Various factors could necessitate a furnace replacement in Edmonton. Top among them is a defective heat exchanger. A heat exchanger is a metal chamber that separates the air you breathe from the furnace’s combustion process. This component heats the air that gets blown across its heated surface.
It is after this step that the air gets distributed to warm your home. A tight seal is always present in a functional heat exchanger to separate the air as indicated above because some of the gasses present such as carbon monoxide are lethal. Let’s discuss some of the causes of heat exchanger failure and the steps you should take.
Causes of Heat Exchanger Failure:
Temperature Changes
The thin metal section of the heat exchanger experiences constant expansion and contraction as the temperatures rise and fall respectively. Note that such changes are inevitable due to their importance in the home heating process. Consequently, a section of the heat exchanger breaks, exposing the persons in your home to carbon monoxide poisoning.
The good news is the fact that a properly constructed and installed heat exchanger has a lifespan of 20 years. However, heat exchanger failure could be accelerated by some factors, the top among them being poor system maintenance.
Excessive heat
Overheating is a top cause of premature heat exchanger failure in many Edmonton homes. This problem is as a result of restricted airflow to the furnace due to dirty filters. As a consequence “stress cracks” occur, which require professional attention.
Over-sized Furnace
An oversized furnace also heats a home too fast. In such a situation, the furnace shuts off after several minutes. Such a consequence seems advantageous to many who think that they are saving on energy costs because their heating systems run for short periods. Well, it is not since the water in the heat exchanger does not get to evaporate and escape through the system’s venting. The heat exchanger, in such instances, is always wet, causing it to rust.
What Can You Do?
Other than calling professionals, homeowners can do very little in such situations. Diagnosing a cracked heat exchanger is no easy thing, especially with the limited information and inadequate tools at the disposal of many homeowners.
An Edmonton furnace specialist such as Capital Plumbing & Heating Ltd. is, however, armed to carry out the necessary diagnostic tests to identify the problem. Top among the tests that a heating expert will carry out include visual inspections, the use of penetrating dyes, leak detection instruments, infrared video inspections, and others.
If you are lucky, an expert may recommend a heat exchanger replacement; otherwise, you may have to cater for a furnace replacement if the situation is extreme.
