Toilet Flush System Recalled Amid Reports of Toilet Tanks Bursting, Injuries

Flushmate has recalled more than 2.3 million Flushmate III pressure-assisted flushing systems after receiving hundreds of reports of problems where the toilet tank exploded, causing more than a dozen injuries. 

The Flushmate III recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and Health Canada on June 21, after the manufacturer received at least 304 reports of the Flushmate toilet tanks bursting.

The exploding toilets caused not only property damage in homes, but at least 14 people reported suffering injuries from the toilet tanks burstin, due to impact or laceration.

According to the CPSC, the vessel weld seam can burst on the tanks, releasing stored pressure. The released pressure can blow off the tank lid or shatter the tank itself, injuring consumers and damaging property.

The recall affects the Series 503 Flushmate III Pressure Assist flushing system. About 2,330,600 have been installed in toilet tanks in the U.S. and another 9,400 in Canada. The recalled tanks were manufactured from October 1997 through February 2008 and are black, rectangular, two-piece vessels constructed out of injection molded plastic. They have a 16-character date code and serial number located on the label on top. The first six digits of the serial number are the date code, which ranges from 101497 (representing October 14, 1997) through 022908 (February 29, 2008).

The recalled Flushmate III was sold at Home Depot and Lowe’s stores nationwide, as well as through plumbing contractors for about $108. They were also sold for use by toilet manufacturers including American Standard, Crane, Eljer, Gerber, Kohler, Mansfield and St. Thomas.

The CPSC recommends that consumers immediately turn off the water supply to affected systems and stop using them. They can contact the firm to confirm the serial number belongs to an affected unit and to get a free repair kit by calling (800) 303-5123 or by visiting the company’s website at www.flushmate.com or recall.flushmate.com.