Over the course of years, several brands have been involved electric water heaters
1 report to CPSC, the latest made Aug 23, 2019. A report isn’t a recall.
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.
- 1report to CPSC
- Aug 23, 2019the latest report was made
- Aug 23, 2019the earliest
- 0with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Over the course of years, several brands have been involved
- Maker
- Bradford White CorporationMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Electric water heatersCPSC’s product type: Electric Water Heaters (code 119), in Home Maintenance and Structures: Plumbing & Bath
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| August 2019 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- Seen by a doctor or nurse 1 CPSC: Injury, Seen by Medical Professional
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.
CPSC, SaferProducts.gov public database export. Released Oct 25, 2026. Updated daily.
-
Seen by a doctor or nurse Made Aug 23, 2019, sent to the company Sep 3, 2019, published by CPSC Sep 17, 2019
The product, in the report: Electric Water Heater containing immersion resistance heating elements and single pole double throw upper thermostat with ECO and lower element thermostat single pole single throw, which means power is always flowing to the heating elements 24/7 from at least one of 2 or three ungrounded conductors such as a 208, 240, 480 system which is very common.
I was consulted to look at a friend’s electric water heater and received a severe electric shock upon touching the screw on the jacket cover. The cause was the design of the electric water heater element. All resistance elements are made to drench the water heater and enclosure in high voltage and amperage that is 33 to 200 times that needed to kill a person. The Standard is for a filler that becomes conductive immediately on any moisture entering the heating element which is submerged in the water and separates a loosely inserted resistance heating wire from a sheath, normally made of cheap copper tin and almost always fails before the water heater. Because the design is to electrify the tankless or tank type unit, upon the likely failure of the heating element(s) such as by dry firing, which is described in a languishing CPSC report 20180823-97137-1786656 any water heater that is not perfectly installed and grounded is almost certainly killing some people, but only now are Coroners learning the resistance of the elements is enough to stop the formation of electrical burns, the circuit breaker will not open, and the person could stagger away, drop several feet away, and it is called a heart attack. Babies and children are even more conductive than adults. Due to the many electric shocks I have received over the years, I have contacted a Standards Lab whose name is known all over the world, and will be meeting to discuss the needed design changes. We had a Commission meeting, and everyone agreed a GFCI breaker must be immediately required, but calls to NFPA are directed to the multi year process that is not assured of any code change. Many ground wires are never installed, installed improperly, or the simple conduit nut does not penetrate painted covers, loosens, corrodes or otherwise has a higher resistance than passing through a person or other living organisms. I cannot give an exact date but one shock was so strong I had to go to the hospital, and another also caused a hospitalization many years ago.
- Bought from
- store, Illinois
- Where
- Northbrook, Illinois: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 59, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Over the course of years, several brands have been involved, made or sold by Bradford White Corporation
- How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Seen by Medical Professional
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.
Word for word, from the disclaimer in CPSC’s export.
Sources
Sources
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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.
Reports of harm are from the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), on SaferProducts.gov. CPSC does not endorse Hearth Record.