You likely have a gas-powered furnace in your household since it is the most popular methods for heating homes in the Las Vegas desert. Also, for the majority of homeowners, gas furnaces are very cost-efficiency and easy to maintain. When you have natural gas in your home, there is still a present risk, though gas furnaces are not inherently dangerous. The risk of combustion gas leaks is the concern since the carbon monoxide leak is the threat. When you have a cracked heat exchanger in your furnace, carbon monoxide exposure can occur. Considering this, we at Hal Mechanical would like to further discuss a cracked heat exchanger.
What is a Heat Exchanger For?
The part that applies heat to the air that your blower fan sends through your ductwork and ultimately into your home is the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is a metal chamber, or series of metal chambers, that are welded together in a sort of clamshell shape. It’s where the hot combustion gas from the burners collects and are arranged in rows in your gas furnace.
The gas sets off an intense heat that warms up the metal walls. Allowing the furnace to apply heat of the combustion gas to the air without coming into contact with air makes the outside of the heat exchanger very hot.
Why Does a Heat Exchanger Crack?
Your furnace is put under a lot of strain and suffers from natural wear and tear throughout the years. This wear and tear even impact the heat exchanger.
The metal walls expand with the heat every time they heat up. They contract as your furnace cycles off and the heat exchangers cool down. Eventually, the constant movement weakens the metal leads to corrosion, and then cracks in the heat exchanger. Though it is still a risk you should keep in mind regardless of the age of your gas furnace, this is more likely to happen in an aging furnace 10–15 years old.
Signs of a Cracked Heat Exchanger
The cracks are usually tiny. Theoretically, if you opened up your furnace to try to find them yourself (never do this), you wouldn’t see these cracks. Generally, you should be scheduling routine annual maintenance for your furnace. Among the many components professionals check during your tune-up to ensure safe operation is the heat exchanger. Additionally, if there is a carbon monoxide leak from a cracked heat exchanger, you’ll know right away if you have a carbon monoxide detector installed. Also, a sign that you have a cracked heat exchanger is when you hear a clicking sound you haven’t before as your furnace cycles down. You are hearing the crack close back up as the heat exchanger cools down and contracts.
Forced Air Furnace Heating Repairs, Replacements & More in Aliante, Centennial, Desert Shores, Eldorado, Enterprise, Green Valley Ranch, Henderson, Lone Mountain Village, North LV, Peccole Ranch, Paradise, Silverado Ranch, Spring Valley, Summerlin, Sunrise Manor, Tuscany Village, Whitney, Winchester & Las Vegas Nevada
When it comes to taking care of your furnace, you want the professionals of Hal Mechanical. We provide maintenance services, repairs, replacements and installation services in the Greater Las Vegas, NV area. If you suspect your heat exchanger is cracked, or have not gotten the tune-up services for the season, call us today to schedule your repair and/or maintenance services.
