Faulty Immersions Remain Untraced In South West

Wednesday, 29 September 2010 12:10

Written by Noel Cotter

Over 500 GeminoX Ebs immersion water cylinders remain untraced in the southwest of Ireland despite a number of warnings to the public.

GeminoX, the French domestic appliance manufacturer, has noted a potential risk of overheating in certain models. Depending on the configuration and operation of the cylinder the risk of a fire hazard cannot be ruled out in certain cases.

Between 2001 and 2006, approximately 700 items were imported into Ireland by Aquatech Ltd. in Cork, of which about 500 remain to be located and refitted, primarily in the Cork and Kerry region.

GeminoX urges people to check their hot press and any person who has one of these immersion cylinders to immediately cease using the unit and contact GeminoX's helpline on Lo-call 1850 427 947* or email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it to arrange for a free safety inspection and refit.

Persons who have one of these cylinders are advised to keep the immersion switched off until the refit has been carried out. GeminoX is also encouraging any tradesperson who installed a GeminoX Water Cylinder to contact the helpline.

The risk of overheating comes from the black plug-in connectors located at the bottom of the grey box at the front of the cylinder and on top of the cylinder. It should be stressed that not all cylinders are affected. Cylinders without an immersion (no grey control box) or cylinders that have the grey box but no black plug-in connectors are not affected by this statement.

A spokesperson from GeminoX said: "We are absolutely committed to ensuring the operational and functional safety of our products. Therefore we urge any consumers in possession of a GeminoX Immersion Water Cylinder to check their hot presses and call the helpline if they are in any doubt.

"The remaining immersion water heaters have the potential to overheat, so we're calling on consumers to check if theirs is affected and to contact our helpline to arrange for the immersion heater to be made safe.

"We're also urging anyone in the trade who may have installed one to contact us."

John Shine, Director of Commercial Practices in the National Consumer Agency, said: "We have been working with GeminoX to raise awareness of the issue but there has been a limited response from the public and so we are calling on any person who has one of these immersion cylinders installed to immediately cease using the unit and contact GeminoX's helpline."