The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and outdoor cooking company Jetboil have jointly announced a 'voluntary' recall of two of the latter's top-selling stoves due to a potential fire hazard. According to the statement, a tight valve attached to the stove's fuel canister (be it the company's own Jetpower fuel or other brands of butane) causes gas leakage, which has led to five incidents resulting in fires.
Thankfully for all involved, none of the fires resulted in any injuries. The two recalled outdoor cooking systems are the Personal Cooking system and the Group Cooking system, different models of which were sold between July 2008 and November 2008. The current estimate is that about 15,000 systems were affected and are potentially in the wild.
The commission is now instructing all owners to stop using the affected systems - immediately - and to contact Jetboil for a replacement.
The following are the recalled models:
- Personal Cooking Systems in black (PBL075-BLK-(PCS) and camo (PBL075-CAMO-(PCS)
- Backcountry Gourmet Set (BDLFRY)
- Personal Cooking System with Companion Cup (BDL001)
- Personal Cooking System with Pot Support & Stabilizer (BDL002)
- Personal Cooking System with Coffee Press (BDL003)
- Personal Cooking System Java Kit (BDLJAVA)
- Group Cooking System (GCS150).
According to Jetboil and seen in the illustration above, the problem doesn't just lie with the cooking stoves (the 'B style' valve) that have screw threads that are way too small, leading to a tight fit with the fuel box. It may have more to do with a small number of canisters that have 'valve threads at the high end of the acceptable tolerance range,' and boost the odds of combustible material.
Needless to say, this is sad development for a company we've been keeping our eye on for awhile. A few months ago, we reviewed Jetboil's newest cooking system, the Helio, and were quite impressed by its self-ignition properties. But we noted that even that system, which it must be said has been deemed as safe by everyone, included a not-really flame-proof plastic windscreen surrounding the stove's flame. We ended up giving it 5/10 blu-balls.
If anyone out there has a Jetboil system that was recalled and have more questions for the company, you can call Jetboil at their toll-free number (866-611-9905), email them at customerservice@jetboil.com, or go its website at Jetboil.com to find out more.
