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Case Studies

Dec 26, 2019 8:00:00 AM by Ron Musser

Bensalem Church Replaces Furnace With a Cracked Heat Exchanger

PROBLEM: During a routine tune-up, this Bensalem church found out their heater had a cracked heat exchanger and a possible carbon monoxide leak. 

SOLUTION: ECI Comfort replaced the furnace with the dangerous cracked heat exchange with a new system in just two days so that services would not be interrupted.

Bensalem oil heater replacement - cracked heat exchanger

The caretaker at a Bensalem church had to move quickly when he found out he needed a new HVAC system. With services on the weekend, he couldn’t let the parishioners go cold. 

Luckily, the cracked heat exchanger was discovered before something went horribly wrong, and we were able to get a new furnace up and running in no time. Taking the time to get preventative maintenance saved those in the church from dangerous heater failure and allowed the problem to be fixed before it got worse.

In this article, we’ll look at exactly what was wrong with the old furnace and why it needed to be replaced. 

Bensalem Church Gets A Fast Heater Replacement After Cracked Heat Exchanger


PROBLEM: During a routine tune-up, this Bensalem church found out their heater had a cracked heat exchanger and a possible carbon monoxide leak. 

SOLUTION: ECI Comfort replaced the furnace with the dangerous cracked heat exchange with a new system in just two days so that services would not be interrupted.


Cracked Heat Exchanger on an Oil Furnace in Bensalem

cracked heat exchanger in Bensalem PA

This Bensalem church had no idea their oil furnace was on the verge of failure. -- a crack in a heat exchanger is not noticeable unless you are doing a close check-up on the furnace. But, if left unchecked, it can actually be deadly. That’s why ECI let the caretaker know right away about the problem and, unfortunately, why we had to red-tag it. 

In other words, the break was a safety issue. It was bad enough that we shut down the furnace until it could be replaced. Here’s why it’s such a big problem. 

Carbon monoxide poisoning

The heat exchanger is the component inside a furnace that’s responsible for generating heat. That heat is produced by burning fossil fuels. As a result, the process also creates carbon monoxide. 

As we all know by now, carbon monoxide is a poisonous gas that’s colorless and odorless. In other words, it’s impossible to notice without a special detector.

Carbon monoxide leak from a cracked heat exchanger

Normally, the carbon monoxide goes right out of the system’s exhaust so that it doesn’t build up inside your home -- or, in this case, the church. If the heat exchanger cracks, the carbon monoxide can seep out into the building rather than outside, causing a potential health hazard.

The only reason the caretaker knew there was a crack and a leak was that he had ECI come out for his annual heater service. During our routine preventive maintenance, we checked CO levels and discovered they were much higher than they should be. That’s when we did a little investigating and found the problem. 

Benefits of a Heater Tune-Up

Why you can’t fix a cracked heat exchanger

Once the caretaker heard the news, he asked the obvious question: can’t you just fix the cracked heat exchanger? 

Surely, that’d be much less expensive than replacing the whole system; unfortunately, it’s not an option. The exchanger is ceramic and difficult to mend. Even if we did mend it, the risk of it cracking again— even worse — is too great. What’s more, it’s located deep within the furnace itself.

So, by the time the caretaker would pay for a new part plus the labor to take it all apart, replace the component, and then rebuild it, he’d spend more than he would for an entirely new unit. And there’d still be the risk of something going wrong again.

Fortunately, once we explained this, we were able to move forward with a replacement to restore warmth and safety back to the church!

Fast Oil Furnace Replacement in Bensalem

Getting the oil furnace replaced in this Bensalem church was really the quickest part of the whole process. As the church's trusted HVAC company, we were able to run through the steps of our 5-star process easily so that a new system could efficiently be installed. Since the old unit was working well up to this point, the caretaker wasn’t worried about an upgrade. So it was just as simple as replacing the old furnace with the same type of unit. ECI Comfort furnace replacement in the Delaware Valley

He’ll also see a small reduction in his oil usage because any brand-new unit will work more efficiently than one that’s been running for a few years. Either way, he had the problem taken care of in just two days, and the upcoming week of services went without a hitch. 

If you’re concerned about the condition of your oil or gas furnace, or if you want to keep it in great shape for years to come, click below or call ECI today. With annual tune-ups and regular maintenance service agreements, we’ll keep you safe and warm for years to come.

Contact ECI Comfort

 

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This entry was posted in Heat Exchange, Commercial Heating And Cooling, Furnace, Bensalem, PA