Subject: Update on Fluke T110, T130, and T150 Two-Pole Testers
Updated: January 31, 2019
On October 15, 2018, Fluke Corporation identified a safety issue affecting certain Fluke T110, T130, and T150 Two-Pole Voltage Testers.
At the end of this blog is the action section (Appendix 2) Actions to be taken telling you what to do if you are affected by the recall.
Having built its brand and its reputation on product excellence and the highest safety standards, as a precautionary measure, Fluke decided to voluntarily recall all these products and provide affected customers with new and improved equivalent replacement products.
The new Two-Pole Voltage Testers have been tested above and beyond the safety standards and come with improved cable strain-relief which will continue to provide best-in-class products.
Further, Fluke’s commitment to its customers and its product quality are reflected in the assurance that customers will also receive a 1-year extension of the warranty on replacement testers, from 2 years to 3 years.
This blog is to update you on the status of this ongoing recall and remind you about some actions that you should take regarding the recalled units in your possession.
UPDATE ON TWO-POLE VOLTAGE TESTERS
Background
In October 2018 Fluke discovered a small quantity of Two-Pole Voltage Tester cables were prematurely failing from cyclical bending stress. Since the Two-Pole tester ensures the absence of a voltage, the intermittent faults could lead to the false conclusion that no voltage was present in the unit under test.
There have been no reports of physical injury and only a very small number of reported incidents.
Committed to Fluke’s reputation on product excellence and the highest safety standards, however, they acted quickly. After rigorous internal testing, they initiated a complete voluntary product recall. Any customers who have not yet done so should stop using the testers immediately, and request a replacement.
Ongoing Customer Communication
Fluke will contact each affected customer in the UK and Ireland on a bi-weekly basis informing them about the status and expected delivery of their replacement tester.
If customers have additional questions about the supply of their replacement tester, they can contact a dedicated Fluke line for the UK and Ireland customers as follows: +44 20 7942 0700
Adding Production Capacity
The positive response to the voluntary recall has meant that, even though Fluke prioritised the recall efforts over normal operations, some customers have experienced delays. Since the recall was announced in late October 2018, Fluke has shipped approximately six months of production. They are dedicated to reducing delays and are taking additional steps to catch up on the associated backlog.
Ankush Malhotra, Vice President, Fluke EMEA explained: “We are committed to delivering quality replacement testers as soon as possible, and have made several production, supply chain and resource investments to support timely deliveries. Despite a few initial sourcing and production challenges, we are running extra shifts and allocating additional capacity in order to address the recalls and get our current customers up and running.”
Outlook
Fluke should have the recall backlog tackled by mid-March when they will again be able to supply the regular orders in backlog. These orders will be placed in a queue and as soon as the product becomes available it will be dispatched. If they foresee any changes to that timeline they will notify all customers promptly. Alternatively, should a customer need an urgent replacement, please suggest the Beha- Amprobe Alpha, Beta or Gamma Two Pole LED Voltage Tester as a substitute: see appendix 3 for more details.
Fluke thank you for your understanding as they try to meet their commitments customers. We’ll let you know if anything changes.
More information can be found in the following appendix’
In case you have any question regarding the Two-Pole Voltage testers in general or its recall in particular, please contact your Contact Electrical Wholesale Ltd.
Appendix 1: Problem description
It has been determined that certain Recalled Testers (see table below) may experience premature failure of the interconnecting cable under cyclical bending stress. Recent experiments conducted by Fluke have shown a wide distribution in the number of cycles to failure exhibited by the Recalled Testers, meaning that certain Recalled Testers are subject to failure earlier than expected, leading to a useful life for certain of them that Fluke considers unacceptable.
Further, the cable may fail in an intermittent fashion where, depending on the cable flex orientation, it is possible for a Recalled Tester to pass a self check continuity test or validation on a known voltage source, while subsequent tests may display a false negative. The primary function of a T-Pole Voltage Tester is to detect the presence or absence of voltage to determine whether it is safe to touch an electrical installation and begin work.
A false negative may lead to electric shock or arc flash from subsequent user actions as a result of the false negative indication, which may lead to injury or even death. Because of this risk, please IMMEDIATELY STOP using the T-Pole Voltage Tester(s) and follow the recall instructions outlined in the actions section below. A voluntarily recall of the following products is underway as a precautionary measure:
T90 Not Affected
The T90 is NOT impacted by this recall. In addition, all T110, T130, and T150 T-Pole Voltage Testers shipped from Fluke after August 28th, 2018 and with serial numbers greater than those specified in the last column above are NOT impacted by this recall.
Our R&D, Quality, and Safety teams have qualified a new cable to be used in the T-Pole Testers, which makes them more robust.
In addition, we have now implemented additional improvements to the strain relief complementing the cable strength.
Testing of these new changes has shown improvements in cable cycle performance. As of August 28th, 2018, these improvements have been implemented into the production of the T-Pole Tester product family.
Appendix 2: Actions to be taken
Fluke Corporation is enlisting your help – customers who may have purchased an affected T-Pole Voltage Tester(s). Fluke Corporation is providing you with three tools:
1) We prepared a recall notice in PDF format That you can read here: Recall Notice
2) A website containing all relevant information: Website link here This website has been prepared to answer any questions you may have regarding this voluntary recall.
What to do with your faulty Two-Pole Voltage Testers:
Fluke is requesting customers that own these testers to IMMEDIATELY STOP using their Recalled Tester(s) and send back to Fluke, at no cost, for replacement.
Upon return of their Recalled Tester to Fluke, in accordance with the instructions below, they will be sent a brand new and improved T-Pole Voltage Tester of the same model number.
Customers will also receive a 1-year extension of the warranty from 2 to 3 years by simply registering the replacement product, upon receipt, online at www.fluke.com/registration.
All product returns and exchanges will be handled by Fluke at their Netherlands, Eindhoven service centre.
Appendix 3: Alternative option for customers: Beha-Amprobe
To ensure customers have a Two-Pole Voltage Tester to do their job and limit the impact to their business, Fluke suggests a Beha-Amprobe equivalent.
For each Fluke Two-Pole Voltage Tester model, there is a Beha-Amprobe model with equivalent technical specifications: Alpha-T110, Beta-T130, and Gamma-T150.
The Beha-Amprobe product has gone through stringent Fluke quality testing and is backed up with a 4 – year warranty.
To make this option more attractive we offer a promo:
BUY 3 = GET 1 FOR FREE
Contact Electrical Wholesale direct to take them up on this offer.
Quote the codes for the tester you want:
4980695 for 3+1 on 2100-Alpha
4980707 for 3+1 on 2100-Beta
4980718 for 3+1 on 2100-Gamma
Contact Us:
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