Knowledge Centre

Products are recalled off the shelve far more often than we realize, however once a product has made in into our home there’s often no way to know if its been recalled or poses a safety risk. To help you stay informed and keep your family safe we’ve put together a list of the latest recalls to be aware of and what to do if you have one of these products. It’s important to keep an eye on recalls as there are faulty products have caused house fires and even fatalities in serve cases. The information below is sourced from Energy Safe Victoria.

The most important thing you can do to protect your family is to ensure your switchboard has safety switches to protect your family from these faults, if you’re ensure if you have safety switches or not simply call us on 1300 306 342 to arrange a free electrical safety inspection.

Here are a few of the latest recalls to be aware of:

Gasmate portable heaters

Sitro Group Australia has voluntarily recalled its Gasmate BH60 and Jackeroo KBH60 portable butane heaters after several faults became apparent with the products.  They have advised customers that is the product is not strictly used in accordance with the operation manual they may be risk of serious injury or even death.

Customers are advised to stop using the appliance immediately, and contact Sitro Group Australia Customer Service on 1300 174 876.

Primus portable butane camping heaters

Primus Australia, trading as Companion Brands, has recalled their portable butane camping heaters due to a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The Companion COMP243 model available in camping stores and the Adventuridge 41480 available for sale in Aldi stores have been affected. These portable camping heaters are strictly for outdoor use only. If not used in accordance with manufacturer’s instructions there is a risk of injury or death from carbon monoxide poisoning.

Consumers should stop using the product immediately. A replacement unit is currently being tested and finalized. Consumers can register to receive a replacement unit by contacting the Companion Brands Customer Service Line on 1300 555 197 and selecting option 3 (warranty) or emailing productsafety@companionbrands.com.au

NutriBlend and NutriInfusion blenders

Brands Developers Ltd has voluntarily recalled NutriBlend and NutriInfusion stainless steel blenders that were sold in Australia via the TV Shop and at live events from March to September 2015. NutriBlend model XJ-13409 and NutriInfusion model XJ-13409 are both being recalled as they have an internal component made of unsuitable material. If spilled liquid enters the internal part of the blender it has the potential to cause a fire.

Customers should immediately stop using these products and register their details online at www.nutrifusion.com.au recall or phone 1800 278 524 for information on how to return the product for repair free of charge.

Big W Abode electric blanket

Big W has re-announced a product recall of Abode electric blankets that were sold in Big W stores nationally between March 2009 and August 2012. The first recall was issued in June 2013 and Big W has re-issued the recall due to the potential fire hazard posed by these products. The recall applies to:

• Abode electric blanket single— model no. BA111, keycode 7089466
• Abode electic blanket single fitted— model no. BA211, keycode 7089527
• Abode electric blanket queen/double— model BA212, keycode 7089691

The product can be identified by the model number at the top of the label attached to the blanket. The blankets have a defect whereby the controller cord may fatigue, causing an internal short circuit and overheating. Affected units pose a potential fire hazard. This recall does not apply to other products in the Abode product range.

Customers should immediately cease using these products and return them to Big W stores for a full refund.

Fisher & Paykel Electric Cooktops

Fisher & Paykel has recalled two models of electric cooktop sold in Australia since 2011. The cooktops are ceramic glass with the control panel and dials positioned at the front right. Liquid can leak down into the electrical components in the event of a spill around the control panel and dials. This may cause an electric shock when touching the control panel, dials or spilled liquid. The affected model numbers start with CE604CB, CE604LB or CE905CB. The serial number range begins with 1, 2, 3, 4, BK, BL, BU, BY, EF, EI, ES.

No other models of cooktops; gas, induction or electric with slide controls are affected.

Model and serial numbers on the appliance are not easily accessible but may be found on the back cover of the User Guide. If the User Guide is not available and this type of cooktop has been purchased since 2011, contact Fisher & Paykel to help identify whether the cooktop is included in the recall and if required, book a free visit from a technician by phoning 1300 650 590.

Microsoft Tablet Power Cables

Microsoft has recalled some of its tablet power cords due to concerns over electric shock and possible fire risks. The product is an appliance connector on a cord set supplied with Microsoft power supply model 1536. The brand of the appliance connector is VLX and the model number is MFC7S.

The recall includes cords supplied with the Surface Pro, Pro 2 and Pro 3 tablets that were sold from 2013 to 15 July 2015 through the Microsoft online store, Harvey Norman and JB Hi-Fi. Microsoft has sold 292,000 units worldwide and has identified that one in every 5000 units has failed.

Owners of the affected products are being asked to immediately discard their cords. To get a replacement cord at no cost owners are required to complete an online form.

Bosch Sanders

Bosch sanders recalled Bosch is currently recalling appliances from its PSS sander series that were sold in Australian hardware stores between June 2007 and August 2009. The recall includes Bosch PSS Sander Series PSS 2, PSS 20, PSS 190, PSS 200, PSS 250 and PSS 2000. The ventilation wheel has a defect that could cause a break in the device housing. If the housing is broken then smaller parts of the ventilation wheel could be ejected and the risk of injury cannot be excluded. There is the possibility of electric shock if live components are exposed from broken housing.

Bosch is asking consumers to stop using the sander and visit www.sandercare.com to find out if the sander is affected. Alternatively, consumers can phone the Bosch hotline on 0011 800 8364 6704 for details on how to receive a replacement model.

What else can you do?  – Make sure you have safety switches in your switchboard.

Having safety switch’s can reduce your risk and protect your family from theses faults, if you not sure what a safety switch does you find more information in our other blogs or book in a free safety inspection today.