What Is The Cracked Heat Exchanger Scam? It’s important to remember that cracked heat exchangers are real but easily exploited. A dishonest HVAC tech will tell you the heat exchanger in your furnace is broken and leaking carbon monoxide into your home. Not only is it unfixable, but it makes your house unsafe.
Is it safe to run a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger?
Rule #1: If your Heat Exchanger has been deemed cracked by a HVAC professional you should NOT be running it. Unfortunately, some owners will attempt to run their furnace even when a cracked heat exchanger has been detected.
How serious is a cracked heat exchanger?
A cracked heat exchanger poses a serious threat to the safety of your home. If there’s a crack in one of the cells of the heat exchanger, the gases being burned – carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, nitrous oxide – could leak into your home, causing illness or, in extreme cases, death.
Is it worth replacing a heat exchanger in a furnace?
Replacing your furnace’s heat exchanger would be a good route to take if your furnace is fairly new. However, it is not worth spending your money on replacing your heat exchanger when it is near the end of its life span, which is ten years or more.
What causes furnace heat exchanger to crack?
Excessive Condensation
A furnace left out of use can sometimes acquire condensation. This condensation then accumulates in the heat exchanger, which can cause it to rust and consequently crack.
How much does it cost to replace a cracked heat exchanger?
The average costs for replacing your exchanger is about $1,500. However, it can cost as little as $500 or as much as $3,500. If the heat exchanger is cracked or malfunctioning before you would typically expect it, there may be another issue with your HVAC system.
How long do furnace heat exchangers last?
While heat exchangers are typically manufactured to last between 10 – 20 years, many factors can accelerate the process of heat exchanger failure. These factors usually fall under the categories of poor maintenance, poor initial system design and installation, or poor equipment design by the manufacturer.
What are the signs of a cracked heat exchanger?
Your furnace might stop working if you’re lucky, but most often, it will keep running even with a crack, allowing carbon monoxide to seep into your house. The only signs that you have a damaged heat exchanger is either no heat during the winter, reoccurring flu-like symptoms, or a beeping carbon monoxide detector.
Can you repair a cracked heat exchanger?
According to industry standards and safety guidelines, we can’t even attempt to fix a cracked heat exchanger. There’s no guarantee the repair will hold up. And since you can’t easily access the part, that means the problem can come back even worse. Even if we could, it’s usually too expensive to be worth it.
Does a cracked heat exchanger make noise?
There are a variety of problems that can cause your furnace to produce loud noises. Types of noises such as scraping, banging, whistling, and popping may be a sign of a loose part, cracked heat exchanger, or dirty gas burners.
Can you weld a cracked heat exchanger?
NO! Cracked heat exchangers should not be welded or repaired. Repairing a cracked heat exchanger requires welding both sides of the crack to ensure stopping all leaks. In most residential and small commercial heating units, this is not possible.
Can your furnace explode?
The short answer is yes, it is possible for your furnace to explode. But it is highly unlikely especially with the build of modern furnaces, which include high safety standards to decrease the risk of an explosion.
Why is my furnace making a boom sound?
When delayed ignition occurs, the released gas just keeps accumulating because, for whatever reason, it won’t ignite. The gas will continue to collect inside the furnace until it finally makes contact with a flame. When that happens, the gas ignites in a small explosion, creating a pop, boom, or bang that you can hear.
Can a gas furnace catch fire?
Although it is possible for a gas furnace to either catch fire or explode, it’s highly unlikely. If there is a danger of this happening, the furnace will usually simply shut off—as it’s designed to. Regular maintenance will further reduce this already unlikely event.
Is a gas furnace Safe?
Are Gas furnaces safe? If gas furnaces are maintained properly and serviced regularly, they are a safe way to heat your home.
Is my gas furnace making me sick?
If you are not cleaning your furnace often, there is more room for dust and other hazardous particles to build up, making you and your family feel sick. Nausea, dizziness, coughs, irritated eyes — these are all common symptoms that can arise when your furnace isn’t working correctly.
How do I know if my gas heater is safe?
To be sure your gas heater is safe, you should:
- have it serviced at least once every two years, by a qualified gasfitter.
- check for safety advice – some heaters need fresh air flow to operate safely.
Can gas heaters make you sick?
Unserviced gas heaters can spill carbon monoxide (CO) – a gas that you can’t see or smell but can make you seriously sick or kill you. Keeping your family safe and warm is simple.
Can gas heat cause sinus problems?
Is it true that your heater is making you sick? “When you turn on your heater for the first time, dust, pollen and other indoor allergens may cause sinus congestion,” says Dr. Anuja Vyas, a board-certified pulmonary disease doctor with Sharp Rees-Stealy Medical Group. “These symptoms may make you feel sick.”
Why does central heating block my nose?
A dry climate and heated indoor air will both dry out the membranes in your nose. And when the mucus up in there dries, it gets thicker and is more likely to clog your sinuses.
