When good heat exchangers go bad!
Furnaces create heat by burning fuel (gas, oil, or propane). When the fuel burns, it generates hot gasses which travel through curved metal tubing called a heat exchanger . As air passes over the heat exchanger, it absorbs heat from the hot metal surface. The heated air is then circulated through ducts to warm your home or place of business. Meanwhile, the gasses that are created by the burning fuel are released outside through a vent pipe.
A furnace which is cracked or contains holes or small leaks can release carbon monoxide into your home or place of business. Carbon monoxide is colorless, odorless, and tasteless and is virtually impossible for the human senses to detect. Most accidental carbon monoxide poisonings occur from house fires, malfunctioning home-heating systems and hot-water heaters. While the symptoms vary significantly, the most common symptoms are headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and fatigue. On-going carbon monoxide poisoning may lead to coma and death.
To reduce the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning inside your home or place of business, have your furnace inspected annually by an experienced technician. An annual check-up should include a thorough inspection of the heating unit for cracks, holes, and leaks. To reduce the risk of fire, the flame should checked for a proper mixture of air and gas. Likewise the safety and limit switches should be tested to insure that the fan runs whenever the heat exchanger is hot and that the unit will shut off should the flame burn beyond the confines of the box.
Here are some examples of bad heat exchangers:
These problems are quite severe and with yearly inspections could have been fixed long before they became this severe.
With our highly trained staff armed with the latest in technology we can catch these problems long before they can harm your most valuable assest... Your family.
Here is one of our highly trained technicians checking the heat exchanger of our valuable customer.