CPSC Warns of Shock Hazard in Ambory Portable Electric Water Heaters
The CPSC issued a warning for four models of Ambory portable immersible electric water heaters due to a serious shock hazard that reportedly caused a fatality.
What this means for you
Highest-severity recall. Risk of serious injury or death is documented or strongly suspected. Stop using the product now and follow the agency's instructions.
Our severity reasoning: The source text explicitly reports a fatality (electrocution of a 17-year-old girl), which mandates a Critical severity score of 5 according to the rubric.
Plain-English summary
The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning on October 21, 1977, regarding a serious shock hazard associated with certain portable, immersible electric water heaters manufactured by Ambory Corp. of Hazel Park, Michigan. The affected models are the "Ambory Special," "Jiffy, Jr.," "Jiffy, Sr.," and "Ram." These heaters feature an exposed resistive heating element within a perforated metal case that allows water to contact the powered mechanism, creating a risk of serious shock or electrocution.
The warning follows a reported electrocution of a 17-year-old girl in Little Fork, Minnesota, involving one of these heaters. CPSC estimates that approximately 50,000 of these units are currently in consumers' hands. The products were distributed nationwide and sold primarily in hardware stores and tack shops.
On October 20, 1977, the Commission authorized staff to proceed against Ambory Corp. to remove the alleged hazard from the marketplace. Consumers are urged to take extreme caution when using these heaters, ensuring they do not touch the water or container while the heater is on, and to unplug the device before testing water temperature. Anyone aware of shock or electrocution incidents should call the CPSC hotline at 800/638-2772.
The recalled product
- Product
- Ambory Special, Ram, Jiffy Sr./Jr. portable immersible electric water heaters
- Manufacturer
- Ambory
Distribution
Distributed nationwide across the United States.
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