Annual maintenance service and safety checks on furnaces are recommended by every equipment manufacturer, as well as the techs installing the units. But as these things go, many homeowners either forget, or they underestimate the importance.
As a certified gasfitter and service technician, furnaces are the major share of what I see in a day. As such, I see the results of a lack of maintenance on these appliances which we Canadians rely upon for approximately half of the year.
Some of the issues we see are simply a matter of unmaintained equipment needing costly repairs, while others are more unsettling…lack of attention can allow dangerous conditions to develop, posing very real risks to life and property.
The accompanying photos show a transition housing from a ten-year-old high-efficiency furnace. This was the first time in the decade since installation that the furnace was serviced by a qualified gas fitter. When the doors came off of the furnace, the first visible problem was a slight crack in the housing that covers the exhaust pathway within the furnace, the crack being located right at the mounting screw.
Crack in furnace housing
Upon further inspection we discovered that the back side of the housing (not in immediate view) was split from top to bottom, and leaking out exhaust gases into the home.
Furnace housing split from top to bottom
Furnaces, when properly adjusted, should not create carbon monoxide (CO). However it is common that improper fuel/oxygen ratios cause improper combustion, leading to the production of gases that can be harmful or fatal. Having a certified gas fitter in to service your furnace is the only way to ensure that your home is being heated safely and efficiently.
Cheers ?
BC Redi-Rooter LTD
