{"id":1532,"date":"2019-12-09T11:00:30","date_gmt":"2019-12-09T16:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/?p=1532"},"modified":"2019-12-04T09:51:30","modified_gmt":"2019-12-04T14:51:30","slug":"happy-holiday-with-a-safe-furnace","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/happy-holiday-with-a-safe-furnace\/","title":{"rendered":"Have a Happy Holiday with a Safe Furnace"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"gas-burners-of-a-furnace\"If there\u2019s anything we can say with confidence about your heater here in the St. Augustine area, it\u2019s that you want yours to operate as efficiently as possible, right? We may not need to run our heaters as often or as long as other parts of the country\u2014but when we do <\/em>run ours, we need it to operate well and not cost an arm and a leg.<\/p>\n

More important than that, however, is how safely <\/em>your furnace operates, and yours may not be, if it has a cracked heat exchanger.<\/p>\n

Furnaces are not dangerous appliances. They wouldn\u2019t be so widely used and sold if they were. But if you are using a gas-powered heating system and not properly caring for it, it can become <\/em>dangerous, especially as it ages. And the most common reason for this danger is a cracked heat exchanger in a furnace older than 10-15 years old. Read on to learn more!<\/p>\n

What Does the Heat Exchanger Do?<\/h2>\n

This component is a vital part of your natural gas furnace\u2014the area where the heat from the combustion gas moves to the air from the blower fan that moves into the ventilation system. This combustion gas cannot come into direct contact with the air, or else unhealthy fumes wind up entering your living space and the air you breathe.<\/p>\n

Rather, combustion gas enters the heat exchanger\u2014a metal clam-shaped chamber that makes the heating process possible. The heat from the combustion gas raises the temperature of the metal, and as the air from the blower passes around it, heat transfers to it. Essentially, the heat exchanger is where the furnace heats the air.<\/p>\n

The Hazard of a Cracked Heat Exchanger<\/h2>\n

If you haven\u2019t already gathered, a cracked heat exchanger will allow the exhaust fumes inside the exchanger into your indoor air. The most toxic of these fumes is known as carbon monoxide, or CO gas. In the best case scenario, CO makes people ill. In severe cases, it can be fatal.<\/p>\n

The most likely cause <\/em>for cracked heat exchangers is furnace corrosion. The chemical reaction between the combustion gas and metal over time can create a weakening of the metal. This is why it\u2019s something to watch out for in an old furnace. Even the smallest crack is a problem, since it stretches wider as the heat exchanger turns hot and expands. This means it can get a little bit bigger each time you use your furnace.<\/p>\n

But how can you spot a cracked heat exchanger?<\/strong><\/p>\n

After all, we don\u2019t expect you to go searching inside of your furnace\u2014in fact, we advise against this. Listen for a clicking noise from the furnace after the blower shuts off\u2014this can be indicative of a cracked heat exchanger. Be sure to shut off your gas-powered appliances and call a pro for help right away if your CO detectors in your home go off too\u2014if you don\u2019t already have a CO detector but use gas appliances, please have these installed right away.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s important to be comfortable all year long, but it\u2019s also important to be safe! Be sure to have your furnace maintained, and properly maintained each year.<\/p>\n

For quality St. Augustine, FL HVAC service<\/a>, contact Climate Masters<\/a> today! Serving St. Johns County since 1988 with quality, hometown service.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Furnaces are not dangerous appliances. They wouldn\u2019t be so widely used and sold if they were. But if you are using a gas-powered heating system and not properly caring for it, it can become dangerous.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[76],"tags":[48,87],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1532"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1532"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1532\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1537,"href":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1532\/revisions\/1537"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1532"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1532"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.climatemastersfl.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1532"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}