A cracked heat exchanger can cause the furnace to shut down.
Gas furnace photos of cracked heat exchangers.
The combustible gas will become hotter as it accumulates in the exchanger.
There are certain signs to look for to determine if the heat exchanger has been.
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.
Why is a cracked heat exchanger a problem.
Potential dangers of a cracked heat exchanger.
Basically the heat exchanger is where the furnace heats the air.
Furnaces are equipped with a safety feature called a flame rollout limit switch or flame fuse.
In a nutshell here are some of the dangers of a cracked heat exchanger.
It will not only pose significant risks to your health but also cause more damages to the system.
You might not really need to replace your furnace.
A furnace depends on the heat exchanger to contain these dangerous fumes and safely conduct them to the chimney while transferring the valuable heat into the home.
Consequently air temperature becomes hotter.
We ve met with lots of homeowners looking for a second opinion about a supposedly cracked heat exchanger.
Many hvac contractors find cracked heat exchangers using visual analysis and use the results to recommend furnace replacement.
Operating a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger can be very dangerous.
Instead the combustion gas enters the heat exchanger a metal clam shaped chamber.
For a good example of a hazardous heat exchanger check out the photo below showing a large rust hole in the heat exchanger of this high efficiency furnace that was only ten years old.
If a heat exchanger becomes cracked then your heating system will not perform as it should.