HRV Recall

Specific Inspection Topics Inspecting HVAC Systems
1

I didn’t realize this recall covered so many makes:

Venmar CES Inc. Recalls Heat Recovery Ventilators Due to Fire Hazard

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: Light Commercial Heat Recovery Ventilators

Units: About 3,400

Manufacturer: Venmar CES Inc., of Saskatoon, Canada

Hazard: The motors in these units can overheat, posing a fire hazard to consumers.

Incidents/Injuries: Venmar CES has received three reports of ventilator motors overheating, resulting in fires which caused property damage.

Description: Light Commercial Heat Recovery Ventilators are designed to exchange air between the inside and outside of a building or home in order to provide fresh air. The recall includes the following brand names and model numbers:

Brand: Model Number
Flair: 150/300 Compact, 300/600 Compact
Venmar: 6LC, HRV600i, 12LC, HRV1200i
PrepAir: PrepAir600i, PrepAir1200i
vane: 6LC, 12LC
Carrier: 62AA-064—101XX, 62AA-127—101XX
York: VIXRDXXA01
Heil: VRC 300 Compact, VRC 600 Compact
Aston: HRV600i, HRV1200i
Broan: HRV650, HRVl150
Venmate: 600H, 1200H

The “X” in the model number can be either a letter or a number. The model number is written on a silver or black label on the outside panel.

Sold by: Heating, plumbing and building supply distributors nationwide from January 1991 through July 2007 for between $1,700 and $2,000.

Manufactured in: Canada

Remedy: Consumers should immediately turn off the ventilator, disconnect it from the power supply, and contact Venmar CES to schedule a technician to install a free repair.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Venmar CES toll-free at (866) 698-6283 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. ET Monday through Sunday or visit the firm’s Web site at www.venmarces.com

2

Here is another one from Lifebreath (NUTEC). Good luck in getting satisfaction on burnt out motors from this recall!
https://www.hrvinfoline.com/

3

Yeah! Right on, Claude!!

Was a 6-7 month dealer for their products summer/fall 1985. In February, found they had a problem with defrost damper motor “Plastic” gear wheels stripping and the cores of the units becoming blocks of ice!! Called…they said “they knew of no problems…must be my installation skills…you know…new to the field” (had been installing 4 yeas by then)

So I went and bought 5 damper motors and installed them on the problem HRV’s…and found a new competing product to sell (Van Ee…still believe in them and now parent company Venmar-owned-by-Broan to this day!!). The following August, I received an unexpected parcel from Lifebreath…15 replacement motors (1 for each unit I had installed), a dozen branded ball caps/T-shirts and a letter of explanation about their problem motors.

I immediately phoned to remind them of my February call to them and that I had actually discovered that problem then. It had cost me about $150 per unit to repair “their” problems. I asked if I could submit a bill for my time and costs. Their response “No, we won’t pay that. We just sent you replacement motors and to boot…the caps and t-shirts!” I said with a great smile on my face…"Well, good then…I made the right choice…I’ve switched to VanEe and have been installing their product since the spring. He tried to ask me “why did I do that?”, but I slammed the phone down!!

4

[quote=jallingham]
I didn’t realize this recall covered so many makes:

Venmar CES Inc. Recalls Heat Recovery Ventilators Due to Fire Hazard

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Venmar CES toll-free at (866) 698-6283 between 7 a.m. and 11 p.m. ET Monday through Sunday or visit the firm’s Web site at (http://www.cpsc.gov/).