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Examples of Bad Heat Exchangers

What does a bad heat exchanger look like?

A heat exchanger is the metal chamber that separates the flame’s potentially deadly flue products from the home’s air.

Over time, the constant stress on the metal from recurring heating and cooling causes it to split and open which allows the flame’s gasses to mix with the home’s clean air.

This is why furnaces should be checked every year for safety. The only way to detect a bad heat exchanger is to visually locate the crack and verify that it is completely through the metal by observing either light or water passing through it.

However, due to the configuration of many of the current heat exchangers, the use of a video inspection device is required by a certified HVAC contractor or an experienced HVAC company to do the job correctly.

Hot spots on the heat exchangers are typically the areas that are continually over-heated and are the usual areas to wear out early.

The crack here is not separated or open while it is cold. However, when operating the flame’s heat will cause the metal to expand and distort which could allow harmful flue gasses to pass into the home.

Any experienced heating and cooling professional will inform you that A/C devices do not generate what might be referred to as cold energy. Instead, what AC systems do is transfer thermal energy between locations.

Heat streams from areas of heat to areas of low temperature level, according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics. The HVAC system is accountable for reversing this natural circulation, eliminating hot air from buildings in the hot summertime and positioning it in structures in the cold winter seasons.

 

How does that occur? It’s the heat exchanger…

What is a Heat Exchanger in the context of property cooling and heating?

A heat exchanger is a device that moves thermal energy from one medium to another. Heat exchangers not just assist in the cooling and heating of houses and structures, however also help machines and engines work more efficiently.

 

How Does Heat Exchangers Work?

To better comprehend how a heat exchanger works, let’s have a look at the function the gadget plays in two of the most common kinds of HVAC devices: an air conditioning system and a gas heating system.

 

How an Air Conditioning Unit Uses a Heat Exchanger

Air conditioning system removes heat from indoor spaces and move it outdoors. One of the significant chemicals it relies on for this procedure is refrigerant.

Refrigerant carries, absorbs and releases heat as it alters from a gas to a liquid and back once again during the refrigeration procedure.

Here are the various actions:

  • In the air conditioner, the refrigerant channels through the different parts, moving heat as it goes.
  • The refrigerant starts out as a low-pressure liquid in the evaporator coils.
  • An AC fan moves warm indoor air over the AC coils, and as this happens, the refrigerant transforms into a vapor absorbing the air’s heat and this cools an indoor space.
  • A low-pressure warm gas now, the refrigerant takes a trip into the compressor– normally situated outside– where it transforms into a high-pressure, hot gas.

As air streams over the condenser, it brings away heat from the refrigerant with it, causing the refrigerant to change once again into a high-pressure, cool liquid.

The refrigerant will cool off much more in the growth valve prior to going back to the evaporator to take in more heat to carry out of the building.

While the entire cooling system could be thought about the heat exchanger between indoor areas and outdoor areas, the air conditioner condenser is the part of the AC unit responsible for heat transfers in the air conditioner.

 

The manner in which a Gas Furnace uses a Heat Exchanger

For decades, gas heaters have been one of the most popular home appliances for heating homes during the cold winter season months. These units utilize heat exchangers to raise the temperature of air before distributing it throughout a structure via ducts and signs up.

In a gas heater, the heat exchanger is an airtight vessel with a hole at the bottom and one at the top, which is called the flue. Here are the actions the heat exchanger takes within the gas furnace:

  • Burners create combustion gases and send them through the very first opening into the heat exchanger.
  • At the exact same time, a blower channels indoor air over the exterior of the heat exchanger.
  • A heat exchanger utilizes combustion gases to heat indoor air.
  • Exhaust gases are released through the flue to the exterior of the home.

The heat exchanger in a gas heating system plays 2 roles: exchanging heat from the combustion procedure to the air blown over it and keeping harmful combustion gases separate from the heated air.

Click to Call: 503.698.5588

We Strive to Be One of the Best Local HVAC Companies in the Area!

Efficiency Heating & Cooling offers Heating, Cooling, Air Conditioning, Heat Pump, Ductless Mini-Split, Water Heater, and Furnace installation, repair, service, replacement, and maintenance company located in and serving the local Portland Metro area.

Efficiency Heating & Cooling employs only the best technicians for air conditioner repair, furnace repair, and ductless AC repair. We service and replace all air conditioners, furnaces, and water heaters.

If you find yourself asking where to find “A good HVAC company near me or the best heating and cooling company near me”, you’ve come to the right place!

Contact us now with any questions or to schedule and appointment!

We Strive to Be One of the Best Local
HVAC Companies in the Area!

Efficiency Heating & Cooling offers Heating, Cooling, Air Conditioning, Heat Pump, Ductless Mini-Split, Water Heater, and Furnace installation, repair, service, replacement, and maintenance company located in and serving the local Portland Metro area.

Efficiency Heating & Cooling employs only the best technicians for air conditioner repair, furnace repair, and ductless AC repair. We service and replace all air conditioners, furnaces, and water heaters.

If you find yourself asking where to find “A good HVAC company near me or the best heating and cooling company near me”, you’ve come to the right place!

Contact us now with any questions or to schedule and appointment!

Click to Call: 503.698.5588

Address:   4040 SE International Way
STE E105 Milwaukie, OR 97222

Hours:   Mon – Fri: 7AM – 6PM
Sat – Sun: by Appointment

CCB#   187834

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