Signs of a bad heat exchanger in a gas furnace include strange noises, a yellow or flickering burner flame, increased fuel bills, carbon monoxide detector alarms, and unusual odors, such as a burning smell or the scent of exhaust fumes.
Your boiler's heat exchanger is one of its most critical components. Ensuring it functions efficiently can prevent costly repairs or replacements. A new heat exchanger can cost between £400 and £600, but if your boiler is still under warranty, you may be able to get it replaced for free.
If the heat exchanger rusts through or cracks, flue gases, including deadly carbon monoxide could leak into the home resulting in illness and possibly death of the occupants. Carbon monoxide poisoning can produce headaches, flu like symptoms, and even death.
The only signs that you have a damaged heat exchanger are no heat during the winter, reoccurring flu-like symptoms, or a beeping carbon monoxide detector.
Boiler service
The gas burner should be removed (or the inspection plate) to inspect the heat exchanger and electrodes. These can be cleaned and the heat exchanger washed, cleaning the heat exchanger on an annual service helps massively to increase the efficiency and reliability of the boiler.
Rule #1: If your Heat Exchanger has been deemed cracked by a HVAC professional you should NOT be running it. Unfortunately, some owners will attempt to run their furnace even when a cracked heat exchanger has been detected.
The cost of replacing a heat exchanger ranges from $2,000 to $3,500. Replacing your furnace's heat exchanger would be a good route to take if your furnace is fairly new. However, it is not worth spending your money on replacing your heat exchanger when it is near the end of its life span, which is ten years or more.
The tracer gas test - all openings in the heat exchanger are sealed, a methane tracer gas is injected into the heat exchanger, and a combustible gas leak detector passed around the outside looking for areas where the tracer gas is escaping.
Generally, the most expensive part of a gas boiler is the heat exchanger, as it plays the main role in transferring heat from burning gas to circulating water for heating purposes. Heat exchangers can become damaged over time, leading to failures that are expensive to replace.
Household Chemicals – Believe it or not, corrosion can form on the heat exchanger. Things like hair spray, fabric softeners, and bleach can enter the air stream, pass the filter, and attach to the heat exchanger for good. Over time, the chemicals bore a hole through the metal and cause it to fail.
£189.99. £134.90. The Ideal Logic Heat Exchanger is a reliable and efficient component for central heating systems that require hot water.
In most cases, furnaces or boilers with a cracked heat exchanger are completely replaced. This is because the cost to replace the heat exchanger alone can exceed the cost of upgrading to a new unit. Furthermore, a cracked heat exchanger can allow Carbon Monoxide to spread into your home.
With a boiler, the heat exchanger will not be visible for inspection. As you examine the burner area note if there is any evidence of leaking from the heat exchanger onto this area. In many cases there would be signs of rusting, corrosion, flaking metal, or water seepage and even dripping water.
Unfortunately, a heat exchanger is not cheap to fix and it may be better to get a new boiler replacement in the long term.
Furnaces have an average lifespan of around 10 years, and most exchangers tend to go out around this time. If your furnace is close to this 10-year mark, a new furnace is likely a better investment. If your furnace is relatively new, a new heat exchanger may be worth it to avoid early furnace replacement.
Because replacing a heat exchanger can take up to eight hours or longer, it represents the bulk of the cost. If your warranty is expired, and you would need to pay both parts and labor for a new heat exchanger, look further into whether a full unit replacement would be more advantageous for you.
Clogged filters reduce the air flow that result in development of cracks inside the system. Other reasons for reduced air flow are the dirty fan blades, dirty duct work, and obstructed air vents. All of these factors can cause major damage to the heat exchanger.
And remember, trying to replace a heat exchanger without professional assistance can pose potential hazards such as carbon monoxide poisoning and other safety risks.
Repairing a heat exchanger involves welding the cracks or applying heat-resistant epoxy. However, due to the critical role the heat exchanger plays in a furnace, ensuring the integrity and safety of the repair is paramount.
Without it, your boiler would fail to heat your water - which, is kind of important. Unfortunately, when the heat exchanger is faulty, a boiler can fail at its job (like the British Government during a pandemic), leading to cold or lukewarm water.
How Much Does Labor Cost to Replace a Heat Exchanger? Generally, labor to replace a heat exchanger costs $400-$600. The job can take 5-8 hours at a cost of $75-$125 per technician. Furnaces operate the same way regardless of if they use natural gas, propane or oil.
Cleaning-In-Place (CIP) equipment can clean plate heat exchangers without disassembly. CIP is a combination of time, temperature and concentration. CIP provides both chemical and mechanical cleaning to the heat exchanger.