RECALLS: Flex Line Connectors Smoke Detectors     GE Monogram professional-style gas ranges pose fire hazard. GE is recalling thousands of its Monogram 36- and 48-inch stainless-steel gas ranges because of a flaw that could lead to an unexpected fire. What To Do. Owners can call 866-696-7583 to arrange for free, in-home repairs or go to: GE Appliances Company pulls out of furnace-pipe replacement program. One of two manufacturers of plastic pipes used to vent toxic emissions from home heating systems into the atmosphere will no longer pay its share of the repair costs, thus burdening consumers with hundreds of dollars in out-of-pocket expenses. Roughly 93,000 of an estimated 250,000 gas or propane furnaces and boilers equipped with high-temperature plastic Ultravent, Plexvent, or Plexvent II vent pipes have been repaired since February 1998. That's when a mediator brokered a voluntary settlement between the Consumer Product Safety Commission and nearly all manufacturers in the home-heating industry to replace the pipes, which could crack or separate at the joints and leak deadly carbon monoxide. When the recall was originally announced, Hart and Cooley, the manufacturer of Ultravent pipes, agreed to participate in the program indefinitely. In late 1999, the company was acquired by EQ Corp. Despite having ample assets to continue funding its share of the recall, EQ informed the CPSC that "it is not legally responsible and, therefore, will not do so." Attempts to interview EQ's legal counsel were unsuccessful. The firm currently doing business as Hart and Cooley is not the subject of this alert. All of the other companies participating in the recall program are continuing to honor their obligations, the CPSC says. For a complete list of firms involved, go to: www.cpsc.gov and enter 98-072 in the search window. WHAT TO DO Inspect the pipes. Plexvent are black; Ultravent pipes are gray. All affected pipes will have "Ultravent," "Plexvent," or "Plexvent II" on them. The recall includes any boiler with the affected vent pipes, but only those furnaces with "horizontal" pipe systems that extend through a home's sidewalls. Next, call: 800-758-3688 to verify the information and to arrange for installation of a new vent pipe system. Plexvent pipes will be replaced free of cost. EQ's action means that those with Ultravent pipes will have to pay the company's portion of the bill, which ranges from $230 to $250. That's around 40% of the project's total cost. Boiler and Furnace makers will pick up the balance of the cost. Taken from: Consumer Reports February 2006 issue, page 11. FIRST ALERT First Alert OneLink smoke and combination smoke/carbon-monoxide alarms. Batteries could drain rapidly, preventing alarm from sounding in the event of fire or if carbon-monoxide is present. Product sold 6/2005 through 3/2006 at department, home, and hardware stores nationwide for $45 to $75. The recall involves model numbers: SA500 and SC0500, and only those units made before March 3, 2006.  The model number and date of manufacture appear on the back of the unit. "First Alert" and "ONELINK" are on the front.  Consumers will be alerted to diminished power and the need to replace the batteries by a chirping sound.  WHAT TO DO Contact First Alert at: 1-800-323-9005 or go to First Alert to receive a free replacement alarm.  Until the new unit arrives, check the batteries weekly by pressing the "test" button. If the alarm signals a low-power warning, change the batteries immediately.  Consumers should not remove the alarm until they have received a replacement.  The defective unit must be returned to First Alert. The company will provide a prepaid mailing label. Taken from: Consumer Reports July 2006 issue,  page 11.     Taken from: Consumer Reports page 11.