Federal safety officials say certain Lakkzoom immersion water heaters can catch fire within minutes when energized while partly or completely outside the water. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is urging owners to stop using and dispose of the devices immediately.
The warning covers about 98,000 heaters and follows 235 reported fires. A Justice Department lawsuit seeks a mandatory recall, but that request is pending; consumers should not mistake the filing for an existing refund or replacement program.
Four model markings identify the heaters
The CPSC warning issued July 22 names Lakkzoom models 1500W, 2000W, HT1500W and HT2000W. The HT1500W model may also appear as MJ-R13 on a purchase record.
The heaters use metal tubes with circular or heart-shaped holes and plastic endcaps in black, yellow or pink. Model information may appear on a receipt rather than prominently on the product. They were sold through Amazon and eBay from September 2022 through July 2026 and were manufactured in China.
Leaving the element exposed creates the reported danger
An immersion heater is designed to transfer heat from an electric element into surrounding water. If part of the hot section rises above the waterline, loses contact as a container empties or is powered before submersion, less heat can escape into the liquid. CPSC says the named products can then ignite within minutes.
The warning does not offer a safe workaround based on watching the water level, using a timer or unplugging quickly. A container can be bumped, water can evaporate and a user can make a sequence error. Because the stated consequence is rapid ignition and serious injury or death, the agency’s instruction is complete stop-use, not supervised use.
High-wattage models can generate heat quickly in a compact surface area. Water normally carries that energy away; air does so much less effectively. Plastic endcaps, wiring and nearby containers can then encounter temperatures outside their intended operating conditions. The agency’s testing and incident history make a household experiment unnecessary and dangerous.
Federal officials escalated the matter to court
The Justice Department filed a complaint against manufacturer Cixi Miaojie Electrical Appliance Co. Ltd. and retailer and importer Changsha Jiayi Tianzhuo Trading Co. Ltd. The government seeks mandatory recall relief under the Consumer Product Safety Act and alleges that the heaters present an imminent hazard.
The department says this was CPSC’s first use of its Section 12 imminent-hazard authority since 1987. A complaint contains allegations that the government would have to prove if the dispute proceeds. It does not itself establish a completed recall, consumer payment or final court judgment.
The fire reports support immediate action
CPSC reported awareness of 235 fires involving the heaters. The Justice Department said agency testing also showed that the products could catch fire within minutes under certain conditions. The public materials do not list an injury count, but the combination of testing and repeated fire reports prompted unusually strong federal action.
Continued use also exposes nearby people and property, not only the person operating the heater. A fire beginning near a plastic bucket, bathroom material, bedding or other combustibles can spread before the element can be safely reached or disconnected. Water near an electrical appliance adds another reason to avoid improvised handling after a failure begins.
If smoke or flame appears, occupants should move away, alert others and call emergency services from a safe location. Water should not be thrown onto an energized electrical device. Reaching across fire or standing water to pull a plug can add shock and burn danger; power isolation belongs to responders when ordinary access is unsafe.
Disposal is the current federal instruction
Owners should unplug a unit only when that can be done without approaching smoke, flame, damaged wiring or standing water. Once a heater is safely disconnected and cool, local household-waste or electronic-waste rules can determine the disposal route. The product should not be resold, donated or stored for later use.
Purchase records and photographs of model markings can be retained before disposal. They may matter if a court-ordered or negotiated remedy is announced later. Preserving documentation does not require preserving the hazardous device in active household use.
Facilities that bought several heaters should search storage and maintenance areas, not only equipment currently assigned to a room. A clear internal notice can keep a removed unit from returning to service. Inventory records may also show purchases made under wattage descriptions instead of the Lakkzoom brand.
Incidents can be reported to the safety agency
Any fire, overheating, melted component or injury involving a Lakkzoom heater can be reported at SaferProducts.gov. A useful report identifies the model, seller, purchase date and operating conditions without asking a consumer to recreate the event.
As of Aug. 2, CPSC warning 26-642 and the pending federal complaint are the controlling public actions. The immediate safety direction does not depend on the lawsuit’s outcome: stop using the heater and dispose of it.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.
More from Morning Overview
- A Colorado wildfire has exploded past 87,000 acres with no containment
- A wildfire near Ouray swelled past 18,000 acres, putting Colorado towns on alert
- The Pentagon’s newest UFO files describe a fish-scaled, potato-shaped object on camera
- Scientists spotted a rare tusked whale alive at sea for the first time, then fired a crossbow at it.
