SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Explosion / rupture

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20240404-42426-2147339966. Severity: Incident, No Injury. Product: Rheem RHS32 (Internal 32,000 grain residential water softener designed to operate in line with the main residential water supply.). Incident: In April of 2022 we purchased a Rheem RHS32 water softener. On 3/27/24, less than 2 years into its operation, the unit literally exploded. The unit's lids were blown off, the plastic clamp section had shattered and the valve assembly was dislodged, causing the main water line to flood into the basement. The explosion could have caused serious injury to anyone in the vicinity of the lids being launched, let alone the financial and safety concerns of the resulting flooding. I have reported the issue to Rheem (case number [REDACTED]) yet they have been unable to explain the cause of the explosion. We are on city water with a reducer valve and in internal water pressure of 67 PSI. The unit was installed in April of 2022 per manufacturer instructions in the climate-controlled basement of our house. Full Address: [REDACTED] Model #: RHS32 Place of purchase: Home Depot, Washington, Utah PO # (if purchased online): Receipt #[REDACTED] Date of purchase: 4/12/22 Date of installation: 4/14/22