There are times you will end up with problems when trying to use your furnace to create heat. The furnace is an important part of the homes comfort system allowing you to warm the house in the cold winter months. The furnace is the only thing that warms the house up so that as you come home from a long day in the cold you can escape it and enjoy comfort and warmth. You want to make sure your furnace is in good working condition all season long. If it happens to go out in the middle of a cold night you are stuck waiting for a service technician to come back out. There are some aspects of the furnace that can have a problem and cause your unit to stop working. You want to know what to look out for and know what it means when the heat exchanger goes out or is cracked. West Lake Houston Air Conditioning & Heating outlines how to tell if your heat exchanger is damaged.
What is a Furnace Heat Exchanger?
The heat exchanger is a major part of the furnace unit. The exchanger is a set of tubes that will loop around a particular area and is what will help to create the heat that is then pushed in your home. The heat is created when the gas is burned up and then the heat has to be moved to the house after that. That is where the heat exchanger comes into play. You want to make sure that the exchanger is in good shape and does not have any damage from dents to cracks.
How to Identify if Your Furnace Heat Exchanger is Cracked or has a Hole or Leak
There are lots of signs and symptoms that tell you that your furnace is not working right. You can use the presence of smells as well as sounds that should alert you that there is a problem. Each sign can mean there are other things that could be wrong and it can be difficult to know where to begin. When it comes to the heat exchanger the most common sign is that there is no heat being moved. The heat has to pass through the exchanger and if it is damage the heat will not be able to pass through. The most common cause of heat exchanger damage is that you are getting no heat.
How to Prevent Furnace Getting Red Tagged
If an HVAC technician diagnosis a problem such as a craced heat exchanger, we are legally required to ‘red-tag’ your furnace and notify the gas utility company, who will shut off your gas if your furnace is not fixed in the specified time frame. If you want to avoid a cracked heat exchanger then you can make sure it is installed by a professional HVAC company like West Lake Houston Air Conditioning & Heating. It is also important that it has the proper amount of air flow. The air flow is necessary so that the unit does not get overheated. This is the most common way that a heat exchanger gets cracked and stops the unit from functioning. The air can be restricted when you fail to maintain the furnace and if you let the filters become clogged. They allow a certain amount of air to go through to the unit as long as they can clean and clear.
Furnace Installation, Replacement, Repair, Inspection, Tune Up & More in Kingwood, The Woodlands, Huffman & Greater Houston Texas
West Lake Houston Air Conditioning & Heating can come out to your home to inspect and repair your furnace. Call us today!
