Skip navigation

Menu

Don’t Forget About the Heat Exchanger

If you’ve forgotten about your heater’s heat exchanger, or you don’t even know what a heat exchanger is, then you’re in the right place. We’re the heating experts, and we never said that you needed to be the experts!

It’s important for us to talk about what matters when it comes to your gas furnace, and one of the most important things we could talk about is your system’s heat exchanger. It’s a small component within all the furnaces in Kalispell, MT, and without it, your system would start leaking gas or carbon monoxide throughout your house.

It’s time to learn about what this component does, why it’s so valuable, and what you can do to help it last as long as possible. Remember, our team is available to come save the day if you find your heat exchanger in need of repairs.

What Your Heat Exchanger Does

Deep in the belly of your furnace lies a combustion chamber. This is where gas injectors mix with burners to light the gas up and produce heat. If you’ve ever seen how a car engine works, a furnace works in a similar way, just with natural gas instead of gasoline (and with heat, not movement, being the end goal). Within this chamber sits a component that is small, clam shaped, and responsible for keeping your home’s air clean and free of gases and exhaust. That’s the heat exchanger!

When heat is produced in the combustion chamber, there are plenty of exhaust fumes that come with it. This is why the fumes and heat created are contained within your heat exchanger, so it can exchange its heat with the fresh, clean air from your home. Then, the heat exchanger can pass off the fumes like carbon monoxide to be jettisoned outside, and allow the heated air of your home to remain breathable and comfortable.

Why Is It So Important?

This is a good question, and it’s important for us to answer. Your heat exhanger is vital to an efficient and safe furnace operation because it’s what keeps the dangerous and toxic gases—like carbon monoxide and gas—out of your home. Here’s what can happen if your heat exchanger begins to break down.

  • Flammable gas can begin to leak into your home. Not all of the gas inside your furnace burns during combustion. Some gas could leak into your home through a crack in your heat exchanger, which is a major fire hazard.
  • Your system could lose efficiency and leak heat. When a crack develops in your heat exchanger, it could lead to heat leaking out of the exhaust port of your furnace. This means a decrease in efficiency and comfort.
  • You could encounter carbon monoxide in your home. Carbon monoxide can become fatal when inhaled. Avoid this product by making sure your heat exchanger is in good shape.
  • Your detectors will constantly go off. Not only is this a safety concern, it’s incredibly annoying!

Let us help by performing maintenance and repairs to ensure your heat exchanger remains safe and in good condition.

Don’t let your furnace become a safety hazard. Call Bill’s Superheat, Inc. Here to Save the Day!

Comments are closed.