem Recalls to Repair Oil-Fired Furnaces Due to Fire Hazard

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed.

Name of Product: Rheem, Ruud and United Refrigeration Oil-Fired Furnaces

Units: About 14,000

Manufacturer: Air Conditioning Division of Rheem Manufacturing Co., of Fort Smith, Ark.

Hazard: If the furnace is not properly wired, the oil burner can continue to operate when the blower shuts off, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Rheem has received one report in which the furnace was incorrectly wired. No injuries or property damage have been reported.

Description: This recall involves oil-fired furnaces sold under the Rheem, Ruud and United Refrigeration brands. Only the models beginning with the model numbers listed in the chart below and with date codes ending in 0106 through 5206, 0107 through 5207, or 0108 through 4808 are included in this recall. The model number and date code (designated by the four digits following an "M" in the middle of the serial number) are printed on the unit's rating plate, which is on the left wall of the furnace's interior just above the burner. The rating plate can be found by opening the unit's burner access door, which has slotted openings.

Model # Brand & Description
ROBF Rheem Classic/Ruud Achiever High Efficiency Upflow Oil Furnace
ROPF Rheem Classic/Ruud Achiever High Efficiency Downflow/Horizontal Oil Furnace
TZOUP United Refrigeration "Thermal Zone" Upflow Oil Furnace
TZODH United Refrigeration "Thermal Zone" Downflow/ Horizontal Oil Furnace

Sold by: Contractors nationwide to consumers from January 2006 through December 2008 as part of installed systems for between $1,500 and $10,000.

Manufactured in: United States

Remedy: Consumers should immediately contact the contractor who installed the oil furnace to arrange for a free inspection and repair, if necessary.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact Rheem at (800) 577-3960 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. CT Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at Rheem Manufacturing Company is one of the world's leading manufacturers of residential Air Conditioners, Heat Pumps, Gas Furnaces, Air Handlers and Commercial HVAC products.

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recall product, please go to: Rheem Recalls to Repair Oil-Fired Furnaces Due to Fire Hazard

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[John Arnold]

More info from Rheem website: SAFETY RECALL NOTICE

[Sal Castro]

Interestingly enough, I am fairly certain I am the "one report" mentioned in the CPSC recall. I had the experience in my own home and followed up with this letter to an engineer I had been discussing it with at Rheem.

ATTN: Harold C ......................RE: Model ROBF-112
Dear Mr. C, ..............................Serial : DR 172 M090700088

I thought you would be interested in a follow up to my previous attached letter after our telephone conversation.

A different serviceman from my oil company arrived today and saw the problem and fixed it all within the first 5 minutes without replacing parts. He had seen it before.

If you remember,
Thermostat calls for heat and the burner runs for 60 seconds approximately.
Burner shuts off for 2 seconds.
Blower starts and runs for 30 seconds.
Blower shuts off for 2 seconds

As it turns out, the installer put the two thermostat wires on the nearby relay directly bypassing the controller, so the burner would run until it reached the safety limit and then the fan would run until it cooled it down.

In all fairness, the mistake was not that hard to make and it may be more common than you think on systems without central air conditioning.

There are two spare terminals on the relay that match the color code and size of the thermostat wires and look like the right spot to put them, especially when the thermostat then starts the burner upon testing.

The actual terminals R& W, already have heavier gage wires on them and the thermostat wires need to be doubled up there. This appears this way on the wiring diagram but better labeling might be a good idea. In fact you may consider publishing a service bulletin on it. My unit ran half the winter this way and others may be similarly connected.


Thank you for your assistance,
Sal Castro, P.E.