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Office of Information and Public Affairs |
Washington, DC 20207 |
Note: Phone Number Change.
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
CONTACT: |
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Originally issued November 1, 1993 |
(301) 504-7908 |
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Release # 94-004a |
PRODUCT: Approximately 4,000 Borg-Warner, Luxaire, Fraser- Johnson, and Moncrief "Heatpipe" furnaces manufactured and sold by York International Corporation between 1984 and 1988.
PROBLEM: Parts of the furnace and vent system may fail prematurely. Failure of vent components could allow potentially hazardous carbon monoxide (CO) gas to leak into the home.
WHAT TO DO: Owners of affected furnaces should call York at 1-877-874-7378 to obtain a free replacement furnace. York is providing a $200 allowance toward the cost of installing the replacement furnace.
WASHINGTON, DC -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today announced that York International Corporation of York, PA has voluntarily offered to replace all Borg-Warner, Luxaire, Fraser-Johnson, and Moncrief "HeatPipe" furnaces. York initiated this warranty enhancement program because certain parts of the furnace and vent system may fail prematurely. Failure of certain furnace and vent components could allow potentially hazardous carbon monoxide (CO) gas to leak into the home.
York manufactured approximately 10,000 HeatPipe furnaces between 1984 and 1988 under the brand names Borg-Warner, Luxaire, Fraser-Johnson, and Moncrief. These mid-efficiency furnaces can be identified by the following model numbers: Luxaire/Frasier- Johnson/Moncrief (models PAUT-LD08N073, PAUT-LD12N073, PAUT- LD12N105, and PAUT-LD16N105); Borg-Warner/York (models P1NUD08N06301, P1NUD12N06301, P1NUD12N08901, and P1NUD16NO8901). York estimates approximately 4,000 HeatPipe furnaces remain in use.
Under York's warranty program, HeatPipe furnace owners may obtain a free replacement furnace of similar capacity and efficiency to their HeatPipe. Replacement of the HeatPipe furnaces will require professional installation and replacement of some or all of the furnaces' venting components. York will provide a $200 allowance toward the cost of installing the replacement furnace.
CPSC urges anyone with a HeatPipe furnace to participate in the HeatPipe replacement program. Consumers can call York at 1-877-874-7378 or contact an authorized York, Fraser-Johnson, or Luxaire dealer to obtain a new replacement furnace. York is sending a letter to all known HeatPipe owners explaining the warranty program.
Additionally, CPSC advises all owners of furnaces and fuel- burning appliances to have a competent service technician inspect their appliances and furnaces before the heating season begins. This inspection should include checking the furnace's vent system for corrosion or openings through which carbon monoxide could leak, as well as checking to make sure the furnace is operating properly. Only a qualified service technician should perform repairs or maintenance. CPSC recommends that consumers also purchase and install carbon monoxide detectors that meet the requirements of Underwriters Laboratories (UL) Standard 2034. These detectors warn consumers before hazardous levels of carbon monoxide are present. CO is a colorless, odorless gas that can cause serious illness or death.
CPSC's mission is to protect the public from unreasonable risks of injury and death associated with consumer products. The Commission's objective is to reduce the estimated 28.6 million injuries and 21,700 deaths associated each year with the 15,000 different types of consumer products under CPSC's jurisdiction.