What does it mean when you are told you have a cracked heat exchanger?
Most furnaces that blow hot air through your registers have a heat exchanger that separates the combustion gases from the air that goes through your house. The combustion gases are exhausted outside through a chimney or through other approved venting material and include, water vapor, carbon dioxide, sulfur dioxide, and deadly carbon monoxide, soot and other combustion by products.
A cracked heat exchanger is a generic term indicating that there is a defect in the heat exchanger and gases are (or could be) seeping into the air inside your home. Unfortunately, there is no real way to repair the heat exchanger — these are manufactured in a factory to the manufacturer’s specifications. Any attempted repair would void all warranties and place all liability on the contractor (or their staff). In addition, insurance companies will not allow contractors to take that responsibility.
