Maxim furnaces

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. No one hurt

   Made Jan 24, 2014 · , sent to the company Feb 3, 2014 · , published by CPSC Feb 19, 2014

   The product, in the report: Central Boiler Maxim M250 wood pellet boiler. www.maximheat.com

   On 8/19/2011, I bought a Central Boiler Maxim M250, serial #M00377 from [REDACTED], Frontier Heating Concepts Inc. On 11/7/13 the product caused a serious fire that destroyed the boiler and threatened structures and personal belongings at my home. The fire originated in the boiler and was contained by the metal enclosure. After extinguishing the fire, I contacted the Central Boiler dealer, [REDACTED], who came to my home and took pictures. An investigation was not performed. Pictures of the boiler were sent to Central Boiler (CB) on 11/8/13. I made inquiries about the fire through the dealer on 11/13, 11/20 and 12/4 with no reply from CB to that point. On 12/4, [REDACTED] instructed me to contact the dealer directly. I sent an e-mail inquiry to [REDACTED] of CB on 12/12/13. [REDACTED] replied on 12/16, briefly explaining that a determination was made from photo’s that the fire was caused by lack of maintenance and that damage would not be covered by the furnace warranty. I replied to [REDACTED] the same day, stating that recommended maintenance was thoroughly performed just prior to the fire and that close examination of the boiler would affirm that. [REDACTED] has not replied to this message that was sent more than two months ago. I sent an additional e-mail to [REDACTED] on 1/2/13 to ask if he would explain the sequence of events he believed would occur from lack of maintenance that would cause a catastrophic failure and fire. I also asked if the Maxim M250 has any engineered features or safeguards to prevent fire from occurring outside the burn chamber? If yes, I asked if he would explain what those features are and how they work? [REDACTED] has not replied to this message that was sent three weeks ago. At this point, attempts to resolve this with the manufacturer are being repeatedly ignored. I believe this fire resulted from a failure to regulate temperature. The Maxim M250 is a pellet boiler comprised of a 90-gallon water tank surrounding the burn chamber. During normal operation, when the thermostat calls for heat, pellets are automatically introduced to the burn chamber by a feed auger accompanied by fan-forced air. As the fire intensifies and the water temperature rises to a set point (180°), thermostatic control ceases both pellet and air introduction to the burn chamber and the boiler idles down until another call for heat occurs. During suppression of this fire with a dry-chem extinguisher, it was found that the furnace had boiled dry as evidenced by large amounts of water on the concrete floor where it is installed. This was confirmed by physically examining the water tank. Additionally, areas around the water jacket are the most heavily charred, indicating an area of origin. Fire eventually burned through auger feed tubes to the pellet hopper and heat caused a propane regulator to fail which then resulted in fire damage to the electronic controls compartment. If a thermostat or other burn cycle controller were to fail, tank water would heat to the boiling point and much of it be forcefully ejected from the fill port. As the burn cycle continues, remaining water would escape as steam and the steel water tank itself would heat to the point that foam insulation surrounding chars and burns. Extremely hot metal will conduct heat to ultimately affect anything that is either combustible or can melt. Evidence and examination of the boiler suggest an overheat condition that eventually led to a fire that involved several major boiler components. This product is installed in an outbuilding that in addition to the boiler and pellet fuel contains other combustible materials. If the fire had not been noticed when it was, the outbuilding could have been involved in fire which then may have threatened my home as well. I consider this a grave life-safety concern.

   Model

   Maxim M250

   Serial number

   M200377

   Bought from

   Frontier Heating Concepts Inc.

   Bought

   Aug 19, 2011

   Where

   Palmer, Alaska: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Age 51, Male

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Self

   As this report names them

   Brand Maxim, made or sold by Central Boiler

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources