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Air Conditioners Recalled

WASHINGTON, D. C. (April 16 ) -- Carrier Corporation, Syracuse, N.Y., in cooperation with the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) today reissued the announcement of its October 20, 1978 recall of two models of room air conditioners produced between 1962 and 1964.

The company said engineering tests on several of the 14 - 16 year old units have revealed deterioration of a terminal board insulator, which could cause an electrical short that might ignite adjacent combustible material.

Three fires in May 1978, in an apartment complex in Anaheim, Calif., were reported by the company to CPSC. There were no reported injuries.

The product is a 6,000 BTU air conditioner sold under the Carrier "Weathermaker" brand name and bearing model number 51GA0661 or 51GB0661. The model number is on a metal plate behind the unit's decorative front grille, which can be snapped out easily.

The units are used to cool a single small room, such as a bedroom, and are usually installed in a window. The units are about 16-l/2 inches high, 22 inches wide, and 11-l/4 inches deep, and weigh 100 pounds. They were sold throughout the continental United States from 1962-65 at a retail price of $185-$210.

Carrier said that it produced 21,591 of the units, but because they are now well beyond their normally expected product life it is estimated that only as many as 2,782 units or as few as 628 might still be in service.

Consumers having one of these units are urged not to use it and to disconnect it from the electrical outlet. They should telephone their nearest Carrier room-air conditioning dealer, listed in the Yellow Pages, to arrange for a free repair. Consumers who need additional information should write to Carrier Air Conditioning, Carrier Parkway, Syracuse, N.Y. 13221, or phone the company's Consumer Relations Department at (315) 432-7651.

To verify brand names and model numbers, consumers may contact CPSC's toll-free hotline at 800/638-2772.