Check your UPS's....
January 14, 2003, 7:48 PM EST
WASHINGTON -- A Rhode Island company is recalling about 900,000 backup power supply devices that can overheat and cause a potential fire hazard.
American Power Conversion Corp., of West Kingston, R.I., has received six reports of overheated units melting their outer casings and three reports of minor property damage, the Consumer Product Safety Commission said Tuesday.
The recalled Back-UPS CS Uninterruptible Power Supply devices, commonly used to protect computers in case of power failures, include the Back-UPS CS350 and the Back-UPS CS 500 models.
Retailers, computer and electrical distributors and catalogs nationwide sold the power supply devices from November 2000 through December 2002.
Consumers should immediately stop using the devices by turning off power to all connected equipment, turning the Back-UPS CS off and unplugging it from the electrical outlet, the company said.
Consumers can receive a free replacement unit by contacting the company at 1-866-272-7359. * __