The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission issued a safety warning for owners of PowRyte pressure washers urging them to stop using the product immediately over a risk of serious shock or electrocution. (Photo: Consumer Product Safety Commission.)
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The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is warning owners of a brand of pressure washer sold online that using it could subject them to a serious electric shock or electrocution.
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The agency said PowRyte pressure watchers do not have an integrated immersion protection device on or new the power plug. The device, also known as a ground-fault circuit interrupter, protects people from severe electrical shocks and have played a key role in reducing electrocutions. They detect differences in the current flowing through a circuit and if they detect even a small change, they interrupt power to prevent a lethal dose of electricity.
The commission said it received one report of a unit that did not have the ground-fault circuit interrupter.
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The pressure washers were sold online at Amazon.com and eBay.com for between $92 and $320.
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The product’s manufacturer, Powerll Works, Inc. of China, has not responded to requests for a recall, so the commission issued the safety warning instead.
The commission urges customers to destroy the pressure washer by unplugging, cutting the power cord and disposing of them.
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“Do not sell or give away these hazardous pressure washers,” the warning states.