(WTXL) - About 1.4 million toilet pressure-assisted flushing systems are under recall after Flushmate received reports of their bursting and injuring 23 people.
Flushmate II 501-B pressure-assisted flushing systems can burst at or near the vessel weld seam, releasing stored pressure, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
The pressure can lift the tank lid and shatter the tank, posing impact and laceration hazards to consumers and property damage, officials said.
Flushmate has received 1,446 reports in the U.S. and seven reports in Canada of the units included in this recall bursting, the agency said.
The company received 23 injury reports, with one person requiring foot surgery, and the property damage totals about $710,000.
The black, two-piece vessels were made of injection-molded plastic from Sept. 3, 1996, through Dec. 7, 2013.
The units have a date code/serial number that is 15 characters long and is located on the label on top of the Flushmate II 501-B unit.
The first six numerals of the serial number are the date code. The date code range for units included in this recall in MMDDYY format is 090396 (September 3, 1996) through 120713 (December 7, 2013).
The model code is 10 characters long and is located on the same product label. The model code starts with M and ends with F.
Units included in this recall were sold individually and installed in toilets manufactured by American Standard, Corona, Crane, Kohler and Mansfield.
Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled Flushmate II 501-B systems, officials said. They should turn off the water supply to the unit and flush the toilet to release the internal pressure.
Consumers should contact Flushmate to request a free Flushmate replacement unit and installation by a technician.
Flushmate can be reached toll-free at 844-621-7538 between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m. ET Monday through Friday and between 8 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. ET Saturday, or online at www.flushmate.com and click on “501-B Recall” in the blue box on the top of the page for more information.
The systems were sold in Home Depot and Lowe’s stores and by toilet manufacturers, distributors, plumbing contractors and others nationwide, including online, from September 1996 through December 2015 for about $108 for the units without toilets.
