Health Canada warns of fire risk from this space heater, urges disposal

Health Canada is warning Canadians about a fire hazard posed by a two-in-one mini ceramic space heater with humidifier that can be purchased on Amazon Canada’s website.
The agency says the Simnoble product was sold as a tabletop heater and humidifier unit on the Amazon website, and contains a water reservoir on top of the ceramic heating element to provide the humidifier function.
According to the health agency, the product has been determined to pose a danger to human health or safety due to an “unreasonable risk of fire.”
This is due to the product lacking an enclosure that has suitable resistance to fire and heat.
One incident of a fire related to the space heater has been reported, though no one was injured.
Customers who bought the product, which saw 852 purchased from Amazon.ca between July 2022 and September 2023, are now being asked to immediately stop using it and dispose of it in accordance with municipal electronic waste requirements.
Amazon itself is removing the product from its website and the foreign third-party seller has been contacted as well.
In addition to the heaters, Health Canada is also reminding Canadians of an ongoing recall of air exchangers used to circulate air inside and outside the home due to the risk of a fire from the devices.
The recall has been ongoing since 2019.
The recall involves various exchangers with and without a heat recovery device sold under different brand names and were manufactured from January 2002 to July 2009, with the brand and model number found on the unit’s nameplate or its side.
A safety device on the equipment that was designed to shut off the power supply in the event of overheating may not work, according to Health Canada, which prompted the recall.
As of Oct. 11, 2024, the company has received more than 32 reports related to the air exchangers in Canada, and no reports of injuries.
Some of the brands include Sears, Heil, Maytag, Frigidaire, Bryant and Venmar, with the full list available on Health Canada’s recall page.
Customers are advised if they have one of the impacted products and did not receive a current limiting-adapter device, they should turn off the air exchanger.
They can then apply online to a safety upgrade program, which will see consumers either receive a current-limiting adapter device for free, or depending on the model, a technician will be sent to upgrade the equipment at no cost.
Health Canada advises that the limiter won’t prevent the product from breaking down or extend the life, but is a second level of protection to ensure an overheated motor doesn’t cause a fire.
The agency says it is “normal” for an air exchanger’s motor to overheat, make noise and emit smoke when it reaches the end of its life, but the integrated safety device and current limiter shut off the power supply to prevent a fire.
A total of 207,000 units of the affected products were sold in Canada.