Gas Furnace Heat Exchanger Leak

The average lifespan of a furnace s heat exchanger is 15 years.

Gas furnace heat exchanger leak.

This method was field tested by seven utilities during the 1982 83 heating season. In turn your furnace relies on a properly working furnace heat exchanger. How to inspect a furnace heat exchanger for damage or leaks carbon monoxide co gas hazards. So you need to get a replacement ready to avoid inconveniences if it breaks.

Broken and leaking heat exchangers are responsible for about 1 500 deaths per year in the united states and many more people are poisoned by exposure to toxic gasses that go unfiltered by defective heat exchangers. Because it allows the exhaust fumes inside the exchanger to leak into the air. A heat exchanger is made of thin metal and as it heats up from the combustion of the furnace it transfers the heat to the air being distributed through the house by the blower 3. The heat exchanger on a furnace is the section that keeps the combustion chamber and the breathing air separate 3.

If your gas furnace is about that age the chances are high that the heat exchanger can crack. This video is about the your heat exchanger is cracked so your furnace must be replaced scam. During the coldest days and nights of the year your home relies on a properly working furnace to keep your family warm and comfortable. Why is a cracked heat exchanger a problem.

Before you can do any repairs you should make sure that you check over your furnace heat exchanger thoroughly. Gas leaks at a furnace heat exchanger risk fatal carbon monoxide poisoning. Examine the crack itself. Remove it from the furnace and examine it in the light.

Look for signs that the metal has been overheated or symptoms of long term metal fatigue. Gas utility gas furnace oil furnace service technicians use a variety of procedures in attempts to identify potentially dangerous leaks in furnace heat exchangers. A damaged heat exchanger in a gas furnace is potentially dangerous to a home s occupants and should not be ignored. The heat of the combustion gas raises the temperature of the metal and as the air from the blower passes around it heat transfers to it.

Review of existing leak detection procedures gas equipment servicemen use a variety of procedures in attempts to identify potentially dangerous leaks in furnace heat exchangers. Potential dangers of a cracked heat exchanger. Step 1 check the furnace heat exchanger. When a heat exchanger becomes damaged and the combustion fumes and gases mix with the clean air.

Here s how they work and what can go wrong.