Intellitec Products said an online knockoff to its 100-amp battery disconnects, part No. 01-00055-000, is a “dangerous” product.
The company bought and tested the knockoff product sample, which is available to buy online. Intellitec said the company found the product did not latch closed and had high-resistance contacts. The company said the combination presented a serious overheating and fire risk.
Intellitec President Ned Schiff said, “We have sold over 2 million disconnects over the past 40 years, so it is not a shock that someone would knock them off. We are putting the overseas manufacturers and their resellers on notice about the risks associated with their copies as well as making our OEM customers aware of this activity—because when a fire occurs, everyone gets blamed.”
Schiff said the knockoff products are easy to identify. The battery disconnects do not feature Intellitec’s name and logo on the cap and have shorter power posts than Intellitec’s disconnect. In addition, the knockoffs are not labeled with USA as the country of origin. Intellitec battery disconnects are manufactured in the U.S.
“There are online reviews of these knockoffs,” Intellitec said, “from buyers experiencing overheating and melting of the enclosures. Intellitec strongly recommends only replacing the disconnects with genuine Intellitec parts, which are readily available through any reputable RV dealer.”
