Cracked Oil Furnace Heat Exchanger

A cracked heat exchanger in a gas furnace is a serious safety issue.

Cracked oil furnace heat exchanger.

When a heat exchanger becomes damaged and the combustion fumes and gases mix with the clean air. In some cases owners discover they have a cracked heat exchanger because the furnace shut down. Diagnosis of a heat exchanger crack typically starts with a no heat service call. Proper diagnosis of a failed or cracked heat exchanger.

Operating a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger can be very dangerous. So you need to get a replacement ready to avoid inconveniences if it breaks. Here is a video of a crack in a heat exchanger we found during a oil furnace cleaning and tune up in yardley pa. Even though your furnace may look and seem fine dangerous gases could leak into your home and seriously affect even kill your family members.

Remove it from the furnace and examine it in the light. A cracked heat exchanger allows air from the furnace blower to interfere with the flame causing it to flutter or even roll out. Combustion gasses and carbin monoxide can be. Consequently air temperature becomes hotter.

Before you can do any repairs you should make sure that you check over your furnace heat exchanger thoroughly. A damaged heat exchanger in a gas furnace is potentially dangerous to a home s occupants and should not be ignored. Step 1 check the furnace heat exchanger. If your gas furnace is about that age the chances are high that the heat exchanger can crack.

Signs your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger. The combustible gas will become hotter as it accumulates in the exchanger. If the flames come outside the proper area like in the video above the flame rollout limit switch senses it and shuts the furnace down to protect itself. Look for signs that the metal has been overheated or symptoms of long term metal fatigue.

Potential dangers of a cracked heat exchanger. Furnaces are equipped with a safety feature called a flame rollout limit switch. The heat exchanger on a furnace is the section that keeps the combustion chamber and the breathing air separate 3. If a heat exchanger becomes cracked then your heating system will not perform as it should.

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. This trips a safety switch and shuts down the furnace.