SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Fire / ignition

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20210127-16A16-2147366236. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Sears 153.330290 (Sears 50 gallon gas water heater Model 153.330290). Incident: I have one of the A. O. Smith recalled water heaters (Model Number 153.330290, Serial Number 1144T450775). The water heater burner and controller were replaced via the CPSC recall process (CPSC Recall Number 19-029) on April 21, 2020. In early November 2020, the water heater burner started to make a loud humming noise 10 seconds after the burner is ignited and lasts 2 seconds. In early December 2020, it also started to make a second much louder humming sound after another 25 seconds that lasts 10 seconds. I would not have expected a new burner to have this problem. Either the burner is defective or the installation was not correctly done. This is a serious issue because the burner is vibrating (humming) when it is heating, and it could eventually physically tear and cause a fire. I send an e-mail to Ashland City Support (help@hotwater.com) who had originally provided the list of plumbers to perform the recall. They responded that this is not their problem and to contact Sears at 888-287-9322. Although the burner assembly was part of the recall, they claim that �Only the gas control valve was part of the recall, we replaced the burner assembly as a courtesy.� Per the Consumer Product Safety Commission recall notice, "The water heater's gas burner screen develops tears. The water heater's burner can then create excess radiant heat, posing a fire hazard if the water heater is installed directly on a wood or other combustible floor." Thus, the burner assembly was part of the recall and not a �courtesy.� Claiming that it was a �courtesy� is a fraud. The telephone number that the