Furnace Cracked Heat Exchanger

A furnace cracked heat exchanger has been known to be a scare tactic in the heating and air conditioning business for years.

A furnace cracked heat exchanger has been used over the years to entice the consumer in purchasing a new furnace. If your furnace has a crack or cracks in the heat exchanger it’s safe to say a new furnace should be installed.

Why may you ask? Because the possibility of carbon monoxide entering your home or business increases tenfold. Fact; it’s scary to say that 1 out of every 2 furnaces we change out for customers have severe cracks in the heat exchanger.

Now, many heating contractors say that a crack heat exchanger means carbon monoxide, this is not entirely correct. A furnace cracked heat exchanger does mean that the possibility does exist for incomplete combustion to occur,  during the ignition stages as well as the operational stages of the burners in the furnace.

With a furnace cracked heat exchanger there are other variables that come to bear when cracks in the heat exchanger are present.
1. The possibility for carbon monoxide spilling into your home or business increases expediential.
2. A furnace cracked heat exchanger also causes the furnace to overheat.  And in many cases causing other furnace parts to fail such as; the high heat limit, the inducer motor, wiring inside the furnace compartment.  If the cracked heat exchanger is severe enough the air conditioning evaporator coil will melt as well.
3. If the cracked heat exchanger gets as severe as the latter then it is safe to say carbon monoxide is spilling into the home or business.  The possibility of someone getting poisoned or worse, death increases. That’s why carbon monoxide detectors are imperative.

If carbon monoxide is present that means the situation is dire and needs to be addressed immediately.
These pictures below depict a furnace cracked heat exchanger.