Schneider Electric Recalls Xantrex GT Series Grid Tie Solar Inverters Due to Injury Hazard

News provided by

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission

Jan 18, 2011, 10:00 ET

WASHINGTON, Jan. 18, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm named below, today announced a voluntary recall of the following consumer product. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. It is illegal to resell or attempt to resell a recalled consumer product.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20030904/USCSCLOGO)

Name of product: Xantrex Grid Tie Solar Inverters

Units: About 25,000

Manufacturer: Xantrex Technology Inc. -a subsidiary of Schneider Electric, of Livermore, Calif.

Hazard: A component of the inverter can degrade, causing out gassing within the wiring compartment of the inverter. When arcing occurs, gasses could build and force the compartment cover to be blown off. If the cover is blown off with sufficient force it can injure the user or person, or cause damage to property in close proximity to the inverter.

Incidents/Injuries: Schneider Electric has received five reports of wiring compartment covers being blown off. No injuries or property damage have been reported.

Description: The recalled inverter converts solar photovoltaic voltages into utility grid voltages; allowing the owner to feed power into the electrical grid. The recalled units were manufactured between September 2005 and August 2010. These products were sold under the Xantrex, Sunpower, and General Electric brands. The brand name is printed on the front of the unit.

Sold through: Solar distributors and system integrators nationwide and in Canada from September 2005 through January 2011 for between about $2,500 and $4,000.

Manufactured in: China

Remedy: Consumers should immediately contact their authorized dealer to set up an appointment to get a free repair of the inverter.

Consumer Contact: For more information, contact Xantrex Technology at (800) 714-7176 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. PT Monday through Friday.

Photos are available at: http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml11/11099.html

CPSC is still interested in receiving incident or injury reports that are either directly related to this product recall or involve a different hazard with the same product. Please tell us about it by visiting https://www.cpsc.gov/cgibin/incident.aspx