Furnace Heat Exchanger Inspections

We are the only inspection company in Nebraska and Iowa with inspectors that have received professional HVAC training to thoroughly inspect heat exchangers and that brings that level of thoroughness to every inspection! Most of our competition simply turns the furnace on, watches the operation, checks for CO gas, and turns it back off. We take it to a whole new level! Through our state-of-the-art techniques, when we find a crack, we are 100% certain a crack exists. We take photographs or obtain video of the cracks whenever possible. Many times, we're finding cracks that licensed HVAC Technicians and Home Warranty Companies have missed.

Our heat exchanger inspection goes well above & beyond the NAHI or ASHI Standards on inspecting furnaces. Our inspectors have been professionally trained & certified to inspect the heat exchangers of most furnaces. If the furnace is 12 years or older, there is a strong chance that a crack exists in the heat exchanger. For Home Buyers, would you want to purchase a home and later find out your furnace needs to be replaced? Neither would we! For Home Owners, would you want to find out if your furnace poses a threat to your family? Of course! Our professional inspectors will conduct the heat exchanger inspection on furnaces the inspector deems necessary. For the most part, this will be on furnaces 10 years & older or on furnaces that have visible rust on the exchanger. Our heat exchanger inspection will find a majority of the cracks utilizing state-of-the-art techniques. We're not HVAC Technicians, nor do we claim to find 100% of those cracks, but we will increase your chances of knowing if the heat exchanger is cracked.

Basic Furnace Operation:

When the room temperature dips below the temperature setting on the thermostat, the thermostat communicates to the furnace to kick in. The ignition switch, pilot light, or glow plug will ignite the natural gas or propane as it begins to flow into the burner tubes. Once the burners ignite, each shell or tube of the furnace's heat exchanger will gradually become warmer. As the temperature inside the exchanger reaches a 110-120 degrees F, the fan control tells the blower to start. As the cold air is sucked in by the blower from the cold air return, the air passes over the outside of the heat exchanger, warms up, and then is blown out through the plenum side to all of the heat ducts in the home. If the heat exchangers become too hot (usually above 175 degrees F), the high-limit control switch will kill the gas to the burners, effectively shutting the heat source off. The blower will continue to operate until the heat exchanger has cooled down to an acceptable temperature (around 85 degrees F.) The furnace may start up again if the desired room temperature has not yet been attained.

Heat Exchanger's Purpose:

Forced air furnaces typically last approximately 15 years. When your furnace reaches 10-12 years, it is strongly recommended that you hire an HVAC Specialist to clean, service, & evaluate that furnace annually. Assuming the furnace is operating normally, the biggest concern should be the condition of your heat exchanger. The older your furnace gets or the harder your furnace is pushed, the more stress that is inflicted on the heat exchanger. The heat exchanger is the metal wall or tubing that separates the toxic flue gases produced from the burners from mixing with your warm air flowing through your ductwork. If a crack develops in the heat exchanger, there is a potential for carbon monoxide gas to leak over to the other side and be blown throughout your home. Carbon monoxide gas is odorless. The human senses will not detect its presence. However, there are signs. Light-headedness, nausea, and flue-like symptoms are all signs of CO gas leaking into your home. On a worst-case scenario, if the crack in your furnace is bad enough, you and your family may find yourself permanently sleeping. That is why F2R inspectors perform this inspection on suspect furnaces. By hiring F2R, you're increasing your chances of finding a crack. You're also looking out for your family's health.

Failing to Change Your Filter:

Changing the furnace filter is a simple, yet often overlooked chore to properly maintaining your furnace. If the filter is dirty, then the airflow is restricted, thus limiting the amount of air passing over the heat exchanger, which in turn slows down the air flowing through your warm air ducts. Because of this, the thermostat will continue to tell the furnace to stay running to meet the desired temperature that may never be reached if the airflow is really poor. When this occurs, the maximum temperature inside the furnace is reached to quickly. The high-limit control switch tells the burners to shut off. The blower continutes to run until the heat exchange has cooled down. Because the house has not reached its desired temperature, the thermostat immediately tells the furnace burners to ignite again. This process continues over and over again until you remedy the problem by changing your filter. The harder your furnace works, the higher your gas bill will climb and the shorter the life of your furnace will be.