PAB Two is recalling 1,700 bed bug heat treatment systems.
The flexible, electrical conducting strip at the top of the heating element can break at the corners after the unit has been assembled multiple times, posing an electrical fire hazard, the company and U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission said.
PAB Two has received four reports of the strip breaking, including one report of a fire in a unit and three reports of units sparking. No injuries or significant property damage were reported.
This recall involves the ThermalStrike Expedition bed bug heat treatment system. Consumers place items inside the system to kill bed bugs that may be in the items.
The white, corrugated plastic system has four pieces: a base, a folding four-panel wall, a lid, and a temperature sensor. The base and the walls are held together by hook and loop fasteners. When put together, the unit is a box 31 inches long by 18 inches wide by 24 inches tall.
The base has a power cord with a female connector attached. The insides of the wall panels have a heating element composed of black heating film connected to a white conducting strip. The male power cable connector is attached to the conducting strip and comes out of the rear wall panel. The system is energized when the power cables are joined and the power cord is plugged into an electrical outlet.
The words "ThermalStrike" and "Bed Bug Heat Treatment" are on the front of the unit. ThermalStrike is also printed on the heating element inside the unit.
The units were sold by Bedbug Central, Bedbug Supply, Protect-a-Bed, Univar, pest control companies, and pest control product distributors nationwide and online at Amazon.com from December 2011 through May 2014. The cost was $189 and $199.
Consumers should immediately stop using and unplug the Expedition and register their unit online to receive an ASC Diagnostic Unit free of charge, the company and commission advise. The diagnostic unit will turn the system off when it detects a break in the conducting strip.
For more information, call PAB Two at 866-470-1755 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. MT Monday through Friday or visit www.thermalstrike.com and click on Important Product Upgrade at the top of the page.
