What's the deal with cracked furnace heat exchangers in older homes?

A cracked heat exchanger is one of the more serious findings in a Minnesota home, because it can leak carbon monoxide into the air you breathe. The heat exchanger is the metal component that separates combustion gases from the air circulating through your house. As furnaces age and go through thousands of heat-up and cool-down cycles, the metal can fatigue and crack, and in Coon Rapids we run our furnaces hard from October through April. Many homes here still have furnaces pushing or past the typical 15-to-20-year lifespan. During an inspection we operate the furnace, check its age, look at the burners and visible portions of the heat exchanger, and test for proper operation and venting, and we run CO awareness checks. We can't always see the entire heat exchanger visually, so if there are red flags we'll recommend a furnace technician do a closer evaluation. Because a confirmed cracked exchanger usually means furnace replacement, this finding has real dollars attached and is very negotiable in a sale. Don't skip getting the heating system properly evaluated, especially on any home with an older furnace. Build a free instant quote to get the HVAC checked as part of your inspection.