Rheem heat pumps

The reports, as CPSC published them

1. No one hurt

   Made Nov 18, 2012 · , sent to the company Nov 27, 2012 · , published by CPSC Dec 11, 2012

   The product, in the report: Air handler unit (inside- upstairs)

   On November 17, 2012 at approximately 1:30 am I was awoken by all three of our smoke detectors upstairs going off. When I went upstairs, I noticed a funny smell. I went into all of the rooms and storage closets as well as into the attic. I then went into the storage area where our air handler was, turned the breaker off and removed the cover. I couldn’t get any continuity from the bottom (old) element, so I slid the blower unit out. I then saw the element burnt up about 8” melted and burnt in two pieces. This is the second time this has happened to this same unit. I had to replace the top element about 2 years ago with the same problem. There was a recall: Release # 99-061 The date codes for that are 3592- 4595. My date code is 3095.

   I hope this continuing problem can be corrected so no one else will have fires or scares like this in the middle of the night. Thank you for any information you can give me on this.

   Model : Rheem RBHA-14 J 10 NFAA Serial # T M3095 92

   [REDACTED]

   Model

   RBHA -14 J 10 NFAA

   Serial number

   T M3095 92

   Where

   Coats, North Carolina: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Unknown

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Unspecified

   As this report names them

   Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

2. No one hurt

   Made Jan 24, 2012 · , sent to the company Feb 15, 2012 · , published by CPSC Mar 1, 2012

   The product, in the report: heat pump SYSTEM

   Ladies and Gentlemen: On the evening of Wednesday January 4, 2012 my wife and I smelled a noxious, putrid, burning odor in our house. After frantically inspecting all nooks and corners of our house we determined the odor was emanating from our heating ducts. We immediately tried to shut the heater off from the thermostat control but it would not shut the system off. I then went to the basement and switched-off the breaker, for the heating and air conditioning, in the electrical distribution box. Upon switching the breaker off the smell dissipated. Since the temperature was to drop to the low 20’s that evening I reset the breaker to see if the heater would run without emitting the foul odor. The odor returned approximately 10 minutes after resetting the breaker, at which time I turned the breaker off a second time. The next day we called Haller Enterprises, Inc. (717-625-1500) to come and service the unit. We have lived in our house for 4X years. The house was new when we moved in. We chose a heat pump system since we enjoy the type of heat and air conditioning the heat pump produces, from our previous home, which we lived in for 25 years. The heater Manufacture #RXBH17A15J and the Serial #PB1907. The Technician showed me the problem, which was a hole burnt through the circuit breaker, located internal to the inside heating unit. The question I have is why didn’t the breaker trip, like it should have, before burning a hole through the plastic cover? The other question I have is what toxins did it produce and emit when it burned the plastic? And could this have caused further damage, i.e. a fire, by not shutting down the system like it should have? In other words was this a potential safety issue/hazard?

   Secondly, the technician also discovered that the electric fan motor was leaking fluid, which caused him to replace the motor as well. The unit is only 4 years old. I can understand one major problem occurring to the unit but two indicates major design problems and/or cheap components used in manufacturing. Since the unit was still under warranty it saved us the cost of parts, however, the cost to remove the old and install the new cost us $565. I find this outrageous for a unit that is only 4 years old. Further, I need to know if my wife and I were exposed to any toxic fumes/chemicals emitted when the breaker was burning and spewing the noxious odors into our home. If this is the type of product Rheem manufactures we will not be purchasing anything further from your company. I am also sending a copy of this letter to Consumer Reports, the Attorney General’s Office, and the Consumer Protection Agency’s. At a minimum I would hope you will respond with information on the toxicity of the fumes emitted from the burning breaker. I would also request reimbursement for the labor costs associated with the replacement of the equipment. I have enclosed a copy of the Service Order and bill for the parts and labor to repair parts that should have lasted for 10 -15 years without major repairs, let-a-Ione two major parts (breaker & motor).

   Model

   #RXBH17A15J

   Serial number

   PB1907

   Bought from

   Haller Enterprises, Inc

   Where

   Lititz, Pennsylvania: Home/Apartment/Condominium

   Who was involved

   Unspecified

   The reporter’s relation to them

   Unspecified

   As this report names them

   Brand Rheem, made or sold by Rheem Sales Company, Inc

   How badly, in CPSC’s words

   Incident, No Injury

CPSC’s disclaimer

Sources