The Recall Desk
SevereCPSC·93003·Announced 1992-10-15

Dial Recalls 1990 D5500 Evaporative Water Cooler Pumps Due to Fire Risk

Dial is replacing 150,000 blue D5500 evaporative water cooler pumps sold in 1990 and 1991 because misaligned motor bearings may cause the pumps to fail and catch fire.

What this means for you

Illness, injury, or structural failure has been reported. Stop using the product immediately and contact the manufacturer for a refund or repair.

Our severity reasoning: The recall involves a fire hazard with 119 reported fires resulting in property damage to homes and coolers, which meets the rubric criteria for 'significant injury/property-damage reports' (Score 4).

Plain-English summary

Dial Manufacturing, Inc. is voluntarily replacing 150,000 Model D5500 evaporative water cooler pumps sold in 1990 and 1991. The affected pumps are all blue and have "1990 Taiwan" inscribed on the bottom base plate. These pumps are used in evaporative coolers, commonly known as swamp coolers, which are typically installed on the roofs of homes in drier climates.

The recall is due to a defect where some pumps may have misaligned motor bearings. This misalignment can cause the pumps to fail and, under certain conditions, catch fire. Since 1990, 119 pump fires have been reported to Dial, with 98 occurring in the El Paso, Texas area. Most of these fires resulted in property damage to the cooler cabinets and/or home roofs. No injuries were reported.

Consumers who identify this blue cooler pump should stop using their evaporative coolers until the pump is replaced. Dial will replace any 1990 blue D5500 cooler pump free of charge with a new 1991 red and white D5500 pump or a 1992 red and white D5000 pump. Consumers can call Dial toll-free at 1-800-350-3425 and ask for the returned goods department, or write to Dial Manufacturing, Inc. at 2252 Grand Avenue, Phoenix, Arizona 85009.

The recalled product

Product
Dial blue evaporative water cooler pumps
Manufacturer
Dial
Category
Consumer Product — Home Appliances
Hazard

Distribution

Distributed nationwide across the United States.

Related recalls

Same hazard · fire

See all →