SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Explosion / rupture

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20200515-D21D9-2147372343. Severity: Injury, Emergency Department Treatment Received. Product: Hayward Star Clear Plus C9000 (Hayward Star Clear Plus Cartridge Pool Filter Model: C9000). Incident: I have a Hayward Star Clear Plus C900 cartridge filter for my swimming pool. After cleaning the filter and reassembling the housing, I started the pump. The filter was filling back up with water and just as the water started to shoot out of the breather cap I leaned over it to check the pressure because the gauge faces up and as I did that, the filter lid exploded off the filter body housing, hitting me in the face. I sustained a 9cm cut from the bridge of my nose that went all the way through my right eyebrow. It cracked me all the way to the skull and it took over 50 stitches at the initial surgery to close me back up. It also cracked my front tooth. I have had 2 plastic surgeries, 3 visits to the dentist to fix my tooth, damage to my optical nerve and ongoing neurological problems. I have varying degrees of pain and pressure in my head on a daily basis. When we looked at the filter to try and figure out what happened we noticed that the threads recessed on the inside top of the lid were about 75% worn away. There was also a greenish blue residue from the corrosion on the threads and on the stainless steel shaft that it screws down on. The owner's manual for this product states the filter is "��.Manufactured from durable, corrosion-proof materials." This is totally false. The inside threads corroded to the point they couldn't hold the pressure any longer. I have had other people contact me with the same filter telling me theirs exploded and sending me pictures of the top inside of their filter lids with the same corrosion. Every doctor I have seen has told me I am lucky t