If you have a forced air furnace that uses natural gas to heat your home, you need to be aware of some problems that can cause serious dangers to your home. One of them happens to be a cracked heat exchanger. This is one of the most dangerous problems that you can experience with a gas burning furnace. It is important to know what the signs of a cracked heat exchanger look like so that you can catch the problem before it becomes a serious safety threat to your family. Hal Mechanical is here to talk about what the heat exchanger does and why this is so important.
How Serious is a Cracked Heat Exchanger?
If there is damage to your heat exchanger that has caused it to crack, it is extremely serious. The heat exchanger is responsible for holding all the combustion gases that are produced when your furnace is running. One of these gases is carbon monoxide. Carbon monoxide is a colorless, odorless gas that can be a huge health hazard to your home if it goes undetected. This dangerous gas can lead to serious health concerns and even death.
What Causes a Crack to Form in the Heat Exchanger
The heat exchanger is constructed of a metal chamber that is constantly expanding and contracting while it works to heat your home. Over time, it can lead to cracking in the metal because of the stress that is caused during the heating process. As the gases cause the contracting and expanding to happen day after day, it can create a crack.
Signs You Have a Cracked Heat Exchanger
The cracks that form in a heat exchanger can be subtle and difficult to detect. However, there might be some signs present to help you detect this dangerous problem.
– When a cracked heat exchanger is present, your carbon monoxide detector could be going off as it detects carbon monoxide in the air.
– There are people in your home showing signs of carbon monoxide poisoning which consists of headaches and flu-like symptoms.
– Your furnace isn’t heating your home effectively.
– You might hear a clicking noise coming from your furnace when the blower shuts off and the walls of the heat exchanger contract and the crack closes again.
– There are signs of corrosion or damage to your furnace.
Heating Maintenance is Vital
To help you detect a problem with your heat exchanger, you need to have regular maintenance performed on your heating system each year. A thorough inspection can uncover any cracking that could be present in the exchanger.
Forced Air Furnace Heating Services & 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
If you have issues with your furnace, including the heat exchanger, you can turn to Hal Mechanical to get to the bottom of whatever is going on. We will perform any necessary repairs or furnace replacements needed to ensure your home is warm this winter. Call us today!