Cracked Oil Furnace Heat Exchanger

Here is a video of a crack in a heat exchanger we found during a oil furnace cleaning and tune up in yardley pa.

Cracked oil furnace heat exchanger.

Furnaces are equipped with a safety feature called a flame rollout limit switch. 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 a heat exchanger becomes cracked then your heating system will not perform as it should. Signs your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger.

Potential dangers of a cracked heat exchanger. When a heat exchanger becomes damaged and the combustion fumes and gases mix with the clean air. So you need to get a replacement ready to avoid inconveniences if it breaks. Consequently air temperature becomes hotter.

Even though your furnace may look and seem fine dangerous gases could leak into your home and seriously affect even kill your family members. Proper diagnosis of a failed or cracked heat exchanger. Operating a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger can be very dangerous. The heat exchanger on a furnace is the section that keeps the combustion chamber and the breathing air separate 3.

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. In some cases owners discover they have a cracked heat exchanger because the furnace shut down. Examine the crack itself. The combustible gas will become hotter as it accumulates in the exchanger.

Diagnosis of a heat exchanger crack typically starts with a no heat service call. This trips a safety switch and shuts down the furnace. Combustion gasses and carbin monoxide can be. A cracked heat exchanger in a gas furnace is a serious safety issue.

If your gas furnace is about that age the chances are high that the heat exchanger can crack. Step 1 check the furnace heat exchanger. Remove it from the furnace and examine it in the light. 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.

A cracked heat exchanger allows air from the furnace blower to interfere with the flame causing it to flutter or even roll out. Look for signs that the metal has been overheated or symptoms of long term metal fatigue.