A furnace is usually a background player in your home, helping keep you warm across the cold winter months. It frequently doesn’t get noticed until something breaks down.
One root cause might be that your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger. It can be a safety risk, so it’s important to familiarize yourself with the evidence of a cracked heat exchanger and what you can do if you suspect that is the problem.
What Is a Heat Exchanger in a Furnace?
A heat exchanger helps move heat from the combustion chamber in your furnace to the air that moves throughout the air ducts. It generally accomplishes this using coils or tubes that warm the air while functioning as a barrier to keep gas created in the combustion chamber, called flue gasses, from getting out into your home.
Is a Cracked Heat Exchanger Dangerous?
Given its important role, it’s no surprise that a broken heat exchanger can be hazardous. A damaged heat exchanger can permit dangerous gasses – such as carbon monoxide, which can be lethal – to be distributed across your home.
For obvious reasons, do NOT run your heating if you suspect it has a cracked heat exchanger, as letting it run could make your entire household ill. Call an HVAC professional as soon as possible if you are worried your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger that should be repaired.
Four Symptoms of a Cracked Heat Exchanger:
- Furnace switches off: A cracked heat exchanger could cause your furnace to turn off.
- Strange Smells: If the air leaving your furnace has an intense chemical scent, it might be evidence gasses are slipping through cracks in your heat exchanger. These byproducts, which can smell like formaldehyde, are a major warning sign.
- Carbon monoxide alarm initiates or you notice symptoms of poisoning: If a cracked heat exchanger is releasing carbon monoxide into your home, your carbon monoxide alarm may go off or household members may start experiencing signs of carbon monoxide poisoning. Side effects include headaches, dizziness, weakness, nausea, vomiting or feeling tired. If an alarm goes off or you feel unwell, exit the home as soon as you can and then call for help.
- Soot: If you see black sooty accumulating near the exterior of your furnace, it’s an indication something could be seriously wrong.
What You Can Do if a Furnace Heat Exchanger is Cracked
If you worry your furnace has a cracked heat exchanger, call a professional well versed in furnace installation Franklin Lakes as soon as possible so they can inspect your system and, if needed, perform a furnace heat exchanger replacement. Costs should vary depending on the situation, but estimates often hover around $1,000 to $3,000.
Estimates aside, the good news is that heat exchangers are often protected by the warranty. It's a good idea to confirm the warranty paperwork on your furnace, since while the warranty won't always cover the entire cost of repairs, it could significantly lower your bill.
How to Avoid a Cracked Heat Exchanger in Your Home
One of the most convenient ways to prevent a problem in your furnace overall is via regular furnace maintenance. Furnaces work the best when they work efficiently. Hiring a skilled professional to inspect your furnace for worn-out parts, dirty filters and other likely problems can keep you from getting a big bill later on.
It’s also helpful to take a look at your furnace filters every few months – it’s ideal some filters be replaced every 90 days or sooner if they are dirty or grimy. While the filters are not part of the heat exchanger itself, the strain of drawing air through a clogged filter makes the entire furnace work harder to do its job. And the harder your furnace has to work, the more strain parts like the heat exchanger will endure.