It's Fall, a beautiful time of the year in North Carolina, as the trees turn colors and light up the streets with the brightness of their foliage.

And it is the time of year when furnaces come on for the first time in months.  Also a great time to have an inspection performed on an older unit, to make certain it is ready for another heating season.

The most common furnace safety issue in Cary, Raleigh, and all of Wake County, NC, is the failure of the heating unit's "heat exchanger."  The heat exchanger is a chamber, or series of tubes, through which the combustion flue gases pass after burning.  Interior air from the house is passed over the heat exchanger to warm the air before it passes back into the home to heat it.  And the flue gases, being contained within the heat exchanger, pass to the outdoors through the flue or vent.

When all is well it works smoothly.

But, over time, that exchanger can be perforated with rust or corrosion, or can split on a welded seam.  The flue gases are no longer contained and exhausted properly.  Carbon Monoxide is a common combustion gas.  CO should not be taken lightly, as it can be deadly to inhabitants of the home.

 "Houston:  We have a problem!"  These heat exchanger tubes are approximately 2 inches in diameter.  The perforations are approximately 6 inches by the width of the tubes.  Major safety hazard and efficiency drain!

Suggestion:  If your heating system is more than 7or 8 years old, consider having a seasonal service performed by a licensed HVAC company, prior to heating season.  Request that the service includes a heat exchanger inspection.

In the Raleigh-Cary area, replacement of the heat exchanger is often 1/3 or more of the cost of a new heating unit.  It may be worthwhile to consider replacing the entire unit, as over the last 10 to 15 years efficiencies have increased tremendously.

Not only may you save a life, but holes like these massively compromise the efficiency of the heating system, as heated house air is lost out the flue.

I took this photo at Maximum Mechanical Heating and Air Conditioning in Cary, NC.  You can reach them at 919-469-3304. It is a unit they recently replaced.  Thanks to Gary and Carlos for helping me find the photo subject.