Hot end system potentially very dangerous stop using

[mountainvan]

Today while replacing spouts using the hot end system it heated the liquid to boiling. I was “clever” and disconnected the battery. If I had slipped and fallen before I realized that the unit had a major malfunction,it was sleeting and raining today, The boiling liquid could well have burned me very badly. I wore the system around my waist close to my crotch. That would have really really hurt. I had in the past fallen on the mountain and had the liquid contents of the hot end system run down my leg, but it was warm not boiling.
I contacted the rep and this was his response...
Herb,
This does happen occasionally. You can let whoever you want to know but at the end of the day these are mechanical devices and just like one or two handed tools they do wear out. What happened to yours was simply the thermostat sticking in the closed position therefore overheating the liquid in the chamber. It has happened on several occasions and everyone was clever enough to unplug the wire from the battery to prevent getting burned from any hot liquid. Your Hot End was covered by a full one year warranty and since it has been several years your warranty has expired, but I will as soon as I get a few more supplies delivered replace your chamber at half price plus shipping which seems fair to me if you’re interested.
The rep and company knowing that this has happened before and still continue to sell this product is disappointing to me. Luckily no one, including myself, have been injured by the hot end system. Just the other day I saw some crockpots Were being recalled because they can and have cause injuries. Some of them third degree burns.
If you have one less than a year old try and get your money back and stop using it.
If you were considering buying one, do not.
Once again.. the hot end system is dangerous and should not be used. It can, mine did, malfunction and heat the liquid to boiling which if spilled on your skin would really really hurt and potentially cause severe burns.
Thought I’d let everyone know the risk.

[mountainvan]

Just got another reply.
Herb,
Whatever you think. Sugar makers are a pretty resourceful lot and can decide for themselves if they want to use my product or not. I see very little hazard in a teaspoon of water boiling over and have had no other person proclaim it to be life threatening. It’s a pretty simple thing to unhook a wire or in a real pinch unhook the belt and drop it on the ground. As to the one or two handed tools I have pinched my fingers on an occasion or two but still continue to use them when needed. You are the first and only customer that has ever thought our product might cause grave bodily injury. After all we all work with evaporators working at up to 219 degrees and are at risk always when we boil or even work in the woods on uneven ground or in the snow or ice or rain.
As an addendum we did at one time include a thermal fuse in the Hot End but found it unreliable after a short time of use.

I agree with much of what he writes. Yes sugaring is dangerous, we are resourceful, and we can think for ourselves. I never by the way used the phrase life threatening, just that it could cause burns. Interesting though that the company knew there was a problem, tried to fix it with a thermal fuse, and when that didn’t work just keep selling it.

[BAP]

The fact that he responded with a slightly snarky and callous response, makes me think that maybe you aren’t the first one to contact them about this. Last I knew, most people don’t have an evaporator strapped to their body to have boiling liquid run down their leg to burn them. Severe burns can be deadly to some people. I would think that they would issue a warning that with age the product can malfunction and cause the liquid to overheat so that a person using it can watch out for that.

[mountainvan]

Thanks BAP. I didn’t comment on the tone of the response, but what you said. The owner did admit that I was not the first to have this happen to. Hopefully no one has their kids helping in the woods using the hot end system also. When my kids lived at home it was all hands on deck for big sap runs. They learned how to use tools that were safe for them to use, no chainsaws for 10 yr olds. Until yesterday I would have felt safe with my kids using the hot end system.That was just growing up on a farm. Maybe the Maple News should do a short story too. Is does rile me when someone doesn’t take responsibility for a potentially dangerous product or activity that they make. Just pass it on to the person using it.

[buckeye gold]

Thanks for the honest report. I have never considered getting one, but if I ever get to that point I will remember your report and pass. I can't stand business' that are calloused and rude to consumers. Disregard for user's safety will catch up with him someday. Even McDonalds got sued for hot coffee spilled on someone.

[heus]

I feel for the OP's situation. Having said that, I have never had a problem with mine.

[maple flats]

Thanks for the heads up Herb. I still own 2 of them but after getting a LOAC 2 hand tool I quit using the Hot Ends system, the LOAC is faster and I don't need to carry a second battery when working over 5-6 hrs. Those batteries are really only good enough to heat well for 4 hrs or a little more.

[snoskier16]

While I understand the OP's concern and think that the responses from the company could have been worded differently, I feel as though the danger of this situation is greatly overstated! We all know that the smaller the amount of liquid the faster it will boil, but it will also cool down just as fast. The actual danger of burns from the small amount of fluid that could have spilled, soaked through clothing (while cooling down the whole time) and then coming in contact with the skin would be fairly minor.

The tool is out of warranty and the company offered to discount a replacement part, which they didn't have to do.

If I were the OP and was insistent that this was a dangerous tool I'd toss it into the bin and move on, rather than trying to stir up drama and disparage a small company trying to do something different in our tiny market.

(Note: I have no connection to this company and until this post I had no idea that it even existed. I'll be sticking to my two-handed tool, but as a small business owner that has dealt with customer complaints and threats to share negative posts on "the internet" like this, I feel for them.)

[mountainvan]

Thanks to everyone who has replied to this. Keeps it in the forefront so more people can see the problem. For the devils advocate...let’s say I went into my locally owned diner and found rat poop in my food. I point this out to the owner and he offers me another plate at half price. The owner then admits that other diners have found rat poop in their food. Also they tried to trap the rats, but failed, and now just shrug off the rat poop in the food. I personally would not be eating at the local diner even for 1/2 price. Would I let my neighbors know about the rat poop in the food? Of course. That is what being a responsible citizen is.

[buckeye gold]

Mountainvan, I appreciate your sharing of concerns. You were not out of line. You received poor customer service and spoke up, it's a fair review. I depend on reviews to buy equipment I have no prior knowledge on. I'm sure you'd have probably never even posted if they had simply helped you out and thanked you for sharing a potential problem. I want to know who gives good service, that's who I am buying from.

Here's an example I recently had. I have used thermo works digital DOT thermometers for years and had two different probes go bad last year. They were out of warranty but used very little, so I reached out to Thermo works and their tech guy helped me find a probe that suited my use better and sent me two for free...that's what will bring me back and I will gladly recommend them to others. I don't want to do business with someone who in essence say's, tough luck be more careful. Thanks for your post

[hogisland42]

Isnt this why Mcdonalds had to put a warning on there coffee cups. Yes its hot, shouldn't we already know this?

[mountainvan]

The coffee is close, but different. The h e s heats the liquid to a certain temperature which is determined by the thermocouple. It is hot enough to soften the tubing but not burn you if you were to fall in the woods and have the liquid spill down your leg. Been there done that, so I know from first hand experience. If the thermocouple malfunctions, which mine and others have done, the liquid boils. In the slim chance I had fallen while the liquid was boiling I most likely would have been burned. All I want is for No one to get hurt. That’s it. I was thinking while bottling syrup today that maybe there is a thermocouple that if it malfunctioned it would just cut the current and no boiling. If there isn’t, maybe someone reading this can design one.
If there had been a warning that the device could malfunction and cause the liquid to boil, I probably would not have bought one. Thanks for the coffee comment.

[Littletreemaple]

Mountainvan, would you post the emails that you sent to the HES company? It will give us all insight on how they responded to you.

[Littletreemaple]

Just bringing this back to the top. Looking for the full story.

[Lloyd'sMapleSyrupandSap]

I don't agree that the hot end system is so dangerous that it shouldn't be used. I still like my coffee hot too.