A gas furnace heats your home with a flame powered by either natural gas or propane (and some older furnaces use oil). The combustion from the flame releases poisonous gases such as carbon monoxide. In high amounts, these gases can prove fatal to humans and animals. To remedy this problem, a furnace uses metal tubing called a heat exchanger to contain the gases. The heat exchanger heats up, and air from the home is forced around the hot metal tubing. The air is warmed without being affected by the gases contained inside.
Why Do Heat Exchangers Crack?
Your furnace runs until indoor air is at the right temperature, and then it turns off to save energy. When this happens, the heat exchanger cools down. Then, when the thermostat recognizes air is too cool, the furnace kicks back on, and the metal tubing heats back up. This heating up and cooling down season after season can eventually cause the metal to crack. Compare it to bending a paper clip back and forth. If the metal cracks, your family is in danger.
How Do You Keep Your Family Safe?
First off, we recommend carbon monoxide testers for your home. Every home should have them. Secondly, seasonal maintenance will ensure that at the beginning of the season, your furnace is ready to perform. Not only can seasonal maintenance help keep your family safe, it will also help keep your system efficient, which extends its life and also lowers utility bills.
Efficiency Heating and Cooling is a respected, seasoned Portland HVAC company. We not only offer maintenance, but repair, replacement and installation services for residential and commercial systems. We also provide oil to gas conversions for those wanting to make the jump to clean, efficient heating.
Thanks for reading our blog, and we hope you’ll give us a call for any indoor comfort need you experience!
