What are the symptoms of a cracked heat exchanger?
Six Signs Your Furnace Heat Exchanger May be Cracked
- Strange smells. A malfunctioning heat exchanger will often create an unpleasant and strong odor that smells similar to formaldehyde.
- Soot Build-up.
- Corrosion & Cracks.
- Change in the flame appearance.
- Audible Sounds.
- Presence of Carbon Monoxide.
What does a cracked heat exchanger do?
A cracked heat exchanger allows air from the furnace blower to interfere with the flame causing it to flutter or even roll out. This trips a safety switch and shuts down the furnace.
What’s the life expectancy of a heat exchanger?
In most cases, the heat exchanger determines how long your furnace will last. The heat exchanger is responsible for heating the air that circulates through your home in the winter. Heat exchangers usually last about 15 years. If you invest in maintenance, yours might even last 20.
What do you need to know about a cracked heat exchanger?
It’s comprised of a set of tubes or coils that repeatedly loops through the airflow inside the furnace to heat the air. The shape of the coils depends on the type or model of your furnace. If there’s a possibility of your heat exchanger being cracked, don’t ignore it. A cracked heat exchanger is pretty serious, as far as safety for your home goes.
What causes a heat exchanger to rust on the inside?
An over-sized furnace heats the home so quickly that the furnace shuts off after only a few minutes, so the heat exchanger stays wet and rusts from the inside out. The frequent cycling of an over-sized furnace also increases the expansion – contraction heat stress on the heat exchanger.
When to call Shavitz for a heat exchanger repair?
Contact Shavitz Heating and Air Conditioning, any time of the day or night, if you think you have a cracked heat exchanger and need furnace repair in Chicago, IL. Extensive age in a furnace or lack of maintenance can cause cracks along the heat exchangers from rust and corrosion.
What happens when you remove a heat exchanger from a furnace?
If someone removed a heat exchanger from a furnace and showed you where a crack has developed, you might wonder what the big deal is: these cracks look miniscule. However, inside the furnace the heat exchanger expands as it absorbs heat, and this stretches open these cracks wide.
What happens if you crack your heat exchanger?
A cracked heat exchanger is pretty serious, as far as safety for your home goes. If there’s a crack in this component, the gases being burned off, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxide, could leak into your home, causing illness or, in extreme cases, death.
An over-sized furnace heats the home so quickly that the furnace shuts off after only a few minutes, so the heat exchanger stays wet and rusts from the inside out. The frequent cycling of an over-sized furnace also increases the expansion – contraction heat stress on the heat exchanger.
What kind of fumes come from a heat exchanger?
When fossil fuels burn they produce fumes containing carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, water vapor, and soot. A furnace depends on the heat exchanger to contain these dangerous fumes and safety conduct them to the chimney while transferring the valuable heat into the home.
When do you need to replace your heat exchanger?
You may need to replace the heat exchanger or the entire home heating system. A cracked heat exchanger is a serious threat. When an HVAC technician arrives at your home, the contractor will perform tests to ascertain the cause, followed by offering you professional advice.
