ROYAL CENTURION/SOVEREIGN PORTABLE HEATERS

NEWS from CPSC

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

CPSC, Royal Centurian/Sovereign Announce Recall of Portable Heaters

WASHINGTON, D.C. - In cooperation with the U.S. Consumer ProductSafety Commission (CPSC), Royal Centurian Inc. and its affiliate Royal Sovereign Corp., both of Englewood, N.J., are voluntarily recalling about 39,300 portable heaters. The mechanism which rotates the heater side-to-side can wear through the insulation of electrical wiring inside the heater's base. In addition, some of the connections between the electrical wires and other components inside of the heater may be faulty. Either of these conditions can result in a fire.

Royal Centurian/Sovereign have received 13 reports of fires involving the heaters, which may have caused the fires. The fires resulted in about $70,000 in property damage. No injuries have been reported.

Only Royal Sovereign model RST-1200 portable heaters with serial numbers beginning with 92, 93, 94, 95 or 96 are being recalled. These heaters use a fan to force the heated air intothe room, and they rotate side-to-side to distribute the heated air throughout the room. These units are constructed of black plastic in a cylindrical shape with a diameter of 7 inches and a height of 13 inches. The units are labeled in part, "RS ... CERAMIC HEATER AUTO THERMOSTAT CONTROL...120v, 60 hz, 1500 w ... MODEL NO.RST-1200 ... Royal Sovereign Corp ... UL LISTED AIR HEATER ... MADEIN KOREA." The serial number is located underneath the heater's base.

Home building supply and discount stores nationwide, including Hechingers, Builders' Square, Walmart and Montgomery Ward, sold the heaters from January 1992 through September 1997 for about $99.

Consumers should stop using these heaters immediately and call Royal Centurian Inc. toll-free at (888) 347-2757 between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. EDT Monday through Friday for instructions on returning the heaters for free repair.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission protects the public from the unreasonable risk of injury or death from 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency's jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury and for information on CPSC's fax-on-demand service, call CPSC's hotline at (800) 638-2772 or CPSC's teletypewriter at (800) 638-8270. To order a press release through fax-on-demand, call (301) 504-0051 from the handset of your fax machine and enter the release number. Consumers can obtain this release and recall information via Internet gopher services at cpsc.gov or report product hazards to info@cpsc.gov.

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