![\"Technician](\"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/No-Matter-How-Often-You-Use-Your-Heater-It-Needs-a-Tune-Up-300x200.jpg\")
There are a number of reasons a homeowner may choose to invest in an electric furnace over a gas-powered system. For one, they may not even have access to their municipal\u2019s gas line. Another reason might be that they\u2019re worried about the safety hazards that a gas-powered system presents.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s not to say gas furnaces are inherently dangerous. In fact, today\u2019s systems are built much sturdier than those of the past, and so long as you have your system professionally installed and serviced by trained professionals, you shouldn\u2019t have much to worry about.<\/p>\n
However, just like any other powerful appliance, gas furnaces do <\/em>need routine maintenance done. And skipping this service certainly can leave you in danger\u2014in danger of a carbon monoxide leak due to a cracked heat exchanger.<\/p>\n Cracked heat exchangers are typically not a problem in newer heating systems. You shouldn\u2019t expect to find this problem in any furnace younger than 10-15 years\u2014unless, of course, it was installed by an amateur and\/or you haven\u2019t had it professionally serviced in all that time. Regular maintenance sessions help our technicians catch cracked heat exchangers early enough that you\u2019ll know it\u2019s time to arrange for repair or in some cases, a heating system replacement.<\/p>\n The heat exchanger is an integral component of a gas-powered furnace. It\u2019s the area where the heat from the combustion gasses transfer to the air from the blower fan, which moves into the ventilation system. The combustion gas should not come into direct contact with the air, otherwise unhealthy fumes (like carbon monoxide) will end up seeping into your living space.<\/p>\n Rather, the combustion gas enters the heat exchanger, which is a metal, clam-shaped chamber. The heat of the combustion gas raises the temperature of the metal, and as the air from the blower passes around it, heat transfers to it. Essentially, the heat exchanger is where the furnace heats the air.<\/p>\n As you may have guessed from the description above, a cracked heat exchanger is a problem because it allows the exhaust fumes inside the exchanger to seep into your indoor air. The most toxic of these fumes is carbon monoxide, which can cause severe health problems and even fatalities. A properly functioning furnace sends the fumes out a flue, but a crack in the heat exchanger can allow some to leak.<\/p>\n In most cases, it\u2019s corrosion that causes this problem. The reaction between the combustion gas and metal creates a weakening of the metal, which is why we mentioned this problem usually only occurring in older furnace systems. Even if it\u2019s a small crack that you can\u2019t see, it\u2019s important to know that it stretches wider as the heat exchanger turns hot and expands\u2014and this is where the problem lies.<\/p>\n In many cases, this will be found during maintenance. However, if you notice a clicking sound coming from your furnace after the blower shuts off, you can have a cracked heat exchanger. Cease use of your system and call in a pro. Additionally, it\u2019s a\u00a0must to have carbon monoxide detectors installed in your home so you can be alerted to its presence right away.<\/p>\n Skipping furnace maintenance certainly can leave you in danger\u2014in danger of a carbon monoxide leak due to a cracked heat exchanger.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[150,188,77],"class_list":["post-2301","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-heating","tag-furnace-repair","tag-heat-exchanger","tag-mt-lebanon"],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2301"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2306,"href":"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2301\/revisions\/2306"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2301"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2301"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.boehmerheating.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2301"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}\u201cAm I At Risk?\u201d<\/h2>\n
What Exactly Is a Heat Exchanger?<\/h2>\n
The Problem with a Cracked Heat Exchanger<\/h2>\n
What Causes a Cracked Heat Exchanger?<\/h2>\n
\u201cHow Do I Know If I Have a Cracked Heat Exchanger?\u201d<\/h2>\n
Call the friendly staff at <\/strong>Boehmer Heating & Cooling<\/a> for exceptional customer service and reliable <\/strong>furnace repair in Mt. Lebanon<\/a>, today! <\/strong><\/h4>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"