Hearth Record

Back to Vacuum cleaners

Stanley vacuum cleaners

2 reports to CPSC, the latest made Jun 8, 2015. A report isn’t a recall.

Watch it to hear when CPSC publishes new reports about it. CPSC’s own search, on saferproducts.gov

Watch and the shortlist are kept with a free account, on every device. Your watch list. CPSC’s own search is on saferproducts.gov.

At a glance

From SaferProducts.gov, released Oct 25, 2026.

  • 2reports to CPSC
  • Jun 8, 2015the latest report was made
  • Oct 3, 2012the earliest
  • 0with the company’s comments
Brand
Stanley
Maker
Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.Makers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
Product
Vacuum cleanersCPSC’s product type: Vacuum Cleaners (code 115), in Home Maintenance and Structures: Home Cleaning Appliances & Equipment

By month

1 report from July 2014 to June 2015; the most in June 2015, 1. 1 earlier report, since October 2012, is in the table.
The numbers, as a table
Reports to CPSC by the month each was made, newest first
MonthReports
June 20151
October 20121

How badly anyone was hurt

  • No one hurt 2 CPSC: Incident, No Injury

As each report says it, in short words; CPSC’s own words are under each.

The reports, as CPSC published them

Reports people made to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. CPSC publishes each one after sending it to the company named, and doesn’t guarantee they’re accurate. A report isn’t a recall.

Each report is the words of the person who made it, as CPSC published them. The company’s comments, where CPSC published any, are set apart as the company’s own.

Source:

CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.

  1. No one hurt

    Made Jun 8, 2015, sent to the company Jun 16, 2015, published by CPSC Jun 30, 2015

    The product, in the report: Stanley SL18130 5-Gallon 4.5 Peak Portable Stainless Steel Series Horsepower Wet/Dry Vacuum Cleaner

    This is a Stanley Shop Vac Model: SL-18130 and could apply to many steel can vacuums

    I have been an electrician for over 20 years and use all sorts of tools including vacuums to clean up all sorts of different materials in the past. This one incident is pretty serious. The voltage and arc generated could be, in my opinion, lethal.

    This electrical charge was repeated several times and observed open air arc was 25-45mm from another grounded appliance (furnace duct work). The ignition coil on a car idling won’t discharge an arc like this at 20mm. The accompanying arc snap volume was quite alarming.

    The material being cleaned up was 1950’s vintage plaster and dust which settled over a hot air furnace. In one respect, Tesla would have been pleased.

    Ungrounded metal catch can will generate dangerous capacitive voltage depending on the material collected. None of my test equipment had the range to measure voltage, current or joules. This information is based on my own experience (getting zapped) and then actually causing the situation to occur several times while observing the arc’s behavior.

    To sum this issue in a few words: It doesn’t matter how the electrics are protected. Double insulated motors or grounded motors. The point is the metal can was ungrounded and the materials being cleaned up caused a rare but dangerous situation.

    Here’s the thing. National Electrical Code clearly states that all metal for any electrical device must be bonded to ground. This is a safety issue. Had this particular model simply put on any sort of ground to the can, the charge generated would have been safely discharged through the ground.

    If I am not mistaken - Underwriters Lab also has rules for metal encased appliances - I.E. the use of a grounded power cord. I test grounds on all 3 prong tools on job sites (as per OSHA).

    This vacuum has a 3 prong cord (NEMA 5-15p) but the ground was never extended to the metal can.

    MY FIX: 16ga wire to a small copper strip positioned across the gasket. When the vacuum lid is closed, the strip comes into contact with the can. The copper strip under the seal provides an adequate ground path to discharge any stray or capacitive charges.

    Such a fix should be used on any metal can shop vac, especially those used to collect WATER. 120v traveling through water could cause the metal can to become energized. Why? Some unsuspecting homeowner cleaning up water ... well, lets see ... water on the floor ... feet in the water ... metal can becomes full and stop float fails to work. Water is drawn through the motor armature. That situation is becoming dangerous. I have had shut-off floats fail in the past during a flood water cleanup.

    Some sort of mechanism should be developed to ensure the safety of metal can vacuums, especially any vacuum that could be involved with water.

    I hope this information is useful in preventing someone from getting injured or worse.

    Thanks, [REDACTED]

    Model
    SL18130
    UPC
    N/A
    Serial number
    N/A
    Bought from
    Menards
    Bought
    Jun 1, 2010, about then
    Where
    Oshkosh, Wisconsin: Home/Apartment/Condominium
    Who was involved
    Age 50, Male
    The reporter’s relation to them
    Self
    As this report names them
    Brand Stanley, made or sold by Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.
    How badly, in CPSC’s words
    Incident, No Injury
  2. No one hurt

    Made Oct 3, 2012, sent to the company Oct 11, 2012, published by CPSC Oct 25, 2012

    The product, in the report: Stanley 2.8hp 4 Gallon Stainless Steel Wet/dry Vac

    The user reported black smoke and sparks from the top of the vacuum after a few minutes of vacuuming in their kitchen. The circuit breaker for the outlet it was plugged into tripped. The smoke was sufficient to set off an adjacent smoke alarm in the house. The vacuum had been donated to the user’s non-profit group after it was returned by a customer to the local Costco store.

    Model
    SL18129 / 2.8hp 4 Gallon Stainless Steel Wet/dry Vac
    Where
    Battle Ground, Washington: Home/Apartment/Condominium
    Who was involved
    Age 65, Female
    The reporter’s relation to them
    Unspecified
    As this report names them
    Brand Stanley, made or sold by Stanley Black & Decker, Inc.
    How badly, in CPSC’s words
    Incident, No Injury

CPSC’s disclaimer

Disclaimer: CPSC does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the contents of the Publicly Available Consumer Product Safety Information Database on SaferProducts.gov, particularly with respect to information submitted by people outside of CPSC.

Source:

Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.

Sources

Sources

  • U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, SaferProducts.gov public database export.

    Released Oct 25, 2026 and checked Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily. Public domain (U.S. Government work). CPSC asks to be credited, and that no endorsement be implied.

Source:

Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.

Back to Vacuum cleaners

How to read a record

Four things every record does, shown on an example record made up for this guide.

An example record, made up for this guide

An example nursing home

Made up for this guide: no real place is shown

Not fully inspected in over two years (CMS flag)

11 health citations at the latest inspection cycle

The state average is 14.3.

Source:

CMS, State and US Averages and Health Deficiencies. Released Oct 8, 2026. Updated monthly.

From the homeNone yet. Replies and paid listings aren’t open, and when they open they will sit here, below the record.

1 of 4

Every fact names its source.

Who published it, when, and how often it changes sit beside each fact, with a link to the agency’s own file.

Sign in

A free account keeps your watch list, shortlists, comparisons and saved searches on every device, and can email you when something you watch changes. Browsing never needs one.