CRACKED HEAT EXCHANGER THEY SAY?

No you DO NOT have a cracked heat exchanger, well, maybe!

Six times out of ten you have been unintentionally mislead as a ploy for a contractor to sell you equipment. In the world of HVAC and other service industry jobs, usually builder trade oriented, there is a thing called a CO/OP. Have you ever wondered why you see a company, for sake of argument.... "ABC 123 Plumbing and Heating and such" ......( ... disclaimer... I hope I just made that up but if this is your business name then Please Except My Apologies I am not referring to you ) with pictures of brand name equipment all over their phone book ads, Web sites, and Trucks? This is because they are receiving ad money from those manufacturers in turn for guaranteeing them that they will sell at least 150,000 dollars per year in equipment sales. So, What's that to me you ask? It means that MOST COMPANIES TAKE OUT A LOAN, purchase all 150,000 dollars worth of Furnaces and Air Conditioners at one time and then send out a sales team to sell, sell, sell.

Now don't get me wrong. The more you buy as a contractor from your supplier the more free gifts you get as a contractor, like, Winter jackets, T-Shirts, Tools, Air purifier systems, other equipment, etc.... But free to the contractor doesn't always mean free to you, the customer of the contractor. These companies need to do everything that they can in order to sell all of the equipment that they have pre-purchased not only to pay back the loans that they took out in order to purchase that equipment, but they also need to get rid of their inventory before tax time or else they are stuck paying out even more money in inventory tax

AND THEY DO ALL OF THIS JUST TO SAVE SOME MONEY ON ADVERTISING

Common sense should tell you that if a company has a team of individuals that their only purpose is to bid jobs, ( that they don't even know how to install ), then all they are interested in is selling you equipment and not asking the real question.... Do you NEED or even Want the equipment being offered.

What Does This Mean To Me?

This means that when the service tech comes out to your home or place of business to do a routine maintenance check up, they inspect the Heat Exchanger with a camera usually scratching the surface just enough to make it look like a crack and claiming that you need a replacement. Most of these techs don't know any better nor do they probably realize that they just scratched the chamber themselves. They have been trained by the colleges that any unit over ten years of age is not as efficient and "probably has a cracked heat exchanger due to common wear and tear and should be replaced". A more thorough investigation of the scratch would reveal the fact that it was just a scuff of the residual deposits that always accumulate in the exchange chamber and should be cleaned out anyways. However, there are those times when in reality you have a real crack in your exchanger and you really should replace it as in the picture above or the video below.

REAL CRACKS IN THE HEAT EXCHANGER CAN BE DEADLY

As you can see a crack is more than evident as a crack and should be very noticeable on any camera system as such. These cracks are very dangerous for you and your family, this is true. Yes, deadly carbon monoxide poisoning can occur from operating equipment with cracks such as these. It is very essential that your HVAC Technician is honest and upright in showing you the "problems" with your equipment, however, as a homeowner, it is your job to be informed. Hopefully we were able to help you to be more informed so that you can make the right choice for your family and for your budget.

If your Furnace does need replaced, Call James First. James Heating Cooling And More Plymouth, IN offers free estimates, fair upfront pricing, and a friendly service that can't be beat.