Dehumidifier Recall Information

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

Release # 10-316

Additional Reports of Fires and Low Consumer Response Rate Prompt Reannouncement of Goldstar and Comfort-Aire Dehumidifier Recall

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

Name of Product: Portable Dehumidifiers

Units: About 98,000 (previously recalled in December 2009)

Manufacturer: LG Electronics Tianjin Appliance Co., of China

Hazard: The power connector for the dehumidifier's compressor can short circuit, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: LG has received four additional reports of fires involving the recalled dehumidifiers, including one that resulted in significant damage to a home. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves 30-pint portable dehumidifiers sold under the brand names in the chart below. The dehumidifiers are white with a red shut-off button, controls for fan speed and humidity control and a front-loading water bucket. "Goldstar" or "Comfort-Aire" is printed on the front. The model and serial numbers are printed on the interior of the dehumidifiers and can be viewed after the water bucket is removed.

Brand: Goldstar | Model No. GHD30Y7 | Sold at: Home Depot Serial Number Range: 611TAxx00001~08400, 611TAxx08401~40600, 612TAxx00001~20400, 612TAxx21001~30600

Brand: Goldstar | Model No. DH305Y7 | Sold at: Walmart Serial Number Range: 612TAxx00001~00600, 701TAxx00001~16800, 702TAxx00001~03000

Brand: Comfort-Aire | Model No. BHD-301-C | Sold at: Heat Controller Inc.
Serial Number Range: 611TA000001~001697, 612TA000001~004200, 701TA000001~000578, 710TA000001~000599

Sold at: The Home Depot, Walmart and Heat Controller Inc. nationwide from January 2007 through June 2008 for between $140 and $150.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled dehumidifier, contact LG to determine if it is included in the recall and return it to an authorized LG service center for a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact LG toll-free at (877) 220-0479 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday and between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT on Saturday for the location of an authorized LG service center for the repair, or visit the firm's website at www.30pintdehumidifierrecall.com

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10316.html

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

Release # 10-096

Dehumidifiers Recalled by LG Electronics Tianjin Appliance Due to Fire and Burn Hazards

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

Name of Product: Portable Dehumidifiers

Units: About 98,000

Manufacturer: LG Electronics Tianjin Appliance Co., of China

Hazard: The power connector for the dehumidifier's compressor can short circuit, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: LG has received 11 reports of property damage incidents involving arcing, heat, smoke, including four fires that spread to the building structure and involved significant smoke/water damage. No injuries have been reported.

Description: This recall involves 30 pint portable dehumidifiers sold under the brand names in the chart below. The dehumidifiers are white with a red shut-off button, controls for fan speed and humidity control and a front-loading water bucket. "Goldstar" or "Comfort-Aire" is printed on the front. The model and serial numbers are printed on the interior of the dehumidifiers and can be viewed after the water bucket is removed.

Brand / Model No. / Serial Number Range / Sold at Goldstar / GHD30Y7 / 611TAxx00001~08400, 611TAxx08401~40600, 612TAxx00001~20400, 612TAxx21001~30600 / Home Depot Goldstar / DH305Y7 / 612TAxx00001~00600, 701TAxx00001~16800, 702TAxx00001~03000 / Wal-Mart Comfort-Aire / BHD-301-C / 611TAxx00001~01697, 612TAxx00001~04200, 701TAxx00001~00578, 710TAxx00001~00599 / Heat Controller Inc.

Sold at: The Home Depot, Walmart and Heat Controller Inc. nationwide from January 2007 through June 2008 for between $140 and $150.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled dehumidifier, contact LG to determine if it is included in the recall and return it to an authorized LG service center for a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact LG toll-free at (877) 220-0479 between 8 a.m. and 7 p.m. CT Monday through Friday and between 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. CT on Saturday for the location of an authorized LG service center for the repair, or visit the firm's Web site at www.30pintdehumidifierrecall.com

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including pictures of the recalled products, please go to:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10096.html

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

Release # 10-082 

Home Depot Recalls Dehumidifiers Due to Fire and Burn Hazards

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: Hampton Bay Dehumidifiers

Units: About 2,000

Importer: The Home Depot, of Atlanta, Ga.

Hazard: An internal component can fail causing the dehumidifier to overheat, posing fire and burn hazards to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Home Depot has received 18 reports of the dehumidifiers catching fire. One consumer reported a burn injury to his forearm.

Description: The dehumidifiers are beige, have four wheels, and measure 21 inches high, 13 ½ inches wide and 17 ½ inches long. "Hampton Bay" is printed on the front panel. Model HB-50 is being recalled. The model number is printed on the back interior panel.

