Chilly weather has arrived in Mountain City, GA, so you reached for the thermostat or app and turned on the furnace. The heat exchanger is the part of your furnace that heats the air, and a failing one requires an urgent repair for the sake of your safety and comfort. Consider these signs that your furnace’s heat exchanger could be cracked.

Soot Buildup

Shine a flashlight into the combustion chamber. If you see soot or a coating of black grime on the interior surfaces, this means the combustion process isn’t working correctly. A cracked heat exchanger is a common cause of soot buildup in the combustion chamber.

Unusual Odors

Heat exchangers contain several metals sealed within their glass tubes. When this component cracks, the heat from the combustion process burns those metals. The odor emitted by the burning metal is similar to that of formaldehyde. If you smell an unusual odor, turn off your furnace.

Leaking Water

Water leaking from your furnace indicates a cracked heat exchanger, explains the Department of Energy. You may find a puddle on the floor. The furnace may also have exterior rust or corrosion.

You and Others in Your Home Feel Ill

A cracked heat exchanger may allow toxic carbon monoxide, nitrous oxide and sulfur dioxide to mix with the air you breathe. These gases are poisons. Low levels of exposure to them cause symptoms that mimic many illnesses, such as the flu. You may notice fatigue, nausea, and headache. As the level of these poisonous gases increases, your symptoms may worsen into dizziness, mental confusion, and shortness of breath. A carbon monoxide detector can alert you to the presence of unhealthy levels of carbon monoxide, which is the most dangerous of these combustion byproducts.

For more details about the signs that your furnace’s heat exchanger could be cracked, take a look at Radlee Heating and Cooling’s furnace repair services, or call our furnace repair experts today for additional details.

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