Cracked Oil Furnace Heat Exchanger

The heat exchanger on a furnace is the section that keeps the combustion chamber and the breathing air separate 3.

Cracked oil furnace heat exchanger. Operating a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger can be very dangerous. This trips a safety switch and shuts down the furnace. Here is a video of a crack in a heat exchanger we found during a oil furnace cleaning and tune up in yardley pa. Potential dangers of a cracked heat exchanger.

Consequently air temperature becomes hotter. Diagnosis of a heat exchanger crack typically starts with a no heat service call. Combustion gasses and carbin monoxide can be. Remove it from the furnace and examine it in the light.

The combustible gas will become hotter as it accumulates in the exchanger. A damaged heat exchanger in a gas furnace is potentially dangerous to a home s occupants and should not be ignored. Even though your furnace may look and seem fine dangerous gases could leak into your home and seriously affect even kill your family members. 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.

If your gas furnace is about that age the chances are high that the heat exchanger can crack. When a heat exchanger becomes damaged and the combustion fumes and gases mix with the clean air. A cracked heat exchanger allows air from the furnace blower to interfere with the flame causing it to flutter or even roll out. If a heat exchanger becomes cracked then your heating system will not perform as it should.

Proper diagnosis of a failed or cracked heat exchanger. Step 1 check the furnace heat exchanger. So you need to get a replacement ready to avoid inconveniences if it breaks. Look for signs that the metal has been overheated or symptoms of long term metal fatigue.

A cracked heat exchanger in a gas furnace is a serious safety issue. Furnaces are equipped with a safety feature called a flame rollout limit switch. Examine the crack itself. Before you can do any repairs you should make sure that you check over your furnace heat exchanger thoroughly.

In some cases owners discover they have a cracked heat exchanger because the furnace shut down. Signs your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger.