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Exploding toilets prompt recall, lawsuit

Home - by - August 19, 2012 - 12:45 America/New_York - 30 Comments

KTLA

 

The United States is recalling millions of faulty flushing mechanisms that have caused toilets to explode, creating “laceration risks” for toilet users.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued the warning about the Flushmate III Pressure-Assisted Flushing System, which was sold at Home Depot and Lowe’s stores and to toilet manufacturers American Standard, Crane, Kohler, Eljer, Mansfield, St. Thomas and Gerber.

The recall applies to devices manufactured between 1997 and 2008 — about 2.3 million in the United States and 9,000 in Canada.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission said Flushmate has received 304 reports of the product bursting, with 14 “impact or laceration injuries.”

 

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h/t  Chalupa

» 30 Comments

  1. keepin r pithy

    August 19th, 2012

    ooooo, they’re full o’ shit

    Thumb up +1

     
  2. Cynic

    August 19th, 2012

    My toilet has survived the numerous explosions detonated within it. Especially those resulting from Taco Bell visits.

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  3. Maudie N Mandeville

    August 19th, 2012

    Ah, more unintended consequences from our environmental friends. From the You-Tube video it appears that a high pressure container is placed inside the normal porcelain water tank to reduce the amount of water necessary to efficiently flush the commode. The high pressure tank is what explodes.

    Next up: No flush toilets complete with plunger.

    Thumb up +4

     
  4. Claudia

    August 19th, 2012

    Well, that’s the shits.

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  5. cfm990

    August 19th, 2012

    Not near as much fun as a cherry bomb.

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  6. Callmelennie

    August 19th, 2012

    Fortunately for me, I kept it simple in my last toilet purchase and went with Koehler’s “Cadet 3000″ model. I particularly liked their slogan “Nothing takes more shit than a Cadet”

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  7. Libra

    August 19th, 2012

    Sounds like a bunch of shit to me.

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  8. Nutjob

    August 19th, 2012

    Maybe its not the toilets and instead the chinese buffets fault.

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  9. Will Profit

    August 19th, 2012

    It’s a mooslim terrorist plot on the decadent West. ‘Suicide crappers’ La la la la la la la la la la la!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Thumb up +3

     
  10. Maudie N Mandeville

    August 19th, 2012

    Lest anyone think I despise environmentalists by ridiculing what they do,

    just remember if its ever a question about protecting you and your family or Mother Earth, ‘Save the Earth’.

    She’s much more important than you are.

    Thumb up +4

     
  11. Toaster

    August 19th, 2012

    An overcomplicated solution to the problem of how to flush a crapper. I guess this is another one we can blame on the Eco-Loons. Totalitarian Socialism is sooooo much more appealing when done under the guise of “saving the planet”, unless of course it’s you or a close family member getting injured by an exploding Eco-crapper.

    Hey Algore, F**k you !

    Thumb up +3

     
  12. Chalupa

    August 19th, 2012

    Allahpoo Akbar !!

    Thumb up +4

     
  13. Toaster

    August 19th, 2012

    I suppose this Eco-crapper stuff is going to go either towards (1) a return to outhouses or (2) installing industrial lasers or high-pressure waterjet cutting systems into new toilets (what could go wrong?)

    Thumb up +1

     
  14. Buffalobob

    August 19th, 2012

    The old adage “Shi* happens” holds true again.The unintended consequences of environmental nonsense.

    Thumb up +3

     
  15. norman einstein

    August 19th, 2012

    “…faulty flushing mechanisms that have caused toilets to explode, creating “laceration risks” for toilet users.”

    “laceration risks” is a euphemism for “blow your junk off”.

    I’m sticking to my old-fashioned Ferguson, thanks.

    Thumb up +4

     
  16. Grumpy

    August 19th, 2012

    Several victims experienced a spontaneous change in the pitch of their voice from which they haven’t recovered.

    Thumb up +3

     
  17. Joe

    August 19th, 2012

    Doggone it! It’s not even safe to sit on the throne anymore.

    Thumb up +2

     
  18. Corona

    August 19th, 2012

    …Gerbers?…

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  19. Jethro

    August 19th, 2012

    Fatigue is a reality. Everything that is put under stress is subject to fatigue, especially cyclic stress. Plastics are very susceptible. From the video it looks like the pressure chamber is formed out of two pieces, which are most likely “ultrasonic” welded or solvent bonded. In my opinion (>25 years as a design engineer) it is a bad design.
    Whatever happened to the old fashioned crappers that had the tanks positioned high up on the wall? If the intent of the tank is to boost the flush pressure or velocity it makes more sense to take advantage of gravity and the extra pressure created by the height of the tank. I saw a bunch of toilets with elevated tanks during my recent Europe trip.

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  20. "That Guy"

    August 19th, 2012

    When I was remodeling my bathrooms I looked at getting those pressure assisted toilets.

    Every one I looked at had a plastic pressure tank in it.
    My house water pressure runs in the 80-85psi range.
    No way in hell I’m trusting Chinese made plastic pressure tanks to withstand 80+ psi.

    My two 46 year old American Standard toilets flush completely in one press of the handle, never clog, and don’t allow shit to build up in my sewer pipe.
    I cleaned them up with acid, put new seats on them, and they looked/worked like new, so I reused them.

    I did put a 1.5 gallon bucket full of rocks in the tank to reduce the water usage a bit, and they still work better than the newer toilets.

    Thumb up +3

     
  21. Plain Jane

    August 19th, 2012

    Been using a Gerber Pressure Assist toilet since about ’99, and another newer one since 2001. No problem thus far, except that the newer one (this one is made in China) flushes so hard sometimes, I think it will geyser. Plus, the Chinese made one has a fit flaw in the tank cover.

    Now that I know about this, they will probably explode. Sh*t!

    Thumb up +1

     
  22. FreeMan - Sorry Sarah

    August 19th, 2012

    The “Flushing” caused the commode to explode? A likely story.

    Let’s start first with – Did any of the injured smoke?

    Thumb up +2

     
  23. US Navy Corpseman

    August 19th, 2012

    Must have let OWS vermin use the restroom.

    Thumb up +1

     
  24. FreeMan - Sorry Sarah

    August 19th, 2012

    So this was Chinas plan to kill us all.

    You didn’t blow up that toilet.

    A plastic 2 part tank, no wonder it blew. You won’t need to flush it to explode, a line pressure spike could set off a whole block.

    I am glad I don’t have any in our home. My toilets all have the old fashioned ball cock. And if you have one of these and you are on it when it blows, your ball cock may be the only thing left of you.

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  25. Xavier

    August 19th, 2012

    Using the bathroom inside the house is filthy and unnatural.

    When the SHTF my custom his & hers outhouse will be working just fine – even got pedal power lighting and music for ambiance while yer settin’.

    Thumb up +4

     
  26. Nutjob

    August 19th, 2012

    Heck this is practically a GPS for Mooch, we can track wherever shes been based on the exploding toilets.

    Thumb up +1

     
  27. Jerry Manderin

    August 19th, 2012

    That is what a toilet looks like after Michelle Obama takes one of her tamale shits.

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  28. Strike-Anywhere Ukulele

    August 19th, 2012

    I got no light in my outhouse and the logs need chinking. But I do believe this would be the perfect gift for that special liberal democrat in your life.

    Thumb up +2

     
  29. Exploding Toilets |

    August 19th, 2012

    [...] Not sure if you use the Flushmate III Pressure-Assisted Flushing System, from Home Depot or Lowe’s, installed in toilet-makers American Standard, Crane, Kohler, Eljer, Mansfield, St. Thomas, and Gerber. The flusher has got expolsion issues. . . [...]

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  30. Paul

    August 26th, 2012

    I saw a new toilet tank this spring at the Foire de Paris in France it’s call Eco Neves and it’s the first toilet tank without any internal joints to end with toilet leaks problems. It has a new rotating small bucket flushing system that can’t explode !

    Paul

    Thumb up 0