Normal Fire Department urges people to check for recalled dehumidifiers

by: Breanna Rittman

Posted: Aug 25, 2023 / 11:57 PM CDT

Updated: Aug 25, 2023 / 11:57 PM CDT

NORMAL, Ill. (WMBD) — Normal Fire Department is warning people about a recent recall on dehumidifiers.

Last week, the Consumer Product Safety Commission announced a recall that affects 1.56 million dehumidifiers by the manufacturer Gree. The recall includes 42 models with several brand names such as GE, Kenmore and Norpole.

The recall came just ahead of the recent heat wave, which can cause a dehumidifier to over heat since it’s working hard to keep the moisture out of your air.

Matt Swaney, Normal Fire Department’s Public Information Officer, said a dehumidifier is something that is easily forgotten in a home because it’s usually in a basement or crawl spaces.

“The problem with dehumidifiers is it’s one of those things you buy and you put it in the basement and you never think about it again,” Swaney said. “Unfortunately, with the basement comes storage and Christmas decorations and everything else that doesn’t fit upstairs and gets piled around there. So, there’s plenty of fuel if there is a fire in your basement, if it’s started by your dehumidifier.”

Swaney said the fire department has responded to several calls related to dehumidifiers.

“A couple that smoked up a house and at least one or two that were responsible for actual fires,” he said. “Thankfully the people were home when it happened so the damage was minimal.”

The fire inspector said some recalled dehumidifiers were found in some of the Town of Normal’s buildings.

“We know there’s a bunch of them out there. We know they’re still in service, people just aren’t aware of them. Unfortunately, dehumidifiers is one of those things you buy, you put in your basement, you never think about it,” Swaney said. “But it’s running all the time. So, we just really want to educate people that there’s a huge recall out there. So, if you have a dehumidifier running, check your model number, check the manufactured date and make sure it’s not recalled. And if it is stop using it immediately.”

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