Recall: Floor Electrical Outlets

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celtic

celtic

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Lamson & Sessions Recalls Floor Electrical Outlets Due to Shock or Electrocution Hazards

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 18, 2007
Release #07-159

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Lamson & Sessions Recalls Floor Electrical Outlets Due to Shock or Electrocution Hazards[/FONT]

[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. [/FONT][FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]
Name of product: Carlon? Drop-In Floor Boxes[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Units: About 100,000[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Manufacturer: Lamson & Sessions, of Cleveland, Ohio[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Hazard: The recalled floor boxes are wired incorrectly resulting in reverse polarity. This poses a shock or electrocution hazard to consumers.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Incidents/Injuries: Lamson & Sessions has received one report of an incident with the recalled floor boxes. No injuries have been reported.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Description: The drop-in floor boxes are used to provide an extra electrical outlet in the floor. They were sold under the Carlon? brand name and have a brass finish cover approximately 3 1/2 inches in diameter. ?Carlon? is stamped into the plastic above the receptacle and the model number is located to the left of the receptacle. Model numbers E971FBDI and E971FBDIB are included in this recall.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Sold at: Homecenters, hardware retailers and electrical distributors nationwide between January 2005 and March 2007 for about $35.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Manufactured in: China[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Remedy: Consumers should immediately unplug anything that is plugged into the floor box and contact Lamson & Sessions to determine if their floor box is included in the recall. Consumers with recalled units will receive a free repair.[/FONT]
[FONT=Arial,Helvetica,Geneva,Swiss,SunSans-Regular]Consumer Contact: For additional information, call Lamson & Sessions toll-free at (866) 636-1531 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or visit www.lamson-home.com[/FONT]
 
I installed one of those about a month ago.
I'll have to go check it.

I've got one in my shop.
I'm gonna check it for mis-wire and post back.
It is a neat little floor receptacle kit though, and really easy to install..

steve
 
Have you all read the fix for this device. They say to reverse the black and white leads. Apparently the black and white leads that comes with the receptacle are reversed. They say to switch the wires and tape the white wire black.

Interesting they don't say to tape the black wire white. They do, however, say if your codes don't permit this they will give you a new device. They are hoping that the electricians will just switch the wires.

Edit to add link http://lamson-home2.com/E971FBDI_E97FBDIB_CorrProc_0407.pdf
 
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At the risk of exposing my ignorance (which I will proudly display to the world from time to time), how is reversed polarity a shock hazard?
 
George,

Consider a light socket, the shell would be the "hot" side and the little pin down in the bottom (the one that hits the center) is now the huetral. Probably a lot of home owners and hacks have two wire plugs, think about the amount of potentially hot area is available to contact it. Not much risk...One in a million chance? America's population is 300,000,000! Like the one poster said in his signature line...Make something foolproof, and they design a better fool.

Consider the world here in America, there is a lot of risk running around out there on a good day! I know your a smart guy George, but a lot of lawyers get rich on the uh, uh, not so gifted.
 
stickboy1375 said:
You didn't check it after you installed it? How do you know it even worked after you left? :) just kidding...
Click to expand...

No...I installed it beside a couch....plugged a lamp in and it worked.

I don't usually check polarity on a factory (color coded) part.

Do you?

I guess I'll have to start checking polarity on light fixtures too.

steve
 
you should always check polarity on light fixtures. Usually the wire has a groove or some marking for the neutral. If not you need to ohm it out.

I have seen people get shocked by holding the base of the bulb as the screw in the bulb. If the shell is hot---ouch.
 
Dennis Alwon said:
you should always check polarity on light fixtures. Usually the wire has a groove or some marking for the neutral.
Click to expand...

Dennis, I think Steve's point was, do you check to see if the marking is correct or not, or do you just assume that the striped conductor is the neutral as it should be?

Rockyd said:
Consider a light socket...
Click to expand...
I hadn't considered downstream loads. Thanks. :)
 
georgestolz said:
Dennis, I think Steve's point was, do you check to see if the marking is correct or not, or do you just assume that the striped conductor is the neutral as it should be?


I hadn't considered downstream loads. Thanks. :)
Click to expand...


Correct George.
I mean, where does it stop?

steve
 
georgestolz said:
Dennis, I think Steve's point was, do you check to see if the marking is correct or not, or do you just assume that the striped conductor is the neutral as it should be?
Click to expand...

Right. I read it too fast. I agree I don't check it if it is marked either. Hence the problem with an incorrectly marked floor recep.

What happens to a tv if the polarity is reverse. I heard it can do damage to it. Will it immediately ruin the TV or only in a certain situation? Anyone know?
 
I didn't mean to imply it didn't matter, just that physically speaking, to the load, the neutral should feel the same as the ungrounded conductor.
 
hillbilly said:
No...I installed it beside a couch....plugged a lamp in and it worked.

I don't usually check polarity on a factory (color coded) part.

Do you?

I guess I'll have to start checking polarity on light fixtures too.

steve
Click to expand...

Well I don't keep a lamp on my truck to do a walk-thru on a job when i'm done thats for sure... :grin: To answer your question, I do not check light fixtures for polarity, only go by the markings on the wire, but I do use a polarity checker on every receptacle I install....
 
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