Dec 03, 2018 so here are my suggestions on how to find cracked heat exchangers and other furnace safety issues. Have you heard this one recently, you have a cracked heat exchanger and your furnace has to be replaced, today. Beware of an unethical technician who finds a crack with a camera on a furnace that seems to be running just fine. Why do all furnaces eventually develop these cracks. Any furnace from any brand made installed by any company will eventually develop a crack in the heat.
In the case of a forced air furnace, it is two different air streams. This is a sign that the burner is not burning properly and needs to be fixed. A cracked heat exchanger could allow exhaust gas from the furnace to contaminate the household air with carbon monoxide. But the decision to repair or replace a heating unit can be difficult. The heat exchanger is a key part of the furnace and is responsible for the actual heating of air. Broken heat exchanger pacific coast heating and air. Depending on the furnace design, it might only be possible to examine 10% of the entire heat exchanger. If many of your registers are blocked, your furnace filter is overly clogged. This flame produces hot gasses that go into the heat exchangers. Unless you are one of the top 3% of people who have all the money, replacing the furnace is going to hurt the pocket book if you have not planed for it, but it has to be done. The most likely cause for a crack in the heat exchanger is corrosion. A cracked heat exchanger in a gas furnace is a serious safety issue.
Very few, if any, furnaces with a typical small crack or hole in the heat exchanger. If it cracks after the warranty is up, usually at least 20 years, consider replacing the entire furnace. The heat of the combustion gas raises the temperature of the metal, and as the air from the blower passes around it, heat transfers to it. In most cases, the flue gases in your furnace will not contain carbon. A crack in your heat exchanger is no trivial matter. Often when cracks are present in a heat exchanger, soot from the combustion process will seep through and discolor the metal. A warning to you cracked heat exchangers dont get scammed. The your heat exchanger is cracked so your furnace must be. Simple furnace heat exchanger test hvac learning solutions. It is usually an indicator of more trouble in the future, and should not be taken lightly. Were you recently told that your furnace heat exchanger is cracked and needs to be replaced.
If there is a crack it is usually obvious because of the leakage, i am not a pro for furnaces but have cleaned quite a few that the pros said were dangerous with no problems on all but 2 maybe 3 that i could see damage and suggested the land lord should replace the unit, this was a few years back before co monitor alarms were available, if a. Here are a few of the reasons you will need to get repairs for a cracked furnace heat exchanger. Avoid these 4 common furnace repair scams oconomowoc boiler. Carbon monoxide can seep out of through a cracked heat exchanger. The american gas association has even put this in writing they say any visible crack or hole is reason for requiring replacement of the heat exchanger or furnace. Remove it from the furnace, and examine it in the light. Dec 02, 2015 a cracked heat exchanger allows air from the furnace blower to interfere with the flame causing it to flutter or even roll out. The reaction between the combustion gas and metal over time may create. Failure to take action means potentially putting your life as well as the life of your family in jeopardy. Im not going to say that every cracked heat exchanger is a life or death.
Regardless of why it cracked, the heat exchanger needs to be replaced. Over time, this stress creates cracks in your heat exchanger. Signs your heat exchanger may be cracked or damaged include. Hvac businesses in minnesota lock out furnaces when cracked heat exchangers are found. Theres a lot of good info on there, but some of it is misleading and there are a lot of straw man arguments made.
In this way, the combustion gas heats the air without the gas having ever to come in contact with it. A gas furnaces heat exchanger is another potential source of leaked carbon monoxide. I have a gas furnace that is approximately 11 years old. The larger the furnace, the larger and more expensive the heat exchanger. About a week ago, the unit began blowing only cold air.
Heat exchangers are made of metal that expands and contracts every time your furnace turns on and off. It is important to repair your furnace if you notice a crack in it. Broken and leaking heat exchangers are responsible for about 1,500 deaths per year in the united states, and many more people are poisoned by exposure to toxic gasses that go unfiltered by defective heat exchangers. If you find that your furnace heat exchanger has trouble getting enough heat and power, then you may find that it has developed a crack or hole. Through this crack, combustion fumes can escape from the exchanger, and can build up in the room. Basically, the heat exchanger is where the furnace heats the air. If the heat exchanger is cracked, air is forced into the combustionchamber where the burners are located when the. If a heating contractor finds a cracked heat exchanger and says the furnace needs to be replaced, theyre not pulling a scam unless theyre just outright lying to you about finding a crack. Mar 11, 20 so lets get back to basics for a minute here and talk about what a heat exchanger is and what it does. When faced with that decision, something to consider is the age of your unit. Furnace heatexchanger crack signs your furnace has one. This video is about the your heat exchanger is cracked so your furnace must be replaced scam. Danger of a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger servicemax.
A normally operating gas furnace has a steady blue flame. Cracked heat exchanger deciding to repair or replace. At its simplest level, a heat exchanger allows for the exchange of heat between two fluids without the fluids mixing. If a heatexchanger is cracked, air forced into the combustionchamber will cause the oxygen reading in the furnace s. The reason a crack in a heat exchanger is such a cause for concernand reason to think about replacing a furnaceis because it creates a major health hazard. Cracked heat exchanger deciding to repair or replace depending on the age of your furnace, a cracked heat exchange probably means you need a new system. Its the most common cause of excess carbon monoxide in a home. For this reason, i want to share with you some of the common symptoms and causes of a cracked heat exchanger in a furnace. More commonly, the cause of a cracked heat exchanger is misapplication or poor maintenance of the furnace.
