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Oak Park, IL
Posts: 186
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Lafayette, Louisiana
Posts: 3916
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 Do you inspect the heat exchanger?
[#2] Posted: 05/03/2012 - 3:26:42 PM |  |  |
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I've never pulled a blower to inspect a heat exchanger, but then I live down south where AC's are used much more than heaters. It ain't worth the risk of breaking something.
I've pulled hundreds as a contractor.
Marc
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"If Guam gets too overpopulated, it might tip over."
Congressman Hank Johnson (D) GA |
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Swansea, IL
Posts: 1360
Joined: Mar, 2006
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Do you inspect the heat exchanger?
[#3] Posted: 05/03/2012 - 5:11:43 PM | | |
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The only thing I'll ever remove is the flame shield on the older style furnaces. I'll get on my knees and bend my neck to look up into each section of the exchanger. I might find 1 hole /crack a year. I look at the flame pattern and color. I'll sometime use the birthday candle trick. I use to use a mirror but have not for a long time. I don't see why a condensate drain would have to be removed to look at anything and I would never remove it.
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Mark A. Perry
www.ahis1.com
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Chicago, IL
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Joined: Dec, 2003
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Do you inspect the heat exchanger?
[#4] Posted: 05/03/2012 - 5:30:03 PM | | |
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Harsh reality is there's no way to actually perform a complete heat exchanger inspection without field stripping furnace; can't be done.
If it's an older type that's actually accessible with mirrors or cameras, I still don't look at it. I tell people it's ancient, I'd bet a tooth it's got a crack somewhere, if it doesn't it will in short order, and it's inefficient as hell. I tell them they should replace it, the sooner the better.
I'm much more concerned with just about everything than I am the heat exchanger. It's a piece of equipment; equipment breaks, it can be replaced.
All the other stuff, air flow, function, etc., can't be fixed.
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Kurt in Chicago
"If I smell it, it goes in the report".............Phillip Smith...2012
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Newberg, OR
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Do you inspect the heat exchanger?
[#5] Posted: 05/03/2012 - 10:38:39 PM | | |
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All I use is a mirror (small round extension) and a chicken stick (match holder/extension) w/ matches to check when I can. I don't dismantle anything.
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Brandon
Portland Home Inspector |
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Granger, IN
Posts: 123
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Do you inspect the heat exchanger?
[#6] Posted: 05/05/2012 - 8:03:09 PM | | |
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I've seen techs pull a panel, lift the a-coil about 1 inch, and stick their camera underneath the coil. That could detach the drain. I would be more afraid of breaking a refrigerant line.
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Robert Boyd
Confident Home
www.confidenthome.net
"You can observe a lot by looking"
Yogi Berra |
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Georgetown, KY
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