400K Victory Innovations Electrostatic Sprayers Recalled After Lithium Ion Battery Fires

Federal safety officials have announced a recall that impacts more than 400,000 lithium-ion battery-powered backpack sprayers, after the manufacturer received dozens of reports involving problems where the batteries overheated or caught on fire.

The Protexus disinfectant sprayer recall was announced by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) on February 3, following at least 37 consumer reports indicating the lithium ion battery packs overheated, caught on fire or explode, causing several reports of property damage.

According to the recall the rechargeable lithium-ion battery supplied to power the electrostatic sprayers may be defective, posing a risk of burn and injuries for consumers.

In the event sanitation chemicals in the holding tank come in contact with an open flame or ignition source, consumers could be at increased risk of chemical explosions, burns, or accidently inhale toxic gases.

The recall includes approximately 432,000 Protexus-branded backpack electrostatic sprayers used for disinfecting surfaces. The products are designed with a backpack container to hold the disinfectant solution with a handheld sprayer and are powered by a lithium-ion battery pack.

The Victory Innovations cordless sprayers have a green and white exterior and were sold with a nozzle, nozzle wrench, tank, lithium-ion battery pack and a battery pack charger. Consumers with impacted units may identify them if the battery pack contains model numbers VP-20A or VP-20B, PX20A or PX20B. Impacted battery packs also have visible screw heads and a case with no parting lines.

The products were manufactured in China and imported by Victory Innovations, of Twinsburg, Ohio where they were distributed for sale at chemical and cleaning supply distributions nationwide and online at Amazon.com, SupplyWorks.com and Staples.com from January 2016 through November 2020 for between $100 and $150.

Approximately 405,000 units were distributed for sale throughout the United States and another 27,000 were shipped to Canadian distributors.

Customers with the recalled sprayers are being asked to stop using them immediately, remove the battery packs, and to dispose of them in accordance with local laws for disposal of lithium-ion batteries.

Victory Innovations is instructing consumers to contact their customer service team at 888-674-2482 for information on how to receive a free replacement battery pack, including shipping.