What may have seemed almost comical – reports of exploding toilets – is actually a very serious safety threat to consumers. The defective Series 503 Flushmate® III Pressure-Assist Flushing System has caused hundreds or more toilets across the country and in Canada to explode without warning.
Several people have been seriously injured when their toilets exploded as parts of their commodes were shot at them. For others, the defective Series 503 Flushmate® III Pressure-Assist Flushing System has caused serious and costly property damage. Pressure inside the Series 503 Flushmate® III Pressure-Assist Flushing System can build near the weld seam and if that pressure reaches a certain point, it will likely trigger a combustive explosion, sending pieces or shattered parts of the toilet scattering.
To assist those who’ve been affected by the defective flushing system device, the national law firm of Parker Waichman LLP has filed a class-action lawsuit against the makers of this product, Flushmate, a division of Sloan Valve Company. The complaint seeks any consumer who may have purchased the Series 503 Flushmate® III Pressure-Assist Flushing System and has either suffered an exploding toilet when the product malfunctioned or for those who believe the next flush on their commode could trigger an explosion.
The Series 503 Flushmate® III Pressure-Assist Flushing System was recalled en masse in June 2012. A total of 2.3 million products were included in the recall. To remedy the problems the defective product caused, Flushmate and Sloane had offered consumers a free repair kit to correct the problems that plague this product. However, some consumers who’ve attempted to install the free repair kit have only encountered more frustrations and sometimes further property damage and injuries.
Not only is the Series 503 Flushmate® III Pressure-Assist Flushing System expensive, any problems a defective one could cause would be even more costly, including the costs associated with hiring a professional plumber to install the device properly.
Parker Waichman has filed an initial lawsuit on behalf of a Florida man who purchased the Series 503 Flushmate® III Pressure-Assist Flushing System in June 2007. After receiving the free repair kit from Sloan and Flushmate, the man from Escambia County, Fla., believes he still lives in fear the toilet may explode without warning.
The Series 503 Flushmate® III Pressure-Assist Flushing System was available at Home Depot and Lowe’s Improvement Warehouse stores nationwide from October 1997 until February 2008. Hundreds of thousands of these products were likely sold. Some were sold as standard issue in new commode sales. Companies like American Standard, Eljer, Crane, and Kohler all used the Series 503 Flushmate® III Pressure-Assist Flushing System in their new toilet models.
According to the law firm’s press release announcing the lawsuit: “Flushmate knew about the defect as early as 2000, but failed to warn consumers, even after Flushmate was repeatedly placed on notice of the serious risk that the toilets installed with Flushmate Systems may explode.”
