Can you run a furnace with a cracked heat exchanger?

If it is your heat exchanger, you cannot run your furnace, even if it seems to be running fine. The gases will continue to seep into your home’s air. Many companies, upon finding a cracked heat exchanger, will shut your furnace down so you cannot run it.

Can you see a cracked heat exchanger?

What Do You Do If Your Heat Exchanger is Cracked? You may be unaware of a cracked heat exchanger unless your carbon monoxide detector beeps, but you may also notice the signs mentioned above. Unfortunately, you can’t really know for sure that your heat exchanger is cracked without an HVAC technician’s inspection.

How do you know if you have a crack in your furnace?

A gas furnace that is functioning will have a stable blue flame. If you notice your burner has a yellow flame that moves, it means that either your burner is dirty or that the heat exchanger is cracked. Note: Flames that flicker or bend more when you turn on the fan are a good indicator of a cracked heat exchanger.

How do I know if my boiler heat exchanger is broken?

Yellow or distorted flames. When the boiler is on, the burner flame should be steady and blue in colour. If the flame is yellow and is moving around a lot, then this could either be a sign that the burner is dirty or that the heat exchanger has a crack.

How can I tell if my furnace is leaking carbon monoxide?

How to tell if your furnace is leaking carbon monoxide

Heavy condensation appearing on windows where the furnace is installed.
Sooty stains are appearing around the furnace.
The physical appearance of soot, smoke, fumes or back daft in the house from the furnace.
A burning like/ overheating smell.

How can you tell if your furnace heat exchanger is cracked?

It is impossible to determine if a heat exchanger is cracked solely by visual inspection, but these signs and symptoms can give you an idea of whether you should call a professional to inspect your furnace’s heat exchanger. A normally operating gas furnace has a steady blue flame.

What are the symptoms of a cracked furnace?

This odor alone can cause severe headaches and other physical symptoms in humans. If you smell a formaldehyde-like odor, you should immediately call a professional for a furnace inspection. Combustion gases leaking from a cracked heat exchanger can cause frequent headaches as well as flu-like symptoms.

How big is a crack in a heat exchanger?

That showed us more of the heat exchanger, but it still didn’t show us everything. Depending on the furnace design, it might only be possible to examine 10% of the entire heat exchanger. And what did it mean if the camera revealed a crack?

What causes stress cracks in a gas furnace?

Stress cracks can develop due to the components’ expansion and contraction that occurs each time the furnace heats and cools. In addition, components can become corroded because of exposure to fumes that emit chloride or exposure to moisture from other sources.

What does it mean when your furnace heat exchanger is cracked?

Change in Flame Appearance. A normally operating gas furnace has a steady blue flame. A burner with a moving yellow flame can mean that the burner is dirty or that the heat exchanger is cracked.

How can I tell if my furnace is heating up?

You might need a mirror to see inaccessible areas. Install a carbon-monoxide detector nearby, even if you see no cracks. Metal expands when heated, meaning cracks can widen when the furnace is on. A carbon-monoxide detector will help ensure that no cracks are appearing when the metal is heated during typical operation.

How to tell if your furnace combustion chamber is bad?

But you can monitor the furnace for problems by looking for signs of wear. Turn off the furnace and open it for inspection, using your furnace’s manual as a guide. Look for cracks or rust spots in the metal walls of the combustion chamber and heat exchanger, using a flashlight if necessary.