The heat exchanger is one of the most likely furnace components to become damaged or corroded with time. If not attended to promptly, this can represent a serious threat to you and your family, since it may allow deadly carbon monoxide to escape into the air of your home. If you would like to learn more about the heat exchanger and the problems to which it is subject, read on. This article will provide a useful overview of the subject.

The Basics

First, it will help to get to know this important furnace component a little bit better. The heat exchanger is where the transfer of heat between furnace and air occurs. The heated air that is generated inside of the furnace flows into the heat exchanger, which is a sort of coiled and sealed metal tube. This design ensures that the toxic exhaust byproducts found inside of the furnace's air do not get out into your home. Of course, your heat exchanger develops a crack or hole, this is no longer the case, and you are potentially at risk of poisoning.

Heat Exchanger Problems

Problems tend to ensue thanks to the fact that the substances that make exhaust gas so deadly also make it quite corrosive. The inside of your heat exchanger is naturally exposed to these substances virtually every time your furnace turns on. As time goes on, they will cause corrosion to begin eating away at the inside of the exchanger. Eventually, this process will result in weak patches--and even holes.

This process of corrosion is only exacerbated by the large temperature fluctuations to which the heat exchanger is also subject. These fluctuations tend to give rise to what are sometimes referred to as expansion stress. Essentially, this involves the metal becoming excessively warped and bent. Before long, this process will cause the metal to tear open along its seams.

Repair Options

It is best to leave the diagnosis of heat exchanger issues to professionals like Biggerstaff Plumbing Heating & Air. An HVAC technician is armed with a large body of knowledge, as well as a variety of diagnostic tools. They will generally begin by inspecting the exchanger visually for any signs of damage. If this does not turn up anything, they will often turn to more sophisticated techniques such as infrared cameras and emission analyzers. Depending on the severity of any damage, repair may be an option. This generally involves soldering a metal patch over the hole. More widespread damage, however, will often entail that the exchanger is replaced with a new unit.