SaferProducts incident

Failure type

Electrical shock / short

Incident narrative

SaferProducts.gov consumer incident report 20251019-81EFB-2147326981. Severity: Injury, No First Aid or Medical Attention Received. Product: Ice Barrel Ice Barrel Chiller (Electrically powered cold-water chiller used for ice baths and cold-plunge recovery. Unit is black metal with plastic fittings and digital control panel mounted on top. Sold for residential wellness and athletic recovery use. Designed to chill water circulated through the Ice Barrel 500 tub.). Incident: I purchased an Ice Barrel Chiller directly from IceBarrel.com in February 2024 (Order #[REDACTED]). On September 30, 2025, while following the companys official troubleshooting procedure, I received an electric shock from the metal housing. The procedure, shown in a manufacturer video titled Bleeding Air done (1).mp4, instructs users to power the chiller on and loosen a fitting to release trapped air, which causes water to spray and pool around the energized metal-cased unit. This poses an obvious electrical-safety hazard. The video remains publicly available on Ice Barrels website, potentially exposing other consumers to risk. I disconnected the unit immediately and notified the company in writing. They refused to inspect the unit or provide information on testing, certification, or manufacturing origin. Photos show the housing and control panel are not sealed, with visible contamination under the glass. A simple online search reveals multiple consumer complaints describing similar problems including flooding, leaks, and units failing soon after purchase. Based on this, I believe the product may have been released without proper safety testing, and that the manufacturers published troubleshooting instructions are unsafe and should be reviewed urgently.