A furnace is almost always a background player at home, ensuring you're warm in the cold winter months. It regularly doesn’t get noticed until a malfunction appears.
One source could be that your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger. It can be a safety risk, so it’s important to know the symptoms of a cracked heat exchanger and what you should do if you believe that might be the problem.
What Is a Heat Exchanger in a Furnace?
A heat exchanger helps move heat from the combustion chamber of your furnace to the air that circulates throughout the ventilation. It typically accomplishes this using coils or tubes that heat the air while functioning as a barrier to keep byproducts produced in the combustion chamber, called flue gasses, from leaking out into your home.
Is a Cracked Heat Exchanger Dangerous?
Thanks to its important role, it shouldn't come as a surprise that a damaged heat exchanger can be hazardous. A damaged heat exchanger can allow dangerous gasses – including carbon monoxide, which can be lethal – to flow throughout your home.
For this reason, don't ever use your furnace if you believe there's a crack in the heat exchanger, as this could make your entire household sick. Call an HVAC professional as soon as possible if you believe your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger that needs to be repaired.
Four Signs of a Cracked Heat Exchanger:
- Furnace turns off: A crack in your heat exchanger can cause your furnace to shut off.
- Unusual Smells: If the air coming out of your furnace has an intense chemical scent, it might be an indicator that gasses are seeping through cracks in your heat exchanger. These gasses, which can smell like formaldehyde, are a significant warning sign.
- Carbon monoxide alarm goes off or you notice poisoning symptoms: If a cracked heat exchanger is relieving carbon monoxide in your home, your carbon monoxide alarm could go off or household members may experience signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Side effects include headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting or feeling drowsy. If your alarm goes off or you feel unusually tired, leave the home as soon as you can and then call for help.
- Soot: If you find black sooty collecting around the exterior of your furnace, it’s an indication something could be seriously wrong.
What You Can Do if the Furnace Heat Exchanger is Cracked
If you worry your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger, contact a pro with extensive experience in furnace installation Columbia right away so they can examine your system and, if needed, perform a furnace heat exchanger replacement. Costs should differ depending on the situation, but estimates often hover around $1,000 to $3,000.
However, the good news is that heat exchangers are generally protected by the warranty. You’ll want to check the warranty paperwork on your furnace, as while the warranty may not cover the entire cost of repairs, it still may significantly lower your bill.
How to Prevent a Cracked Heat Exchanger in Your Home
One of the best ways to avoid problems in your furnace overall is through regular furnace maintenance. Furnaces offer the most benefits when they run efficiently. Hiring a trained professional to examine your furnace for old parts, clogged filters and other potential problems can help you avoid getting a big bill later on.
It’s also a good idea to take a look at your furnace filters every few months – it’s encouraged some filters be changed every 90 days or sooner if they are dirty or grimy. While the filters aren't connected to the heat exchanger itself, the strain of drawing air through a clogged filter makes the entire furnace work harder to accomplish its job. And the harder your furnace needs to run, the more strain components like the heat exchanger will experience.