Bionaire portable electric heaters
17 reports to CPSC, the latest made Jan 7, 2018. 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.
- 17reports to CPSC
- Jan 7, 2018the latest report was made
- Nov 9, 2011the earliest
- 17with the company’s comments
- Brand
- Bionaire
- Maker
- Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/b/a Jarden Consumer SolutionsMakers, importers or sellers, as the reports name them
- Product
- Portable electric heatersCPSC’s product type: Portable Electric Heaters (code 348), in Home Maintenance and Structures: Heating, Ventilation & Air Conditioning
Other ways the reports write the brand (2)
“Bionair” and “Boinaire”
By month
The numbers, as a table
| Month | Reports |
|---|---|
| January 2018 | 1 |
| February 2015 | 1 |
| March 2014 | 1 |
| January 2014 | 2 |
| December 2013 | 1 |
| January 2013 | 1 |
| November 2012 | 2 |
| October 2012 | 2 |
| March 2012 | 1 |
| January 2012 | 4 |
| November 2011 | 1 |
How badly anyone was hurt
- Hurt, no treatment 1 CPSC: Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received
- No one hurt 14 CPSC: Incident, No Injury
- Not said 2 CPSC: Unspecified
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.
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No one hurt Made Jan 7, 2018, sent to the company Apr 9, 2018, published by CPSC Apr 23, 2018
The product, in the report: It is a Bionaire Micathermic heater like this one: https://www.amazon.com/Bionaire-Silent-Micathermic-Console-Heater/dp/B000I0WQR2
We were using this electric space heater in an unoccupied bedroom. It was on a hardwood floor at least 3 feet from other objects. The unit was about 10 years old - we hadn’t used it in several years but had been using for about 3 weeks this season without trouble, aside from a finicky power switch. After running continuously on its high setting for about 14 hours, our smoke alarm sounded. I went upstairs and found that the unit was smoking. I unplugged and left the room for about 1 minute to silence the alarms and answer a call from our monitoring service. When I returned it was still smoking - I could see that there were flames by the control panel. I quickly took it outside and used a small amount of water to douse the flame. I wonder if the power switch failed and shorted out? It was difficult to switch it the first few times we used it but the unit seemed to work fine.
- Model
- bh3950 Micathermic heater
- Bought from
- Costco, North Carolina
- Where
- Durham, North Carolina: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 40, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
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No one hurt Made Feb 26, 2015, sent to the company Mar 9, 2015, published by CPSC Mar 23, 2015
The product, in the report: Bionaire space heater, Model: BFH3342M
The product is a Bionaire space heater, Model: BFH3342M. The product was being used as an extra heat source for a bedroom in our downstairs. Our daughter was about to go to sleep with the heater running and she heard it making some noise. It got louder so she got up and it was sparking real bad and turning red and smelling like it was going to catch on fire. She then unplugged it and came upstairs to show me. She was kind of frantic. I plugged it in and it stated sparking immediately around one of the coils. It turned bright red and started to smell very bad. I definitely believe it would have caught on fire. If she had not have been in the room, I believe it could have caught on fire and worse case scenario, burned our house down. It’s a scary thought. I doubt I will be buying another space heater of any kind for a while, if ever. This is the second winter we have had it. Our daughter is not using it but a few nights a week if that. She is only here a few nights a week because of her job. Scary!
- Model
- BFH3342M
- Bought from
- Wal-Mart, Georgia
- Bought
- Nov 18, 2014, about then
- Where
- Unspecified: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Mar 5, 2014, sent to the company Mar 13, 2014, published by CPSC Mar 28, 2014
The product, in the report: Bionaire® BCH9208-UM Ceramic Tower Heater
Operating Bionaire Heater as directed by manufacturer, Model BCH9208. During operation heard an arcing sound and unit began to smoke and smell of burning plastic. Immediately unplugged from wall outlet.
- Model
- BCH9208
- UPC
- I Dont Know
- Serial number
- I dont Know
- Bought from
- Costco, Illinois
- Bought
- Nov 1, 2012, about then
- Where
- West Chicago, Illinois: Other Public Property/
Office - Who was involved
- Age 32, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
Not said Made Jan 22, 2014, sent to the company Jan 30, 2014, published by CPSC Feb 13, 2014
The product, in the report: Electric Space Heater
Using a Bionaire BCH9221 heater, I smelled burning plastic, and then the heater failed.
I opened the heater to find a melted wire disconnected from the heating element because of a poor connection to the heating element.
Reading the reviews on Amazon, a lot of people have had similar (or worse) experiences.