Many companies use infrared light to detect cracks, but a flashlight is sufficient for more noticeable cracks. Dec 30, 2019 if the furnace has a soot buildup inside of it, then chances are that the heat exchanger is damaged. When a furnace has a cracked heat exchanger, can it be. The problem with finding a crack in a furnace heat exchanger is that you can see very little of the heat exchanger without disassembling the furnace. If it is a small hole or crack, then it is a minor issue that needs to be corrected generally by replacing the furnace or heat exchanger. The cause can be anything from tilted burners to cracks in the heat exchange itself. Reasons to get repairs for a cracked furnace heat exchanger. Can you repair a cracked heat exchanger on a gas furnace. The american gas association has even put this in writing they say any visible crack or hole is reason. Oct 18, 2017 cracked heat exchangers pose a risk of carbon monoxide poisoning carbon monoxide is produced by combustion but is typically vented safely from the furnace out of the home, but if the heat exchanger is cracked, carbon monoxide can leak into the home. Here is my scenariocan someone give me an opinion of my situation. The most common reason a heat exchanger cracks is normal wear and tear.
If your furnace is more than 10 years old, the cracks may just be a sign of expected wear and tear. It continued to blow cold air, even when i turned it off. This achr news article explains what to look for when inspecting a furnace flue. Dec 22, 2008 ive read from several pages that a furnace with a cracked heat exchange should be shut down and replaced immediately. This trips a safety switch and shuts down the furnace. The heat exchanger on a furnace is the section that keeps the combustion chamber and the breathing air separate. Signs and symptoms of a cracked gas furnace heat exchanger. Some holes or small openings may have been there for years. What are the causes of a cracked heat exchanger in a gas furnace. Aug 31, 2015 this video is about the your heat exchanger is cracked so your furnace must be replaced scam. If there is a crack in the furnaces heat exchanger, there will be some signs and symptoms that are normally evident concerning the furnace. The crack allows the release of dangerous carbon monoxide into the air. Every cracked heat exchanger needs to be replaced, either by replacing the heat exchanger itself or by replacing the entire furnace.
Dec 19, 2019 furnace size the size is based on the btu capacity of the furnace. Even though your furnace may look and seem fine, dangerous gases could leak into your home and seriously affect, even kill, your family members. The reality of a cracked heat exchanger means that the furnace needs to be condemned until their the heat exchanger is replaced or a new furnace is installed. Many hvac contractors find cracked heat exchangers using visual analysis and use the results to recommend furnace replacement. The heat exchanger is a metal container inside the furnace that collects hot combustion gas from the burners. A warning about cracked heat exchangers in gas furnace. Furnace design some furnace were designed with making repairs easier in mind. Ambient carbon monoxide one of the first things you should do is measure ambient co in the conditioned space while the heat is running with either a combustion analysis tool or a personal co detection device. Home warranties and cracks in your furnaces heat exchanger. A cracked heat exchanger allows air from the furnace blower to interfere with the flame causing it to flutter or even roll out.
How does a cracked heat exchanger release carbon monoxide. Other types of heat exchangers exist in the hvac world as well we. A damaged heat exchanger in a gas furnace is potentially dangerous to a homes occupants and should not be ignored. The furnace heat exchanger is the one of the main components inside the gas furnace and its used to transfer the heat from the gas burner to the warm air thats blown into your home. The furnace ignites this gas with a spark, and the burners create a flame. Heat exchangers sometimes crack as the result of years of regular use. Instead, the combustion gas enters the heat exchanger, a metal clamshaped chamber. As air is taken into the furnace to be warmed, gas is turned on in the burners of the furnace. Look for signs that the metal has been overheated, or symptoms of longterm metal fatigue. Furnace heat exchanger replacement costs 2020 costimatesfurnace. It is important that the heat exchanger is taken care of as hazards can build from a faulty exchanger. If you keep your furnace well maintained throughout its lifetime, you can significantly prolong the amount of time it takes for those cracks to develop. And what did it mean if the camera revealed a crack.
Located in the center of the furnace, it is where fire, gas and heat connect. Before you can do any repairs, you should make sure that you check over your furnace heat exchanger thoroughly. When the external components show signs of either minor or significant wear. A furnace lasts between 15 and 20 years over that time, the metal on the heat. The cause of cracked heat exchangers avoid this common scam. A furnace lasts between 15 and 20 years over that time, the metal on the heat exchanger heats up and expands, and then contracts as it cools. The heat exchanger contains the gas combustion chamber. Your gas furnace is designed for safety with safety switches and shut offs.
Read our blog to learn what to do if this happens to you. Signs and symptoms of a cracked gas furnace heat exchanger change in flame appearance. Dangerous cracked heat exchangers in furnaces fossil fuels and cracked heat exchangers anyone who has an oil or gas boiler, oil or gas furnace, gas logs whether they be propane or natural gas, a gas stove or oven, or any woodburning appliance or fireplace, or appliance or heating device that burns fossil fuels you need a carbon monoxide. A furnace with a cracked heat exchanger is usually an exception, because of the cost of the repair. Weve met with lots of homeowners looking for a second opinion about a supposedly cracked heat exchanger.
1222 832 528 699 1287 48 608 664 46 648 1102 1490 986 660 989 186 74 980 110 349 1206 42 281 425 731 863 116 1076 373 1007 368 595 102 391 586 1471 145 999 688 1441 432 1146 789 1469 1434 1356