When you notice a crack in one of your plates, or a crack in your drywall, you probably take note of it for a later project and go about your day. Cracks and schisms aren’t really that big of a deal in most situations. Sure, they’re not good, but they’re not catastrophic by any means, right? Well, sort of.
A crack in your heating system is going to be a different issue to approach. If it’s a crack in the metal casing, then it might not be the biggest deal in the world. However, if you’ve got a crack in your system’s heat exchanger, or in the combustion chamber, then you might be dealing with a subsequent carbon monoxide leak, or even smoke infiltration throughout your home.
Make sure you’ve got a team of expert professionals standing by to take a look at your HVAC system in Benton, LA if you think it’s cracked.
A Cracking Heat Exchanger
Your heat exchanger is a component located in your gas furnace which is responsible for transferring the heat from one section to another. You could say that it exchanges heat even.
All jokes aside, the heat exchanger is a clam-shaped device that heats the air of your home while keeping it sealed off from the fumes and exhaust materials created by combustion. All of the carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, smoke, and water vapor that would otherwise come from the burning of natural gas is safely kept away from your indoor air and is exhausted through the exhaust port. The heat exchanger then heats up the clean air of your home and sends it into the vents where you can feel it and breathe it! Isn’t that convenient?
That’s why a crack in your heat exchanger is a big deal, because a disruption in this process could be a big problem for your home comfort, your safety, and your furnace.
Why This Is a Big Deal
Since the heat exchanger is supposed to keep your home’s air sealed away from the toxic fumes of combustion, a crack in it means that it’s not going to be able to do this. Those toxic fumes like carbon monoxide or smoke will seep into the air of your home and start developing in your living spaces.
Carbon monoxide is a deadly chemical to inhale and we have plenty of blog posts detailing the risks associated with it. Additionally, smoke and water vapor can cause all sorts of problems for your health and your home as well. None of these fumes are good and they need to be exhausted out of your house.
How Cracks Form
The next time your heating system rumbles, grinds, booms, or shakes, remember this blog post. These vibrations over time can cause a crack to develop from microscopic to a few inches in length. It might not happen instantly, but years of a rumbling or booming furnace can eventually wear down the metal inner workings of the system and cause it to crack and rupture.
