LP Gas Water Heaters Repaired by White-Rodgers
Home product recall 80-042. Announced by CPSC on Dec 4, 1980.
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 Dec 4, 1980. 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?
Explosion/Projectiles
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
What should you do?
The notice gives no remedy in a field of its own.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Which ones are recalled?
LP Gas Water Heaters Repaired by White-Rodgers LP (liquid Propane) gas water heaters which contain a thermostat manufactured by the White-Rodgers division of Emerson Electric Co. of St. Louis, Missouri. The water heaters were sold between 1961 and 1980 predominantly to rural homeowners by the A.O. Smith Corporation of Kankakee, Illinois, and by Sears, Roebuck and Co. of Chicago, Illinois. A.O. Smith manufactured its own water heaters during this period and sold them through plumbing wholesalers and contractors; the Sears water heaters were manufactured by State Industries. In settlement of its alleged failure to report promptly these explosions to the Commission as required by law, White-Rodgers has agreed to pay $420,000. Thermostats produced by White-Rodgers from 1976 through 1980 had different pilot gas control knobs and were installed in LP gas water heaters manufactured by A.O. Smith, Rheem Manufacturing Co., the W.L. Jackson Manufacturing Co., and State Industries. These water heaters were sold by Sears, Montgomery Ward Co., and a variety of plumbing supply outlets. The post-1976 thermostats incorporated into water heaters manufactured by State Industries, A.O. Smith, Rheem Manufacturing Co. and W.L. Jackson Manufacturing Co. do not contain the pilot gas control knobs involved in the explosions described above, and are being replaced solely to meet certain “state of the art” standards met by the current White-Rodgers thermostats. A total of 56 different brand names of water heaters manufactured by the above-listed companies are being covered by the recall program. This recall program is expected to cost the comuanies which signed the agreement with CPSC anywhere from $5 million to $9 million during the next year, although they recognize that this figure does not represent a ceiling on the potential cost of the program. A list of the brand names is attached to this press release. Following negotiations with CPSC staff, White-Rodgers agreed to mail safety alert notices to all the identifiable users of LP gas in the United States -- or an estimated 15 million households. Each notice will describe the White-Rodgers thermostat which is eligible for replacement. If consumers believe that their water heater contains one of the potentially hazardous thermostats, they are instructed to telephone a toll-free hotline at White-Rodgers headquarters (800-325-9589) to arrange for replacement with a new, modified thermostat free-of-charge to consumers. (Residents of Missouri, Alaska or Hawaii should call the company collect at 314-631-9321). Trade Names Of Water Heaters Possibly Having White-Rodgers Thermostats A. O. Smith Co. Sears Rheem MFG. Co. W. L. Jackson MFG. Co. State Industries A. O. Smith American Standard Arcoglas Arcoglas Classic Conservationist Continental Energy Saver 5 Energy Saver 10 Fuel Saver 1 Futura Gas 1 Gas 2 Gas 3 Glascote Kee Minnegasco National Permaglas Signet Economiser Homart Honor Bilt Powermiser Sears (series ranges from 15 up to 600) Right Right 10 Right Miser Right Miser 10 Montgomery Ward (models 33032, 33158, 33166, 33376) Big O Gibson Hermitage Jackson Marathon Metermiser Plum Easy Presto Simonson Tempmaster Tip Top Ambassador Aqua-Lux Censible Coop Courier Economaster Imperial Citation Master Service Mission Modern President Ready-Hot Sentry Superlife Sutherlite Thermo-King
A. O. Smith American Standard LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Arcoglas Classic LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Arcoglas LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Conservationist LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Continental LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Energy Saver 10 LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Energy Saver 5 LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Fuel Saver 1 LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Futura LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Gas 1 LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Gas 2 LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Gas 3 LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Glascote LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Kee LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Minnegasco LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith National LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Permaglas LP gas water heaters, A. O. Smith Signet LP gas water heaters, JW. L. Jackson ackson LP gas water heaters, Rheem Montgomery Ward LP gas water heaters, Rheem Right 10 LP gas water heaters, Rheem Right LP gas water heaters, Rheem Right Miser 10 LP gas water heaters, Rheem Right Miser LP gas water heaters, Sears Economiser LP gas water heaters, Sears Homart LP gas water heaters, Sears Honor Bilt LP gas water heaters, Sears LP gas water heaters, Sears Powermiser LP gas water heaters, State Industries Ambassador LP gas water heaters, State Industries Aqua-Lux LP gas water heaters, State Industries Censible LP gas water heaters, State Industries Coop LP gas water heaters, State Industries Courier LP gas water heaters, State Industries Economaster LP gas water heaters, State Industries Imperial Citation LP gas water heaters, State Industries Master Service LP gas water heaters, State Industries Mission LP gas water heaters, State Industries Modern LP gas water heaters, State Industries President LP gas water heaters, State Industries Ready-Hot LP gas water heaters, State Industries Sentry LP gas water heaters, State Industries Superlife LP gas water heaters, State Industries Sutherlite LP gas water heaters, State Industries Thermo-King LP gas water heaters, W. L. Jackson Big O LP gas water heaters, W. L. Jackson Gibson LP gas water heaters, W. L. Jackson Hermitage LP gas water heaters, W. L. Jackson Marathon LP gas water heaters, W. L. Jackson Metermiser LP gas water heaters, W. L. Jackson Plum Easy LP gas water heaters, W. L. Jackson Presto LP gas water heaters, W. L. Jackson Simonson LP gas water heaters, W. L. Jackson Tempmaster LP gas water heaters, W. L. Jackson Tip Top LP gas water heaters and White-Rodgers Thermostat.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Who made and sold it?
- Made by Coop.
- Made by Censible.
- Made by Aqua-Lux.
- Made by Ready-Hot.
- Made by Sentry.
- Made by Superlife.
- Made by Sutherlite.
- Made by Glascote.
- Made by Ambassador.
- Made by Energy Saver 10.
- Made by Modern.
- Made by President.
- Made by Continental.
- Made by Jackson.
- Made by Marathon.
- Made by Metermiser.
- Made by Plum Easy.
- Made by Presto.
- Made by Simonson.
- Made by White-Rodgers.
- Made by Conservationist.
- Made by Mission.
- Made by Energy Saver 5.
- Made by Futura.
- Made by Arcoglas.
- Made by Tip Top.
- Made by A.O. Smith.
- Made by Courier.
- Made by Fuel Saver 1.
- Made by Tempmaster.
- Made by Hermitage.
- Made by Powermiser.
- Made by W. L. Jackson.
- Made by Gibson.
- Made by Thermo-King.
- Made by Right Miser.
- Made by Honor Bilt.
- Made by Economaster.
- Made by Right.
- Made by Sears.
- Made by American Standard.
- Made by State Industries.
- Made by Big O.
- Made by Master Service.
- Made by Montgomery Ward.
- Made by Right Miser 10.
- Made by Gas 2.
- Made by Right 10.
- Made by Homart.
- Made by Gas 1.
- Made by Rheem.
- Made by Kee.
- Made by Minnegasco.
- Made by National.
- Made by Imperial Citation.
- Made by Permaglas.
- Made by Signet.
- Made by Economiser.
- Made by Gas 3.
CPSC, Recalls API. Checked Oct 19, 2026. Updated daily.
Was anyone hurt?
The notice doesn’t say whether anyone was hurt.
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
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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.