Your furnace is a complex system that helps to keep your family and home safe during the colder winter months. If you’re like most homeowners, you don’t quite understand how the internal components of your furnace work. Fortunately, we’re going to take a few minutes and dive into explaining what your furnace’s heat exchanger is and how it works.
What Does a Heat Exchanger Look Like?
Before you can really understand the job of a heat exchanger and how it works as part of your furnace, you need to understand what it looks like. A heat exchanger is comprised of a series of metal tubes that run through thin metal shielding. Each furnace’s heat exchanger is going to vary from the next slightly.
Defining the Job of a Heat Exchanger
The largest component of your furnace, the heat exchanger, is responsible for safely transferring heat. However, its job doesn’t stop there. It’s also in charge of making sure that all the flue gases make their way safely out of your home.
You’ll only find heat exchangers on furnaces that burn gas or oil. As your furnace combusts your fuel of choice, it generates heat and combustion fumes, also known as flue gases. These flue gases, like carbon monoxide, are not safe for you to breathe. Your exchanger is in charge of properly diverting those flue gases to your furnace’s exhaust outlet.
As the flue gases travel through the inside of the heat exchanger, their high temperature heats up a thin metal shield. Air from your fan blower will be blown across this thin metal shield in the direction of your ducting. The now heated air will proceed to travel through your ducting and deliver that warm air to your entire home.
Most Common Heat Exchanger Problems
Ask any furnace technician what their most common furnace repairs entail, and most will reveal that they deal with an abundance of cracked heat exchangers. It’s vital to remember that your heat exchanger is made out of metal. As it heats up, the metal will expand. As it cools down, the metal will contract.
This can wreak a lot of havoc on your heat exchanger over many years. Eventually, the metal will become brittle and more prone to snapping and cracking. When the metal cracks, it’s no longer safely sealing in those harmful flue gases. This is why it’s so important to have your furnace evaluated each year and to have well-placed carbon monoxide detectors throughout your home.
Signs of a Cracked Heat Exchanger
Heat exchangers take many years to develop cracks, which can put them at the back of your mind. However, there are some signs that should always be on your radar when you’re evaluating your furnace. First is the existence of soot buildup on your heat exchanger. If you notice an area or multiple areas where the soot has buildup on the metal, it’s an indication that there is damage where the soot is at.
Another common sign of a cracked heat exchanger is unusual noises when you turn your furnace on. You may hear rattling, banging, or popping noises as the metal expands where the cracks are located at. When you look at your heat exchanger, it may also be overly obvious that there are physical cracks near connections.
How Long Do Heat Exchangers Last?
A factory heat exchanger should last a good 15 to 20 years. Obviously, with annual maintenance, your heat exchanger will last closer to the 20-year mark. However, it will eventually crack at some point due to its metal makeup and constant expansion and contraction.
When a heat exchanger goes out, it can be costly to replace. In most cases, homeowners will opt for replacing their entire furnace when the heat exchanger goes out, as the rest of the furnace components will be nearing the end of their lifespan. However, in the odd instance that your heat exchanger develops a problem while your furnace is still under warranty, getting only the heat exchanger replaced is ideal. Most warranty coverage will cover all or mostly all of the cost of the replacement.
Reliable Heating Service
HB Home Service Team is your reliable heating professional in the Harrisburg, PA area. We’re also here for all of your cooling, plumbing, oil, propane, electrical, indoor air quality, and safety needs. Contact our office today to get the help that you need.
