CPSC, In-Sink-Erator Announce Recall to Repair Instant Hot Water Dispensers
Home product recall 02-189. Announced by CPSC on Jun 27, 2002.
Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own notice is on cpsc.gov.
The short answer
Announced by CPSC on Jun 27, 2002. Copied from CPSC on Oct 19, 2026.
Every line below is in CPSC’s own words, with its source beside it.
What’s wrong with it?
Water can leak from the metal holding tank, wet insulating material and cause electrical arcing and heat build-up. This poses a fire hazard.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
Consumers should unplug their hot water dispensers immediately, check the serial number and contact In-Sink-Erator, if their unit is part of the recall. Consumers with affected units will receive a replacement insulation shield.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
- How to reach the firm: For more information and a complete list of brands, consumers can contact In-Sink-Erator at (800) 295-8727 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday or visit the firm’s website at www.insinkerator.com
Which ones are recalled?
The recalled hot water dispensers are half-gallon capacity models, made in the USA and sold under various brand names, including In-Sink- Erator®, ISE®, Steamin’ Hot®, Emerson®, Dayton™, ACE™, Kenmore® and Kohler™. The serial number (S/N) is printed on a specification plate attached to the metal holding tank. This recall involves instant hot water dispensers with serial numbers (some begin with two letters) 999- 10 or those that fall between 1000 and 3084000. One-third gallon capacity instant hot water dispensers manufactured by In-Sink-Erator are not involved in this recall.
About 252,200 units, as CPSC gives them.
Hot water dispensers.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
CPSC’s photos
CPSC shows 1 photo on its notice. Hearth Record doesn’t copy them; each opens on cpsc.gov.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by In-Sink-Erator, Racine, Wis.
- Plumbers, building contractors, home centers and hardware stores sold these instant hot water dispensers, from January 1972 through December 1996, for between $100 and $250.
- Made in United States, as the notice gives it.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
In-Sink-Erator has received three reports of holes in the electrical insulation or outer cover of the hot water dispenser. One report involved a kitchen fire that caused nearly $7,000 in property damage. No injuries have been reported.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What the record doesn’t say
- The notice lists no UPCs, so check the model, the description and the photos.
- The notice lists no model numbers in a field of their own; its description may give them.
- How many have been returned or fixed isn’t in the notice.
Hearth Record wrote these lines.
Sources
-
U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, Recalls API.
Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.
Recalls of kids’ and home products are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC). CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record. Copied on Oct 19, 2026.