Shellback 1/8HP Laundry Tray effluent pump pumps
1 report to CPSC, the latest made Aug 17, 2023. 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 17, 2023the latest report was made
- Aug 17, 2023the earliest
- 0with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Shellback 1/8HP Laundry Tray effluent pump
- Maker
- SHELLBACK MANUFACTURING COMPANYMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- PumpsCPSC’s product type: Pumps, Not Elsewhere Classified (code 1462), in Yard & Garden: Other
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| August 2023 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- Hurt, care not known 1 CPSC: Injury, Level of care not known
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.
-
Hurt, care not known Made Aug 17, 2023, sent to the company Aug 21, 2023, published by CPSC Sep 5, 2023
The product, in the report: Shellback laundry tub pump
I received an electrical shock while attempting to service a Shellback laundry tub pump, Model 3-12-19.
The Shellback pump is installed under a laundry tub, in situations where the drain pipe is above the tub, and washing machine water needs to be pumped up to the drain. The pump is installed directly under the laundry tub. This particular pump was installed in a rental home according to the manufacturers installation instructions, for its intended use as a laundry tub pump. The plumbing was originally installed by a licensed plumbing company, with permits and city inspections. The pump started to exhibit erratic behavior after approximately 14 months in service.
On July 24, 2023 I noticed the pump wasn’t working properly. I contacted the company and talked to one of their technicians, [REDACTED]. [REDACTED] instructed me to try and tune the pump by turning an adjustment nut. When I touched the nut with a crescent wrench, I received a shock. [REDACTED] instructed me to bring the pump to their company, about an hour away.
On July 27, I took the pump to the company. Their technician disassembled it on the spot, and diagnosed that the micro switch inside the pressure diaphragm housing was wet, and that was the cause of the shock. They were willing to fix the unit at a cost. I refused. They returned the pump but kept the failed switch.
As an electrical engineer with 30 yrs experience in automotive electronics and packaging, I was able to determine that the root cause of the shock was a lack of case grounding of the assembly which housed the micro switch. Water intrusion into the micro switch could cause a short between the hot wire and the adjusting nut, resulting in an electrical shock to anyone touching the adjustment nut.
I contacted the 3rd generation owner of the company, [REDACTED]. Rather than taking responsibility, or stating that they would look into correcting this defect, [REDACTED] attempted to shift the blame to the consumer, stating that the tub must have overflowed, or water somehow got on the pump and into the micro switch. He attempted to shift the blame for the failure leading to shock on the consumer. When I asked where the switch was, he indicated that they probably threw it away.
It is the complete cavalier attitude by the company towards this hazardous defect in their design which led me to report this.
In my professional estimation, this product is not properly grounded and exposes the public to a shock hazard. I can provide technical details if requested. In my opinion, this product should be recalled, and replaced with units with proper grounding.
- Model
- 3-12-19
- Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Jun 15, 2022, about then
- Where
- Ann Arbor, Michigan: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 60, Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Shellback 1/
8HP Laundry Tray effluent pump, made or sold by SHELLBACK MANUFACTURING COMPANY - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, Level of care not known
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.