Well over a year ago I did a post about the recall of the flushing mechanisms of some toilets.
Given that there is a high likelihood of there being naked body parts in the proximity of the toilet when the tank explodes—sending ceramic shrapnel across the room—I think it behooves everyone to pay attention to this recall. These toilets can be found in as many as 2.3 million homes across the U.S. Hopefully over the past year that number has dropped significantly.
In the time since I originally posted about this hazard I have found several of these toilets that are on the recall list. Typically recalls are beyond the scope of what a home inspector can deal with in the scope of a Standard Home Inspection, but once the cat is out of the bag it is very hard to put it back in. It is up to every homeowner to do the research necessary to determine if the appliances in their home have been part of a recall. There are online services, like Recall Check, that can be used to discover some of these recalls—otherwise it is important to be lucky.
Here is where you can find out about the Flushmate Recall (Flushmate® III Pressure-Assisted Flushing System Due to Impact and Laceration Hazards)
These pressurized tanks are designed to conserve water while promoting great flushing. Since I continue to see a fair number of these pressurized tank, I figured I would post about this defect again for all of you that may still be living under a rock—or toilet lid (the modern equivalent of not being subscribed to the CPSC).
Living in a modern society, it behooves all of us to subscribe to the Consumer Products Safety Commission email of recalled products and safety announcements.
If you pop the lid on your toilet and it looks like there is the equivalent of a 57 Chevy engine under there, you better check it out—and see who manufactured it.
Check the label on the tank—if the date of manufacture is somewhere between October 14th 1997 and February 29th 2008—your body parts may be at risk.
The circled numbers are the Month/Week/Year of the serial number (April 4th 2007).
By Charles Buell, Real Estate Inspections in Seattle
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