Just saw there's a recall on my gas boiler - how do I know if mine is actually part of it?

Went through this same drill a few months back with my own unit, so here's what I learned. The model name is usally printed right on the front of the cabinet in fairly large letters, no need to open anything. The recall covers the NTI FTVN and TFTN series, which are gray wall units, and one HTP series that's black. So first thing: look at the front of your boiler and see if you spot one of those series names. If yours is a diffrent model entirely, like the older Trinity line or a combi unit, you're likely outside the recall, but don't stop there, confirm it properly.

For the serial number, there's a rating plate on the side of the cabinet, typically the left side if you're facing it. You don't need to remove any panels or screws for that, it's accessible from outside. Write down everthing on that plate: model, serial, gas type, the works. Snap a phone photo too. On the ownership question, yes, NTI was bought by Ariston, and the recall covers units made under both names, so the rebrand doesn't exclude older units. Age alone doesn't tell you anything here, the model series does.

Order of calls: don't bother with your installer first, they may not even be around anymore. The manufacturer set up a recall hotline and registration page, and that's your fastest route. Have the model and serial ready and they'll tell you within minutes wether yours is affected. If it is, they arrange a fix, which from what I've read means a technician comes out, you don't pay for it. You can also punch the model into the CPSC recall database yourself before calling anything. Meanwhile, if you don't have a CO detector near the boiler or on that floor, get one today regardless of what the serial number turns out to be. Yours may well turn out fine, but that's cheap insurance either way.

Been heating houses since the days when a boiler was a cast iron hulk in the basement and the only 'smart' feature was the pilot light going out. This recall business reminds me why I snap a photo of every rating plate the day I install or inherit a unit. Half the folks who call me in a panic can't even find the tag. Take five minutes now, photograph it, stick a copy in with the furnace filter box or the kitchen junk drawer. Future you will thank past you when the next notice shows up, and there's always a next notice.

That helped a lot, I went and looked and mine is one of the gray wall ones, so now I'm in the nervous club. Took the photo of the side plate like you said and it's got all the info on it. My question is, if it does turn out to be one of the recalled ones, do they tell you to stop using it right away untill the tech comes out, or is it okay to keep running it in the meantime? It's the middle of cold season here and we've got no other heat, so I don't know if I shold be lining up space heaters just in case or if that's overkill.

To answer the question above about whether to keep running it: mine was on the list when I checked last year, and the hotline people told me to keep using it normally until the tech came out, since shutting off heat in winter creates its own problems. But that instruction came from them, not from guesswork, and I have read of recalls where they tell you to stop using the appliance imediately, so the answer genuinely depends on what the recall notice says for your specific serial range. Ask the hotline directly and write down what they say, including the date and the name of whoever told you, because if there is any dispute later you will want a record of exactly what guidance you were given and when.