A portable water heater that sold for about $20 has been linked to at least 235 fire-related incidents, according to a federal lawsuit that seeks a mandatory recall of nearly 100,000 units after government testing showed the devices can burst into flames in under a minute if operated outside the water.
The complaint, filed July 22 by the U.S. Department of Justice on behalf of the Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC), alleges that Lakkzoom-branded portable immersion water heaters present an “imminent and unreasonable risk of death or severe personal injury.” The government is asking the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia to halt sales and imports of the heaters, require direct notification of purchasers, and order a mandatory recall with full refunds.
According to the complaint, more than 98,000 of the heaters have been sold in the United States through a major e-commerce platform. Consumer reports of the heaters catching fire first began appearing in online reviews in late 2022. Since December 2022, CPSC says it has identified at least 235 fire-related incidents, including more than 137 reported since September 2024.
The complaint describes several incidents investigated by CPSC. In one case, a Washington state father was heating an aboveground swimming pool when his 9-yearold daughter spotted flames coming from the water. Another involved a Minnesota homeowner whose hot tub exploded and caught fire after several hours of heating, destroying the spa and damaging the surrounding structure. Other investigated incidents involved a recreational vehicle shower in California and separate fires reported by consumers in Florida while heating bath and hot tub water. The complaint does not specify when those individual incidents occurred.
The government's complaint argues the hazard stems from the products' design. According to the filing, the heaters lack “dry burn” protection — a safety feature used in some competing immersion heaters that automatically shuts off power if the heating element is no longer fully submerged or reaches a dangerous temperature. Without that protection, the complaint alleges, the heaters can rapidly overheat when exposed to air, igniting their plastic components and nearby combustible materials. CPSC also states that comparable immersion heaters equipped with dry-burn protection did not ignite during agency testing and are sold at similar prices.
To support its allegations, CPSC described a series of laboratory tests designed to replicate foreseeable consumer use. In one test, a 1,500watt heater suspended in open air emitted flames just 59 seconds after being energized. Burning material began dripping from the unit after about 1 minute 25 seconds, and nearby cotton material ignited after 2 minutes 18 seconds. A second sample ignited the cotton in 2 minutes 31 seconds. A 2,000-watt model emitted flames after 1 minute 9 seconds and ignited the cotton just 72 seconds after being plugged in.
CPSC also tested the heaters while only partially submerged in water, simulating conditions such as insufficient water depth or evaporation during extended heating. According to the complaint, both the 1,500- and 2,000-watt models ignited plastic buckets within minutes, with flames breaching the sides of the buckets, extending above the rim and, in some tests, dropping burning material outside the container.
The complaint alleges the danger is not limited to obvious misuse. Investigators contend it is foreseeable that consumers may plug the heater in before placing it in water, remove it before unplugging it, fail to completely submerge it, or allow water levels to fall during hours of operation because of evaporation. Any of those situations, according to the complaint, can expose part of the heating element to air, allowing temperatures to rise rapidly enough to ignite nearby combustible materials.
The government also alleges the products were marketed as having a “safe design,” “intelligent temperature control,” and being “UL listed” or “UL certified,” while failing testing modeled after UL 499, the voluntary Underwriters Laboratories safety standard for electric heating appliances. The complaint further alleges the heaters' labels and instructions were confusing, poorly translated, and failed to adequately warn consumers that the products could ignite within minutes if operated while not fully submerged.
The defendants are Chinese manufacturer Cixi Miaojie Electrical Appliance Co. Ltd. and importer and retailer Changsha Jiayi Tianzhuo Trading Co. Ltd.
If the court grants the government's request, the defendants would be required to stop selling and importing the heaters, notify purchasers and the public of the hazard, and conduct a mandatory recall providing consumers with full refunds.
