Just thought I pass this recall notice along on electric space heaters.  I use
one in the morning to pre-heat my westy and melt the frost off the windows.  I
place it in the middle of the van, plug it in to the westy wall socket then run
an extension cord from the external connector into my garage.  In the morning I
go into the garage and plug in the extension cord.  By the time I'm ready to
leave my windows are clear and my van is nice and toasty. Go to www.CPSC.gov for
other info.  I then unplug the extension cord from my westy (and wall socket) :
)  So no jokes about long extension cords.
Ok, no metaphorical jokes either about long extension cords.

"Holmes Products Corp., of Milford, Mass., is
recalling about 45,000 heaters. The thermostats in some of these heaters
are improperly positioned, which can cause them to overheat,  posing a
fire hazard.Holmes Products has received 11 reports of these units overheating
and
catching fire. Six of these incidents resulted in minor property damage.
These "Wide-Angle," portable heaters, manufactured in 1998, are
approximately 12 inches high, and are in the shape of a half-circle. The
front is white, and the back is gray. The units have two knobs on the
top. The date code, which includes the number 98, is located on the
back, right-hand corner of the units just above the box containing the
Underwriter's Laboratories (UL) logo. Other writing inside the UL box
includes, "MODEL: HFH-297" and "MADE IN CHINA." "Holmes(r)" also is
written in the UL box and on the front of the unit.
Mass merchandise stores, such as Kmart and Target, sold these
heaters from September 1998 through July1999 for about $27."

eric.henning@us.abb.com
80 westy