News

APC Issues Safety Recall for Back-UPS CS Products

January 21, 2003 by Jeff Shepard

In cooperation with the US Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), American Power Conversion Corp. (APC, West Kingston, RI) is voluntarily recalling certain uninterruptible power supplies (UPS), manufactured between November 2000 and December 2002. A possibility exists for overheating and potential fire hazard, due to an internal component failure. APC has received eight reports worldwide of units overheating resulting in the melting of the unit's outer casing, six of which occurred in the US. Three of the reported incidents resulted in minor property damage. No injuries have been reported.

The models being recalled are the Back-UPS® CS 350 (BK350), Back-UPS® CS 500 (BK500) and Back-UPS® CS 500BLK (BK500BLK) with the first six characters of the serial number in the ranges AB0048 through AB0251, BB0104 through BB0251 and JB0125 through JB0251. Model markings are located on the front of the unit and the serial numbers are located on the bottom of the unit. Only units where the first six characters of the serial number fall within the ranges are affected. If an "R" follows your serial number, then it is not part of the recall.

If you possess of the faulty devices, stop using immediately and remove the UPS unit from service by turning off all connected equipment, turning the UPS unit off, and then unplugging the unit from the electrical outlet. Free replacements are available through the APC website at http://apc.chtah.com/a/tA$LsR2ALnuVbALxfvYAJLqUh.ALo2fW-l/rese11.