Williamson-Thermoflo boilers

1 report to CPSC, the latest made Mar 1, 2013. A report isn’t a recall.

Watch it to hear when CPSC publishes new reports about it. CPSC’s own search

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
Mar 1, 2013the latest report was made
Mar 1, 2013the earliest
1with the company’s comments

Brand: Williamson-Thermoflo
Maker: WILLIAMSON-THERMOFLOMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
Product: BoilersCPSC’s product type: Boilers (code 308), in Home Maintenance and Structures: Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning

By month

1 report from April 2012 to March 2013; the most in March 2013, 1.

The numbers, as a table

Reports to CPSC by the month each was made, newest first
Month	Reports
March 2013	1

How badly anyone was hurt

No one hurt 1 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.

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

No one hurt
Made Mar 1, 2013, sent to the company Mar 26, 2013, published by CPSC Apr 9, 2013

The product, in the report: Gas boiler

The consumer stated that he had a Steam natural gas boiler that uses water on a regular basis, the boiler had a safety mechanism “low water cutoff” which malfunctioned and it did not shut the boiler off.
The consumer stated that his previous boiler had dual safety mechanism (one within the furnace and one outside the furnace). The consumer stated that when the furnace was replaced the 2nd (outside) safety mechanism remained although the new boiler did not call for the second safety mechanism.
The consumer stated that the 2nd mechanism was used to automatically turn power off to boiler if water level got too low.
The consumer stated that the new boiler only had one safety mechanism which does not work properly. He stated that the water levels were very low and the boiler was still running.
The consumer stated that when the new boiler’s safety mechanism did not work properly, the second safety mechanism (which was not a part of this boiler) that was located outside turned the boiler off because the water levels were too low. The consumer stated that the 2nd mechanism prevented that the boiler from catching on fire.
The consumer stated that no one was injured.
The consumer stated that he contacted the manufacturer and they would not provide any assistance. He stated that the representative referred him to their website for him to write his concerns.
The consumer stated that he believes this product should be investigated do to the fire hazard that this product poses to the consumers.

Model
GSA250
UPC
Unknown
Serial number
CP6657965
Bought from
Supply New England, Connecticut
Bought
Oct 9, 2012
Where
Bristol, Connecticut: Home/Apartment/Condominium
Who was involved
Male
The reporter’s relation to them
Unspecified
As this report names them
Brand Williamson-Thermoflo, made or sold by WILLIAMSON-THERMOFLO
How badly, in CPSC’s words
Incident, No Injury

The company’s comments, in its own words

(4/9/2013) WILLIAMSON-THERMOFLO: Williamson-Thermoflo was notified by the CPSC of this situation on March 26, 2013 and arranged to send a technical representative to investigate the report of a malfunctioning Hydrolevel Safgard™ low water cutoff (LWCO) for a Williamson® steam boiler. On April 1, 2013, the Williamson-Thermoflo representative met with the building owner at the 4-unit apartment building in which the Williamson® GSA-250-N-IP boiler and Hydrolevel LWCO had been installed in Bristol, Connecticut. The installing contractor was invited to attend the inspection but did not come; however, the installing contractor did provide some information in a phone call.
The Williamson® boiler was reportedly purchased from a distributor. The boiler comes with the Hydrolevel LWCO already installed on the boiler. The boiler was then installed by the installing contractor in October 2012. (Williamson-Thermoflo does not sell or provide installation services.) The Hydrolevel LWCO is manufactured by Hydrolevel Company, which provides detailed installation instructions for the LWCO. The installing contractor left in place a second pre-existing McDonnell & Miller LWCO. The new boiler reportedly operated without problem until March 11, 2013, when the McDonnell & Miller LWCO detected a low water condition and shut down the boiler. The building owner indicated that, at that time, the Hydrolevel LWCO also had a yellow light on. The Hydrolevel LWCO installation manual confirms that the yellow light indicates that the water is below the designated level of the probe and that the boiler will shut down within 15 seconds.
Williamson-Thermoflo’s inspection of the installation showed that the boiler was not properly installed in accordance with the boiler installation manual in several respects: • As installed by the contractor, the boiler does not have the required “Hartford Loop” piping, a gravity-fed pipe circuit for returning condensate to the boiler. • The necessary “skimming” and cleaning procedures had not been performed during set up, per the installation manual. The failure to properly skim and clean the boiler on installation and set-up can cause foaming and surging during the boiler steam cycles resulting in violent fluctuations of the water level within the boiler. This in turn will interfere with the proper functioning of any low water cutoff device. • Although proper installation requires that the installer remove certain parts so that certain required installation procedures can be performed, the inspection revealed that such parts had not been removed. This indicates that the required installation procedures were not performed by the installing contractor or by anyone else following the installation. • The building owner confirmed that, at the time of the incident, the Hydrolevel LWCO displayed a yellow light. This display indicates that the LWCO had detected a low water condition and was functioning properly. The yellow light illuminates to indicate that the LWCO is preparing to shut the boiler down within 15 seconds. • No permit was obtained for the installation of the new boiler and LWCO as required by Connecticut law. Consequently, the local code officials have apparently not yet inspected the installation. • The installing contractor does not appear to have been properly licensed as a Connecticut-licensed Heating Piping and Cooling Trade contractor. The building owner confirmed that he is not a licensed Heating Piping and Cooling Trade contractor. The building owner was advised to have the boiler inspected by a qualified, licensed Heating, Piping and Cooling Trade contractor. A properly licensed Heating, Piping and Cooling contractor would be able to help the building owner obtain the necessary code permits and inspections for the boiler and correct the deficiencies in the installation. In addition, the licensed contractor would be able to examine the boiler for damage that may have been caused by the improper installation and set-up and work with the building owner to assure that the boiler is properly serviced and maintained.
The Hydrolevel LWCO was not returned to the distributor or Williamson-Thermoflo for any warranty inspection and test.
Williamson-Thermoflo representatives found no evidence to indicate that the LWCO part has a safety defect. The most likely cause of the problems with the boiler operation is the improper installation and set-up of the equipment.
Williamson-Thermoflo reserves the right to submit additional comments if it obtains further information related to the reported situation.

CPSC report 20130301-C50AB-1309907. Submitter: Consumer Search for it on SaferProducts.gov

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

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.

Williamson-Thermoflo boilers

At a glance

By month

How badly anyone was hurt

The reports, as CPSC published them

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources

How to read a record

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