Putting a cap on furnace CO
As the caps covering the vents on certain pre-1979 mobile-home furnaces from Lear Siegler Inc. have aged, they’ve corroded—sometimes blocking the safe exit of carbon monoxide. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says 27 people have died as a result, most of them since the 1970s, and the Holland, Mich., furnace manufacturer has agreed to replace the caps with new ones made of more durable stainless steel.
Known as a roof jack cap. the device is bracketed above the flue pipe that vents the furnace’s unburned gases through the roof of the mobile home in which it’s installed. Caps susceptible to corrosion appeared on 250,000 furnaces bearing Lear Siegler’s Home and Miller brand names, although many of the furnaces would be out of service by now because of their age.
Although Lear Siegler is contacting known customers and offering inspections, anyone who’s missed can contact the company on a toll-free phone number: (800) 225-4168.