The Recall Desk
Our severity:SevereCPSC·79058·Announced 1979-10-15

CPSC Warns Consumers to Stop Using Faulty Thermostat Controls

CPSC warned consumers to stop using Fuel Sentry and Fuel Gard thermostat controls due to fire hazards from overheating carbon resistors.

What this means for you

Our assessment, not the agency’s: severity 4/5 (Severe).

The hazard poses a serious risk of illness, injury, or structural failure. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a fire hazard with 17 reported instances of sparking or flaming, which constitutes significant injury/property-damage reports under the rubric for a score of 4.

Plain-English summary

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) issued a warning on October 15, 1979, advising consumers to stop using two types of faulty energy-saving devices that regulate home thermostats. The affected products include approximately 20,000 "Automatic Day/Night" thermostat controls manufactured by Fuel Sentry Corporation and 19,500 "Home Energy Saver" thermostat controls manufactured by Fuel Gard Corporation. These devices consist of a small rectangular heater and an electric timer designed to be mounted beneath a thermostat to shut off the home furnace at predesignated times.

The heaters were manufactured with integral carbon resistors that may overheat and start fires. Since July 1977, the defective heaters have caused at least 17 instances of sparking or flaming. In two instances, the adhesive backing of the heater melted, causing the unit to fall onto combustible materials. No injuries have been reported. CPSC staff believes the timers can be used safely with other appliances, but the specific thermostat control heaters are hazardous.

Fuel Sentry heaters were manufactured between September 1976 and August 1977, and between November 1977 and May 1978. They are labeled "Activator" on the front and have specific date codes on the back. Only units with a brown-colored carbon resistor visible through the key-hole slot are potentially hazardous. Fuel Sentry announced a recall in 1978, but the company has since filed for bankruptcy. Owners should return products to retailers for refunds or replacements or contact the CPSC hotline. Fuel Gard heaters have a simulated wood finish and are labeled "Fuel Gard" in raised lettering; CPSC is working with Fuel Gard to develop a corrective program.

The recalled product

Product
Activators Fuel Sentry thermostat controls
Manufacturer
Fuel Gard
Category
Consumer Product — Thermostat Controls
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

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