Most homes in the Boerne, TX area use forced-air furnaces, which are inexpensive to operate and work well in our climate. Gas-fed furnaces use burners to heat the air, but it’s a bit more complicated than that. A heat exchanger plays a vital role in that process, and while it’s designed to last, it undergoes a huge amount of stress and strain. Over time, fissures and cracks may develop in it, which is a serious problem in need of immediate correction.
More Efficient Heating
The burners shoot jets of flame into the air, but that isn’t the most effective way to warm the air. That’s where the heat exchanger comes in. It’s essentially just a piece of shaped metal, which transfers the heat from the burners to the air above it. That heated air can then be blown into the home with a fan. Heat exchangers also allow for the safe ejection of toxic gasses (a byproduct of burning natural gas).
Cracks Spell Big Trouble
The good news is that heat exchangers rarely have moving parts and are built to last many years. Unfortunately, the constant stress of being subjected to the extremes of temperature that comes with turning the heater on and off can take their toll. As your furnace ages and the warranty expires, the heat exchanger may develop cracks and fissures from the stress. When that happens, you need to get it replaced immediately.
Not only will a cracked heat exchanger severely restrict the furnace’s ability to do its job, but it could release toxic gas into your home. More modern furnaces have safety features that will shut the system down when that happens, but older ones — the precise ones that may be vulnerable to cracked heat exchangers — might lack such features, and in any case, the issue still needs addressing before your furnace will run.
Call D’Spain Sales and Service, Inc. today for quality furnace repair!