Chumba cha kulia moto ni sehemu ya mfumo wa kuhifadhi mazingira ya nyumbani na nyumbani wakati wa majira ya baridi kali. Kama wewe ni kama wamiliki wengi wa nyumba, huelewi kabisa jinsi vipengele vya ndani vya tanuru yako vinavyofanya kazi. Kwa bahati nzuri, sisi ni kwenda kuchukua dakika chache na kupiga mbizi katika kueleza nini tanuru yako exchanger joto ni na jinsi inafanya kazi. Mabadilishano ya Joto Hufananaje? Kabla ya kuelewa kazi ya exchanger joto na jinsi kazi yake kama sehemu ya tanuru yako, unahitaji kuelewa jinsi inaonekana. Mabadiliko ya joto ni pamoja na mfululizo wa mirija ya chuma ambayo kukimbia kwa njia ya chuma nyembamba ulinzi. Kila tanuru ya exchanger joto ni kwenda kutofautiana kutoka ijayo kidogo. Kuongeza joto kwa njia ya exchanger ya joto ni sehemu muhimu ya furnace, ambayo ni muhimu kwa ajili ya uhamisho wa joto. Hata hivyo, kazi yake haikomi hapo. Pia ni wajibu wa kuhakikisha kwamba gesi zote flue kufanya njia yao salama nje ya nyumba yako. Utapata tu exchangers joto juu ya tanuru kwamba kuchoma gesi au mafuta. Kama tanuru yako kuchoma mafuta ya uchaguzi wako, inazalisha joto na mvuke mwako, pia inajulikana kama gesi flue. Gesi hizi za moshi, kama vile kaboni monoksidi, si salama kwa wewe kupumua. Mabadiliko yako ni wajibu wa usahihi kuelekeza wale gesi flue kwa tanuru yako ya kutolea nje. Gesi hizo zinapopita ndani ya kifaa hicho cha kubadilishana joto, joto lao la juu huchochea kifuniko nyembamba cha chuma. Hewa kutoka kwa blower yako ya shabiki itapeperushwa kupitia ngao hii nyembamba ya chuma katika mwelekeo wa mifereji yako. Heated hewa sasa itaendelea kusafiri kupitia ducting yako na kutoa hewa hiyo ya joto kwa nyumba yako nzima. Kama wewe ni mtaalamu wa vifaa vya joto, unaweza kuuliza mhandisi wa tanuru nini ukarabati wao wa kawaida wa tanuru unahusisha, na wengi watafunua kwamba wanashughulika na wingi wa exchangers ya joto iliyovunjika. Ni muhimu kukumbuka kwamba exchanger yako ya joto ni yaliyotengenezwa kwa chuma. Inapopanda joto, chuma hicho kitapanuka. Inapopungua joto, chuma hicho kinapungua. Hii inaweza kusababisha uharibifu mkubwa kwenye exchanger yako ya joto kwa miaka mingi. Hatimaye, chuma hicho kitakuwa dhaifu na kitakuwa rahisi kuvunjika na kuvunjika. Wakati chuma cracks, ni tena salama kuunganisha katika wale hatari flue gesi. Hii ndiyo sababu ni muhimu sana kuwa na tanuru yako kutathmini kila mwaka na kuwa na detectors kaboni monoksidi vizuri kuwekwa katika nyumba yako. Ishara za kubadilishana joto: Vifaa vya kubadilishana joto huchukua miaka mingi kuunda ufa, na inaweza kuwaweka nyuma ya akili yako. Hata hivyo, kuna baadhi ya ishara ambayo lazima daima kuwa juu ya rada yako wakati wewe ni kutathmini tanuru yako. Kwanza ni kuwepo kwa mkusanyiko wa chokaa kwenye exchanger yako ya joto. Kama unaona eneo au maeneo mbalimbali ambapo soot ina ujenzi juu ya chuma, ni dalili kwamba kuna uharibifu ambapo soot ni katika. Ishara nyingine ya kawaida ya exchanger ya joto cracked ni kelele isiyo ya kawaida wakati wewe kurejea tanuru yako juu. Unaweza kusikia kelele za kupiga kelele, kupiga kelele, au kupiga kelele wakati chuma kinapopanuka mahali ambapo nyufa ziko. Wakati kuangalia exchanger joto, ni lazima kutambua kwamba kuna ufa karibu na viunganishi. Vifaa vya kubadilishana joto huendelea kwa muda gani? Kwa mfano, exchanger ya joto ya kiwanda inaweza kutumika kwa miaka 15 hadi 20. Kwa hivyo, kwa matengenezo ya kila mwaka, kubadilishana joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto kwa joto. Hata hivyo, hatimaye itavunjika wakati fulani kwa sababu ya muundo wake wa chuma na kupanuka na kupungua kwa mara kwa mara. Mabadiliko ya joto yanapoharibika, yanaweza kuwa ghali kubadilisha. Kwa kawaida, wamiliki wa nyumba huamua kubadilisha tanuru yao yote wakati kubadilishana joto hutoka, kwani sehemu zingine za tanuru zitakuwa karibu na mwisho wa maisha yao. Hata hivyo, katika kesi ya ajabu kwamba exchanger joto yako inaendelea tatizo wakati tanuru yako bado chini ya dhamana, kupata tu exchanger joto kubadilishwa ni bora. Ulinzi wa dhamana nyingi utafunika gharama zote au zaidi ya gharama zote za kubadilisha. Hifadhi ya Jumba la Hifadhi ya Jumba la Hifadhi ya Jumba la Hifadhi ya Jumba la Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi ya Hifadhi. Sisi pia ni hapa kwa ajili ya wote wa baridi yako, mabomba, mafuta, propane, umeme, ubora wa hewa ya ndani, na mahitaji ya usalama. Wasiliana na ofisi yetu leo ili kupata msaada unaohitaji.