Electric grill makers under intense fire

Some electric grills that allow people to barbeque at home during the pandemic are hazardous, the Consumer Council warns, after tests found that at least one model could catch fire.

This has prompted the Electrical and Mechanical Services Department to urge the public to stop using Daewoo electric grills - with model number SG-2717C and a blue enclosure - as it poses a fire hazard.

Seven of the 11 electric grills - priced from HK$359 to HK$2,499 - had various safety issues, including scalding and electric shock during use, the consumer watchdog said.

In one of the safety tests, the electric grills were put in a simulation of a malfunctioning thermal control while operating with a 1.15-time input to see whether their protective devices can run normally during an abnormal situation.

The model from Daewoo emitted smoke and then flames about three minutes into the simulation, causing its internal plastic material to melt, the council said.

The Electrical and Mechanical Services Department urged consumers who have purchased the Daewoo electric grill to contact the local supplier, Uniware Digital Ltd, to confirm whether their products are part of the affected batch and arrange for replacements.

Uniware Digital said yesterday that it is undergoing a "quality enhancement program" related to the model SG-2717C electric grill purchased from June to September 2021.

"Abnormal use of smokeless electric grills can lead to circuit protective conductor failure," said Uniware. "It may cause the electric grill to overheat."

The company will notify customers by post for recall improvement works.

Another council test found one model, Origo, had insufficient protection to the internal live parts.

Five models - Imarflex, Turbo Italy, Russell Hobbs, Recolte and Hiraki- were found with insufficient insulation distance or unsatisfactory construction that might pose potential risk of electric shocks.

The council found five grills turned hot in some parts, such as the handle of the grill plate, thermal control or table top.

"The council alerts consumers, especially children or the elderly, to pay extra attention to the surface temperature of the electric grill during use to avoid scalding," said Nora Tam Fung-yee, chairwoman of the council's research and testing committee.

The average maximum temperature of grills after preheating also varied significantly. The biggest temperature difference was more than 200 degrees.

The council also tested the grills by cooking burger patties. The results reflected uneven temperature among the patties with the difference ranging from two to 18.7 degrees Celsius.

The most expensive grill sold at HK$2,499 had a 15-degree variance between the patties, while the cheapest model selling for HK$359 showed a relatively even temperature among its cooked patties with a difference of 3.5 degrees, the council said.

Tam said this reflected that price and quality are not always proportional and consumers can still pay less for well-performing products.

carine.chow@singtaonewscorp.com