Heat Exchangers and Rust

Today I am writing about furnace Heat Exchangers and how rust in the exchanger can tell you about the condition of your gas furnace.

The heat exchanger is commonly referred to as the heart of your heating system. It has also been called the "hot box" the "fire chamber" and others and is simply the area where the flames enter your system. This area is an item of concern because of the potential dangers it can pose to you and your family if it is breached with cracks or holes.

Although I could go on for pages on this one subject alone I want to give you a simple way to check if you might need to be concerned. Note: a thorough inspection of your heat exchanger should be performed by a TRAINED furnace specialist. I have been trained and certified by a nationally recognized Heat Exchanger Trainer and believe me, before my training had some misconceptions even tho I had years in the field.

The easiest way to check for yourself is to remove the louvered metal panel on your furnace or better yet have a professional remove it and look into the area where the flames are. The metal ports or holes that you see should be completely free of rust. The more rust you see the more concern you should have, because if there is rust at the entrance of the heat exchanger you can bet there is more inside the tubes or chambers itself.

Also, if there is a metal plate covering part of the exchangers (you will see this especially on older furnaces) look above the plate, if there is rust above it you should have a concern.

I would recommend an inspection by a professional at this point. A careful technician who knows what he is doing should have a special camera that can peer inside the chambers to perform a visual inspection. There are other tools as well but if the technician hasn't invested in a camera then you should get another opinion.

Although not conclusive , rust is a telltale indicator of problems and should not be ignored.

If you feel your furnace should be checked out, call your local professionals and make sure to question the technician who comes out about his credentials and years in the business. No professional will be offended by this and an experienced tech will welcome the opportunity to expand on training.

If you live in the Sacramento area and would like an inspection do not hesitate to contact me and I will make arrangements.

Take Care,

The HVAC Tech