A program to replace an estimated 250,000 Plexvent and Ultravent
high-temperature plastic vent (HTPV) pipe systems attached to residential furnaces
or boilers (shown) is ending May 1, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.
The HTPV pipes were recalled in February 1998 after it was found they could crack or
separate at the joints and leak deadly carbon-monoxide gas.
The CPSC's announcement this week was unusual because most recalls don’t have an expiration date and, says the Consumer Reports Safety blog, they shouldn’t. Read the rest of the story about this recall program.
Look at it from this perspective. The recall was anounced 10 years ago, and the typical life span of a furnace is about 10-12 years (either it stops functioning properly, or energy efficiency improves to the point where a new furnace will pay for itself very quickly). If I had a 10+ year old furnace, I would probably take the rebate for new equipment rather than "wasting" $400 (in the form of the free pipe replacement) to fix the pipes for my dying furnace.
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