- Model
- BCH9221
- UPC
- n/
a - Serial number
- none
- Bought from
- Costco
- Bought
- Jan 1, 2012, about then
- Where
- San Jose, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Unspecified
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Not said Made Jan 10, 2014, sent to the company Jan 22, 2014, published by CPSC Feb 5, 2014
The product, in the report: Bionaire tower-type heater with fan. Model BCH9208
On 1/08/14 at approx. 0830 hrs a personal space heater was observed to be smoking. Closer inspection by staff showed red glow seen through the ventilation ports of the unit. The space heater was immediately unplugged and all signs of smoke and red glow dissipated. Fire Protection Engineer and Safety were called to investigate. Supervisor notified. Investigation reveals that the Bionare Model BCH9208 shows evidence of blackened wire insulation internal to the heater. The affected wire is a white wire, 16 AWG size, directly connected to the power cord. The blackened portion is limited to about 2 inches at the end. The wire has a crimped-on female spade connection. The spade connection is tight, but the wire has come apart at the end of the spade connector, making it appear that the crimp has failed. Appears that either heat destroyed the wire at the connector crimp or else the crimp was poorly made at the factory. This particular heater is approved for use and meets the requirements of ISPM-6. The unit was plugged directly into an outlet as required. The unit had a clear space behind of at least 18 inches and in front greater than 36 inches.
- Model
- Model BCH9208
- Bought from
- Office Depot, Washington
- Bought
- Apr 1, 2013
- Where
- Richland, Washington: Other
- Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Unspecified
-
No one hurt Made Dec 8, 2013, sent to the company Dec 16, 2013, published by CPSC Dec 31, 2013
The product, in the report: Bionaire BH3699 Micathermic panel heater. 120v/60Hz. 1500w. NEMA 1 plug for US use. Approx 30” wide, 24” high, 4” deep. Dark gray end caps with matte silver perforated metal mesh.
Bionaire BH3699 portable heater. 120v/60Hz. 1500w. Plugged directly into wall w/o extension cord. Used in occupied room. No obstructions, not covered, not blocked. Nearest furniture 4-6 feet away. Had been in normal use for about 90 minutes without prior interaction or contact since switching unit on. Sudden, loud arcing/crackling/copious, acrid smoke occurred behind plastic end cap near thermostat knob. Unit unplugged within 10 seconds. No injuries, no property damage, occupants were forced to leave room due to burning plastic smoke.
- Model
- BH3699
- UPC
- N/
A - Serial number
- N/
A - Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Dec 1, 2009, about then
- Where
- Gardnerville, Nevada: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
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No one hurt Made Jan 9, 2013, sent to the company Jan 18, 2013, published by CPSC Feb 4, 2013
The product, in the report: Bionaire Quartz Space Heater
I purchased a Bionaire space heater from Walmart in October of 2012. The model number is BHH7522MX-BWM, Quartz heater. The first one had sparks coming out of the on-off switch and I exchanged it. I’m now having the same problem with the seconed unit. This poses a significant fire hazard and I will be contacting the company. If you have this unit, cease use and return it to the store. A recall of this heater should be issued.
- Model
- BHH7522MX-BWM
- Bought from
- Walmart, Indiana
- Bought
- Nov 15, 2012, about then
- Where
- Indianapolis, Indiana: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Nov 11, 2012, sent to the company Dec 6, 2012, published by CPSC Dec 20, 2012
The product, in the report: portable Electric heater
Bionaire BCH9221 Heater smoked and when opened up found white wire going to hear element melted and frayed. Also found melting wire melted plastic case of heater.
- Model
- BCH9221
- Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Sep 1, 2011, about then
- Where
- Park City, Utah: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 37, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Boinaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Nov 1, 2012, sent to the company Nov 16, 2012, published by CPSC Dec 3, 2012
The product, in the report: Bionaire BCH9208 portable heater
My Bionaire BCH9208 purchased last year sparked and smoked this morning. It would probably have caught fire if I had not unplugged it.
- Model
- BCH9208
- Where
- Norcross, Georgia: Other Public Property/
Office - Who was involved
- Unknown
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Oct 9, 2012, sent to the company Oct 17, 2012, published by CPSC Oct 31, 2012
The product, in the report: Bionaire Ceramic Mini Tower Heater
Bionare Heater Fan Model BCH9208 (purchased last winter) caught fire while in use after less than 30 minutes of operation this morning. Fortunately the noise of the spark attracted our attention and we were able to diffuse the fire by unplugging the unit.
- Model
- BCH9208
- UPC
- 04889404162
- Serial number
- D249DH
- Bought from
- COSTCO
- Bought
- Nov 15, 2011, about then
- Where
- Nolensville, Tennessee: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unknown
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Oct 8, 2012, sent to the company Oct 16, 2012, published by CPSC Oct 30, 2012
The product, in the report: Bionaire portable ceramic tower heater, item 650104, UPC code 0 48894 04162 4; made by Sunbeam. Model # BCH9208-U11EB1. Intertek # 3065641
Bionaire BCH-9208 portable ceramic heater sparked and shorted out - this is the second of these to do so, both times in or near my daughter’s room. I have returned the product to Costco. THIS PRODUCT SHOULD BE PULLED FROM THE SHELVES AND RECALLED!!!
