Hey … Do you have GAS? If you do, you will surely know it. Of course, I am talking about a GAS furnace!
Now that I have your attention, please continue to read. This is very important. It looks like it is going to get unseasonably cold in the Charleston Area. It is necessary to have your heater checked for its annual inspection. It is a matter of life and death, especially if you have a gas furnace heating your home.
It’s an industry standard: if a furnace has a cracked heat exchanger, it gets replaced. The American Gas Association has even put this in writing – they say “Any visible crack or hole is reason for requiring replacement of the heat exchanger or furnace.” When we inspect a furnace and find a cracked heat exchanger, we always recommend replacing it.
Heat exchangers are present in all gas furnaces. Gas is ignited and used to heat up the heat exchanger. After the heat exchanger is hot, the air around the exchanger is warmed. This air will then be distributed throughout the system. Gas furnaces will last anywhere between ten to twenty years, during this lifetime heat exchangers will heat up and cool down thousands of times. Eventually the structural integrity of the metal will give in and the metal will break. These breaks usually occur as small cracks and holes in the heat exchanger.
A cracked heat exchanger is very dangerous for two major reasons. First, Carbon Monoxide could leak out of the furnace and into the home. Second, gas could leak out of the furnace and into the home. Carbon Monoxide (or CO) is a byproduct of combustion and poisonous.
Every home with gas HVAC equipment or appliances should be equipped with a CO detector as well as a smoke detector. In addition to having these two detectors, every home with a gas furnace should be inspected annually by a certified HVAC technician. Inspections and detectors can keep your family safe and give you peace of mind. If you do not have a CO Detector or have not had your gas furnace equipment maintained or inspected in over a year, contact Arctic Air Inc to have your equipment taken of care today.
So what’s the big deal with cracks or holes? A cracked heat exchanger could allow exhaust gas from the furnace to contaminate the household air with carbon monoxide. Symptoms of mild acute poisoning include lightheadedness, confusion, headaches, vertigo, and flu-like effects; larger exposures can lead to significant toxicity of the central nervous system and heart, and even death (Wikipedia).
If you have not had your gas furnace checked this year, it is time to do it now. You and your family are worth it.
Call today! 843-821-0937