Sold at: The Home Depot from November 2000 through May 2007 for between $120 and $150.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled dehumidifiers and contact Home Depot to receive a gift card for the full amount of the purchase price.

Consumer Contact: For additional information, contact The Home Depot at (800) 553-3199 between 8:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit the firm's Web site at www.homedepot.com

To see this recall on CPSC's web site, including a picture of the recalled product, please go to:

http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml10/10082.html

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

Release # 03-019

CPSC, W.C. Wood Company Announce Recall of Dehumidifiers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), W.C. Wood Company, of Ottawa, Ohio, is voluntarily recalling about 2,500 dehumidifiers. Internal wiring can abrade on metal parts, presenting a risk of electric shock to consumers if the insulation wears through.

W.C. Wood discovered the problem through routine testing. No injuries or incidents have been reported. This recall is being done to prevent the possibility of injury.

The recall includes Wood's and Edison model 40-pint capacity dehumidifiers. The dehumidifiers were sold in white (Wood's) and beige (Edison) plastic with the word "Wood's" or "Edison" printed across the control panel. Both models have control knobs for fan speed and humidity level, and a "bucket full" light. The model and serial numbers are written on a label behind the removable water bucket on the front of the unit. The label reads in part, "Wood's" or "Edison" and "Made in Canada."

Model Name	Model Number	Serial Number
Wood's	WMD40W	08603098 - 08822606
Edison	EMD40	08669467 - 08669490

Independent retailers sold the dehumidifiers nationwide from March 2002 through June 2002 for between $160 and $190.

Consumers should stop using and unplug the recalled dehumidifiers immediately. To arrange for a free repair, consumers can call W.C. Wood at (800) 826-8578 between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. ET Monday through Friday. For more information, consumers can visit the firm's web site at www.wcwood.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unreasonable risks 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, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. For information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call the above numbers or visit the web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/103.html. 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 obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

Release # 02-096

CPSC, Whirlpool Announce Recall of Dehumidifiers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), Whirlpool Corp., of Benton Harbor, Mich., is voluntarily recalling about 1.4 million dehumidifiers. The dehumidifiers can overheat, posing a fire hazard.

Whirlpool has received 13 reports of the dehumidifiers overheating and causing fires, three of which resulted in extensive property damage. No injuries have been reported.

The recalled dehumidifiers were sold under the Whirlpool, Kenmore and ComfortAire brand names. The dehumidifiers are white plastic, about 2-feet high and have a front-mounted water bucket. They have serial numbers that begin with QG, QH, QJ, QK or QL. The serial number can be found on a label located on the wall behind the water bucket.

Department and appliance stores nationwide sold the dehumidifiers from February 1997 through December 2001 for between $130 and $260. Consumers should stop using these dehumidifiers and unplug them immediately. Contact Whirlpool to arrange for a free repair at (866) 640-7139 anytime or visit the firm's web site at www.repair.whirlpool.com.

Dehumidifiers with water buckets located in back are not involved in the recall.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unreasonable risks 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, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. For information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call the above numbers or visit the web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/103.html. 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 obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.

Office of Information and Public Affairs

Washington, DC 20207

Release # 01-130

CPSC, LG Electronics Inc. Announce Recall of Goldstar, General Electric, and Sears Kenmore Dehumidifiers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), LG Electronics Inc., of Seoul, South Korea, is voluntarily recalling about 100,000 Goldstar, General Electric, and Sears Kenmore portable dehumidifiers. These dehumidifiers have an internal electrical connection that can overheat, presenting a potential fire hazard to consumers.

LG Electronics has received seven reports of dehumidifiers overheating, including four reports of fire within the units, with smoke damage to surrounding objects. No injuries have been reported.

The recalled dehumidifiers are white, with a red auto shut off button, and regulators for fan speed and humidity control. The dehumidifiers were manufactured between November 1998 and May 1999, and have the following brand names and model numbers: Goldstar DH2510, DH4010 and DH5010; General Electric AHG25LAG1, AHG40LAG1 and AHG50LAG1; and Sears Kenmore 580.59600890 (60-pint model only). The brand name is located to the left of the control unit. The model number is located behind the condensate bucket, on a sticker on the left hand side.

Mass merchandise and department stores nationwide sold the dehumidifiers from January 1999 through December 1999 for between $100 and $200.

Consumers should stop using the dehumidifiers immediately and call LG Electronics toll-free (800) 651-1602 anytime for a free repair. Consumers also can log on the company's website at www.easyrecalldehumidifier.com.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from unreasonable risks 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, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270, or visit CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. For information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call the above numbers or visit the web site at http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/pubs/103.html. 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 obtain this release and recall information at CPSC's web site at http://www.cpsc.gov.