Gree, a Chinese manufacturer, previously recalled 2.2 million dehumidifiers under 12 other brand names in September of 2013, but now is recalling 350,000 in the United States and Canada under the brand GE. The recall is due to discovery of the dehumidifiers overheating, smoking and catching fire posing a risk to consumers.
The recall involves 30, 40, 50, 65-pint dehumidifiers with the GE brand name. The dehumidifiers are light grey plastic and are between 19 and 23 inches tall, 13 and 15 inches wide and 9 and 11 inches deep. They were available for purchase at Sam’s Club and Walmart in addition to other stores nationwide as well as Canada. Consumer’s also had the availability to purchase the effected devices online from April 2008 until December 2011.
Thus far there have been 16 reports involving the recalled dehumidifiers in addition to over 71 fires and $2,725,000 in property damage reported with 12 other brands of Gree-manufactured dehumidifiers, which were part of the previous recall. No injuries have been reported but there have been 11 reports of overheating and 5 reports of fires, which went beyond the unit causing approximately $430,000 in property damage.
Consumer’s who have purchased the recalled dehumidifiers are encouraged to discontinue use immediately to avoid incident and contact Gree to receive a refund on the purchase. Gree can be contacted toll-free at (866) 853-2801 from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET Monday through Friday, and on Saturday from 9 a.m./ to 3 p.m. ET, or alternatively online at www.greedehumidifierrecall.com.