Use Caution When Cooling Off This Summer
As temperatures soar into the 80s and 90s and the all-too-familiar New England summer humidity returns, your first instinct may be to cool off in front of a fan. But before you switch your fan on, make sure it isn’t one of the four models of box fans that Lasko Products, Inc. recently recalled.
Last March, Lasko, along with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, announced a voluntary recall of approximately 4.8 million box fans manufactured from July 31, 2002 to July 31, 2004, because of a potential electrical failure in the fan’s motor that poses a fire hazard. Lasko has warned consumers to immediately stop using box fans with model numbers 3720, 3723, and 3733, as well as Galaxy box fans with model number 4733 and a date of “2002-3” or “2003-4” stamped on the bottom of the fan’s metal frame.
To determine whether the Lasko fan recall affects your fan, first check the bottom of the fan to find its stamped or printed model number. Even if you purchased your box fan after July 2004, it is crucial to locate the model number, since retailers nationwide sold affected fans through December 2005. If you experience difficulty locating the model number, visit Lasko’s product recall webpage to view pictures of the affected fans and plugs. For consumers affected by the Lasko fan recall, Lasko is offering free fan protection cord adapters designed to connect to your fan’s plug and diminish risks of fire hazard caused by electrical failure in the fan’s motor.
Whether you use fans to help reduce temperatures in your home, or to offer your horses an escape from the heat in your barn, make sure they remain unaffected by the Lasko fan recall to keep all your assets safe this summer.