The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with Fu San Machinery Co. Ltd., of Taiwan, announced a voluntary recall of about 163,000 Low Lead Ball Valve/Shut-Off Gas Valves.
Importer/Distributor: Aqualine, of Corona, Calif.; AY McDonald Manufacturing Co., of Dubuque, Iowa; FNW, of Portland, Ore.; Hodes Co., of Kansas City, Mo.; Legend, of Auburn Hills, Mich; Leonard Valve, of Cranston, R.I. and Mueller of Memphis, Tenn.
Hazard: The valves can crack and cause gas to leak. This poses fire and explosion hazards.
Incidents/Injuries: None reported.
Description: This recall involves seven brands of sweat and threaded, low lead ball valves used in flammable gas piping systems used in commercial or residential settings. They are brass shut-off valves assembled with pipe lines of 3/4 inch and 1 inch and have a date code 1103 through 1112, in YYMM format, where YY is the year and MM is the month. The date code is located under the valve handle. The pipe size is marked on the body of the valve. Fu San's logo and the "O" marking designated for low lead valves are marked on the valves' neck under where the handle assembles. The word "Taiwan" appears on the handle as a country of origin marking. The valves were sold under the following brand names and model numbers:
Sold by: Fu San Machinery directly to seven distributors nationwide from April 2011 through January 2012 for between $13 and $20.
Manufactured in: Taiwan
Remedy: Consumers should turn off the gas supply until a replacement gas valve has been professionally installed. Consumers should contact Danville Sales which, on behalf of Fu San Machinery, will provide compensation of $300 to reimburse customers for costs incurred to remove and return the valve and for purchasing and installing a replacement valve. The affected valve should be returned to the Danville Sales Office for Fu San Machinery with a photo depicting the valve in the gas line before removal and showing the date code on the valve, along with the address and details of the location where the valve was installed. The requested information, the recalled valve, and the consumer name and address should be sent to the address in the Consumer Contact paragraph. Upon receipt, Fu San will reimburse customers in the amount of $300.
Consumer Contact: Danville Sales Office for Fu San Machinery, 1101 N. Kings Hwy, Cherry Hill, NJ 08034; toll-free at (855) 779-9200, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, or online at www.fsvalve.com.tw, then click on the Safety Recall Notice button for more information.
