There are several parts of your furnace that are essential in heating your home. One of the crucial components of your furnace is the heat exchanger. This ever-important part plays a key role in the warm air you feel coming out of your vents. As important as your heat exchanger is, when it gets a crack, it can be mean big problems for your furnace. A cracked heat exchanger is one of the most dangerous problems your furnace can face. Hal Mechanical is here to talk about cracked heat exchangers and what makes them so dangerous.
Cracked Heat Exchangers Can Cause Carbon Monoxide Poisoning
Your furnace has burners that ignite and then the hot combustion gas that is generated is captured in the heat exchanger. It looks like small, metal chambers and can have a series of several chambers within the furnace. As the hot combustion gas is captured in these chambers, the metal heats up. The blower fan then blows air over them before blowing it out the vents. Once this heating process is complete, the combustion byproducts are vented out the flue and into the outdoors.
When a Heat Exchanger Cracks
Having a crack in the heat exchanger is certainly not a good thing. This can be a dangerous situation for your home and anyone in it. When your furnace starts to get older, the constant expanding and contracting that can happen to the metal walls of the heat exchanger start to weaken. This can lead to cracks and the need for emergency repairs. The reason for this is the fact that all that combustible byproduct that is usually vented outside will leak into the air that you breathe in your home. The gas that is especially dangerous and found inside the heat exchanger is carbon monoxide.
What is the Result to the Occupants if a Heat Exchanger is Cracked?
If carbon monoxide is leaking into your home, you could be at risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. This colorless, odorless gas is dangerous and can be deadly. When breathed in, you run the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. It is especially dangerous for those that are sleeping in the house or intoxicated as they aren’t aware of any of the symptoms that you feel when you are experiencing carbon monoxide poisoning. This is why it is so important that you have working carbon monoxide detectors throughout the house. Some common symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning include:
– Dizziness
– Nausea or Vomiting
– Breathlessness
– Weakness
– Dull Headache
– Shortness of Breath
– Loss of Consciousness
– Blurred Vision
Furnace Maintenance, Installation, Replacement & More in Aliante, Anthem, Desert Shores, Eldorado, Enterprise, Green Valley Ranch, Henderson, Inspirada, Mountain’s Edge, North LV, Peccole Ranch, Paradise, Providence, Rhodes Ranch, Seven Hills, Silverado Ranch, Spring Valley, Summerlin, Sunrise Manor, The Lakes, Tuscany Village & Las Vegas Nevada
As we head into the winter months, this is the perfect time to schedule your maintenance appointment with the pros at Hal Mechanical. We will inspect your furnace and ensure that your heat exchanger is in good condition and without cracks. It is our goal to ensure your furnace is safe and ready to keep you warm this winter. Call us today!
