Bunnings has issued an urgent recall on a popular heater over fears that a malfunction could cause serious injury or death.
The retail giant has issued a nationwide recall for the Mill 2000W Electric Convection Panel Heater due to concerns that the power cord is not properly anchored and could become disconnected from the unit.
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This could cause an electrical shock or fire hazard, causing serious injury or death.
Affected units are branded Mill and are identified by:
- color white, model number AU SG2000LED, Bunnings item number 0289325
- color black, model number AU SG2000LED BK, Bunnings item number 0289326
Consumers are urged to immediately stop using the product and unplug it from the wall outlet.
You can return the product to any Bunnings store for a full refund.
It comes as more and more Australians are relying on electric heaters during a cold and wet winter.
Research by Better Renting found that 70 percent of the time homes were below 18°C, which is the “safe temperature” recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO).
A CHOICE review of 15 different electric space heaters in June found that six did not meet standards.
Three of these were convection heaters, and one of them was made by Mill.
The other two convection heaters that failed safety tests were made by Click and Noirot, along with two different ceramic tower fan heaters from Goldair and one from DeLonghi.
CHOICE’s safety tests included a “tilt stability test” to see how easily each product can be knocked over and, when they do, how quickly their tilt switches or thermal cutoff functions activate.
The testers also placed towels over the heaters to see if they cause damage to the fabric or the heaters themselves, and tested power cords and surface temperatures.
The results were a timely reminder that heaters can be dangerous, and Australians need to be careful to buy a good model and operate it safely.
“It’s also worth watching out for particularly cheap heaters,” said Chris Barnes, heating expert at CHOICE.
The consumer group strongly recommended buying a heater with a timer and auto shut-off, so users wouldn’t accidentally leave them on overnight or when they weren’t home.
CHOICE referred each of the defective heaters to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission, which works with manufacturers to determine whether products should be recalled.
For more information contact Mill’s parent company, Arlec Australia Pty Ltd, by phone on 03 9982 5111 or email [email protected]
Visit www.productsafety.gov.au for Australian product recall information
– With APA
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