CPSC, Robertshaw Controls Co. Announce Recall of Gas Control Valves on Water Heaters

Recall Insight

This CPSC action (record #05274) was formally reported on September 16, 2005. It is classified under Moderate severity, with a current status of Active. Robertshaw Controls Co., of Long Beach, Calif. is listed as the recalling firm. Federal records indicate About 178,000 units are affected, a scale large enough to require multi-state distribution tracking.

The documented reason for this recall is: Screws on some water heater valves could break. If this happens, gas could leak from the valve, which poses a risk of gas explosion and fire. Distribution information was not included in the agency filing, so consumers should assume broad potential exposure until the firm publishes point-of-sale details. The remedy documented by the agency is: Consumers that believe they may have an affected water heater, please click on http://www.icca.invensys.com/robertshaw/recallarchive.htm. Have the model and serial numbers of your water heater ready.… — consumers holding this product should act on that instruction rather than relying on general guidance.

To put this record in context, PlainRecalls indexes 83,949 recalls across the FDA, CPSC, NHTSA and USDA FSIS going back to 1995. Within the same product category, the database holds 6 closely related recalls, of which 6 were also issued by CPSC. That clustering is a signal — repeated actions in a narrow category often indicate a systemic quality-control issue, a supplier-wide contamination, or a design defect that has propagated across product lines. This recall is roughly 21 years old; older recalls can remain relevant because many units enter resale, rental, and secondary-market channels where the original warning never reaches the end user. Always cross-check the recall number against the official agency page before relying on any summary.