“What causes cracks in my furnace heat exchanger?”
It depends on the brand you have that effects if you have aluminum, steel, aluminized metal so depending on what you have depends on how it’s formed and where it will crack at. A Carrier will crack differently than a Goodman or a Trane because they are made differently.
The Goodman product actually reinforces the weak sides, so if you see their heat exchanger it is kind of like an “S” shaped tube but they reinforce all of the curves. They do that because every time you curve it weakens the metal which is where you usually see cracks or failures. This is one reason Goodman gives a lifetime warranty on their heat exchanger for gas furnaces because it doesn’t fail, it has a reinforced edges on the weak spots.
As the heat exchanger gets hot, it expands and as it cools, it constricts. So if you have enough of that happening eventually it is going to get weak enough to crack or cause a hole.
So with that being said, it’s always a good idea to have a maintenance done just to have all this checked out to make sure that you are not developing a weak area or crack in that heat exchanger which can cause carbon monoxide.
Carbon monoxide is very dangerous and should not be taken lightly. You want to do everything you can to check the safety of any gas burning appliance in your home and you should have carbon monoxide detectors in the home, I linked up below where I talked about carbon monoxide in a previous article.
http://onehouraircarolinas.com/carbon-monoxide-detectors/
Your friend in comfort and energy savings,
Derek Cole
Derek Cole is the General Manager of One Hour Heating & Air Conditioning®, an independently owned and operated franchise based in Laurinburg, North Carolina since 1953. He has more than 14 years of experience in the HVAC industry and has created two You Tube broadcasts, The Comfort Experts and #AskDerekCole, filled with tips and tricks on saving energy and being comfortable. He was named the Top 40 under 40 in the HVAC industry by the News magazine and featured in Entrepreneur Magazine Franchise Player Spotlight.