- Model
- Bionaire BCH9208-U11EB1/
item# 650104 - UPC
- 0 48894 04162 4
- Bought from
- Costco
- Bought
- Oct 1, 2011, about then
- Where
- Seattle, Washington: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Mar 11, 2012, sent to the company Mar 19, 2012, published by CPSC Apr 2, 2012
The product, in the report: Bionaire portable ceramic tower heater, item 650104, UPC code 0 48894 04162 4; made by Sunbeam. Model # BCH9208-U11EB1. Intertek # 3065641
Bionaire portable ceramic tower heater, item 650104, UPC code 0 48894 04162 4; made by Sunbeam. Model # BCH9208. Heater is very seldom used and on March 10, 2012, the heater began to spark flames and commence to burn inside. Fortunately, my wife was sitting right there, and unplugged the heater immediately. This is a major fire hazard and could have jeopardized my family as well as neigbhors lives. This product should be pulled from the market.
- Model
- Bionaire BCH9208-U11EB1/
item# 650104 - UPC
- 0 48894 04162 4
- Serial number
- no serial number
- Bought from
- Costco
- Bought
- Jan 5, 2011, about then
- Where
- Novato, California: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 56, Female
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Spouse
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Jan 29, 2012, sent to the company Feb 3, 2012, published by CPSC Feb 17, 2012
The product, in the report: electric radiant air heater (no fan) model BH3900-U
control on space heater melted while in use.
- Model
- BH3900-U
- Serial number
- 2605
- Bought from
- costco, Georgia
- Bought
- Oct 1, 2003, about then
- Where
- Atlanta, Georgia: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
Hurt, no treatment Made Jan 20, 2012, sent to the company Jan 27, 2012, published by CPSC Feb 10, 2012
The product, in the report: Bionaire Electric Fireplace Heater with Remote Control Manufacture Model Number BFH5000-UM.
While using Bionaire Electric Fireplace Heater with Remote Control as directed by manufacturers literature the unit caught fire. The unit was new only used three times. The unit emitted a strong “electrical smoke smell” followed by what appears to be flames inside the unit. The unit rapidly produced smoke and subsequently “shut down”.
Per product reviews listed on the web site “buy.com”, this is not an isolated incident. A number of other fires are reported here.
http://www.buy.com/retail/product.asp?sku=209952948&loc=33662#cRevSec
- Model
- BFH5000-UM.
- UPC
- 048894029950
- Bought from
- Buy.com, California
- Bought
- Jan 7, 2012
- Where
- Grass Lake, Michigan: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 52, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Self
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received
-
No one hurt Made Jan 9, 2012, sent to the company Jan 17, 2012, published by CPSC Jan 31, 2012
The product, in the report: I was using a Bionaire BH3699 Micathermic Radiator Heater on 1/4/2012 when it began to smoke and emit a very foul odor like burning plastic. The unit did NOT turn off when this happened. I have seen reports from other consumers who had this same product burst into flames. Please see this video for more details: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irdrjNPrtUc
I was using a Bionaire BH3699 Micathermic Radiator Heater when it began to smoke and emit a very foul odor like burning plastic.
I have seen reports from other consumers who had this same product burst into flames. Please see this video for more details: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=irdrjNPrtUc
- Model
- Bionaire BH3699 Micathermic Radiator Heater
- UPC
- 48894749933
- Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Mar 1, 2009, about then
- Where
- SUDBURY, Massachusetts: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Age 15, Male
- The reporter’s relation to them
- My Child
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Jan 3, 2012, sent to the company Jan 11, 2012, published by CPSC Jan 26, 2012
The product, in the report: Free standing electric heater
On 12/20/2011 the heater made by Bionaire model # BCH9221 stopped blowing warm air. I removed the back panel looking for a blown fuse. There is no fuse in the unit. What I found was a burned neutral wire, melted case, and arching marks within the unit.
The unit has a single 16ga wire acting as the neutral for 2, 750 watt heat elements. A single 16ga wire is rated for 13 amps
The heater is a 1500 watt heater 1500 watts / 120 volts = 12.5 amps
The 16 gauge neutral wire is under sized and has the potential of causing a fire within the unit.
- Model
- BCH9221
- Bought from
- Walmart, Texas
- Bought
- Nov 15, 2011, about then
- Where
- Alvin, Texas: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionaire, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - How badly, in CPSC’s words
- Incident, No Injury
-
No one hurt Made Nov 9, 2011, sent to the company Nov 18, 2011, published by CPSC Dec 5, 2011
The product, in the report: Bionair 1500 Watt Ocillating Tower Heater w/remote
Bionair 1500 Watt Tower Heater w/remote Control. The tower oscillates. The plug on the unit gets extremely hot that it melted a surge protector it was plugged into. The wall plug with the unit plugged directly into the outlet also became extremely hot.
- Model
- Bionair 1500 Watt Ocillating Tower Heater #BCH9221-UM
- Bought from
- Home Depot
- Bought
- Nov 1, 2010, about then
- Where
- Airville, Pennsylvania: Home/
Apartment/ Condominium - Who was involved
- Unspecified
- The reporter’s relation to them
- Unspecified
- As this report names them
- Brand Bionair, made or sold by Sunbeam Products, Inc. d/
b/ a Jarden Consumer Solutions - 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.
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.