Certain 30 and 40 Gallon A.O. Smith LP and Natural Gas Water Heaters Voluntarily Recalled

WASHINGTON, DC--In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), A.O. Smith Water Products Company of Irving, TX, is voluntarily recalling and replacing approximately 29,000 flue baffles installed in water heaters manufactured and distributed by its McBee, SC facility between April 16, 1991 and July 9, 1991. The affected water heaters are limited to A.O. Smith natural and liquefied petroleum gas 30 and 40 gallon heaters. Only FSG and PGX models with serial numbers beginning with MD91, ME91, MF91, or MG91 are subject to this recall. A.O. Smith electric water heaters have no flue baffle and therefore are not subject to this recall.

Affected models have oversized flue baffles that may produce unacceptably high levels of carbon monoxide, high levels of heat at the bottom of the unit, and result in less efficient operation of the water heater. A.O. Smith has received no reports or claims of injury resulting from the flue baffle.

CPSC was informed of this potentially unsafe flue baffle by A.O. Smith which, in the course of its random testing, discovered that high levels of carbon monoxide were being generated by units fitted with the improperly sized baffles. The company has already replaced the flue baffles in approximately 13,000 affected water heaters.

The affected water heaters were distributed east of the Mississippi River by plumbing wholesalers and distributors. A.O. Smith FSG and PGX model water heaters which were purchased prior to April 1991 or after July 1991 do not contain oversized baffles and are not subject to the recall. Consumers who own one of the affected water heaters and have not already received recall information from the company should contact A.O. Smith Water Products Company toll-free at 1-800-538-9642 to arrange for the free replacement of the flue baffle.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is announcing this recall as part of its mission to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from the unreasonable risk of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury and for information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To order a press release through fax-on-demand, call (301) 504-0051 from the handset of your fax machine and enter the release number. Consumers can report product hazards to info@cpsc.gov.