The NEWS - February 18, 2008 - (Page 57)

ELECTRONIC FLOWHOOD DIRECT DIGITAL READOUT 25-2500 CFM TM AUTOMATICALLY CORRECTS FOR AIR DENSITY & BACKPRESSURE CHOICE OF METERS – AIR FLOW ONLY, OR AIR FLOW, VELOCITY, PRESSURE & TEMPERATURE OPTIONS INCLUDE: MEMORY, AVERAGE & SUM TO 2000 READINGS, SEQUENTIAL RECALL, AUTO-READ REPAIR POLICY – TWO WEEK TURNAROUND OR LESS CUSTOM TOPS MADE TO ORDER Shortridge Instruments, Inc. 7855 East Redﬁeld Road • Scottsdale, Arizona 85260 (480) 991-6744 FAX (480) 443-1267 eProduct #49 at achrnews.com ABOVE: Close up view of crack in wide chambered heat exchanger. The technique to inspect this type is by removing burners and using your hand to feel crack. LEFT: Photo of crack look at back of furnace. problem, because the cause will still exist. It is important to educate your customer about changing the furnace filter and scheduling a yearly service and safety check. A cracked heat exchanger and a carbon monoxide leak are two different things. A cracked heat exchanger is an unsafe utility whether it leaks carbon monoxide or not. However, the American Gas Association states that a crack or hole less than ⅛ inch in size is acceptable. Granted, but in my experience a crack will not get better; it will only get worse with each cycle of the furnace. The crack expands each time the heat exchanger heats up. At any time a furnace can change the way it burns and start producing carbon monoxide. It takes two things to get carbon monoxide poisoning: the presence of carbon monoxide and a passage way into the living area, which is usually the duct system. One thing I would like to stress is when companies ask me about changing the brand of furnace they use because they might see failures during our classroom training, I always tell them the same thing; if your distributor treats you like you treat your customer, there is no need to change brands. Don’t put up with bad service, lack of availability of parts, or any pricing issues. I don’t condemn or endorse any brand of furnace. They are all metal ONLINE AT WWW.ACHRNEWS.COM ■ to me. Any brand of furnace will last if it is installed properly, with proper ducting, proper return air, etc. Installers have a great deal to do with preventing premature heat exchanger failure. They need to be sure the furnace is properly sized, conduct a temperature rise, static pressure readings, and derate the furnace for proper gas pressure. USE THE TOOLS PROPERLY There are many tools on the market to inspect heat exchangers such as scopes, cameras, etc. If they help you with one type of chamber, it will be worth using, but remember, nothing will replace the knowledge of knowing where to look with your own eyes at each style of heat exchanger. There isn’t any residential furnace on the market that can’t be checked thoroughly only using your eyes, knowledge, and a few basic tools. Cameras and scopes can be useful to inspect some furnaces, such as clamshell types, but are very limited in certain types of chambers. There are many sections of furnace heat exchangers that you can’t see with a camera or scope. You can’t take a picture of what you can’t see with your eyes. With the proper training, any individual in the service industry will be able to conduct a furnace safety inspection with confidence, and upon finding any cracked heat exchanger, will be able to show it to the customer. The pictures that accompany this article show some examples of heat exchangers and defects that can be easily found with the correct training and proper tools. You would not be looking at the pictures of these cracked heat exchangers had these furnaces been installed and/or maintained properly. When I teach a class, I bring every brand of furnace intact as well as the chamber outside of the furnace for hands-on training. Contractors can best protect themselves and their customers by ensuring that they have the proper knowledge with regard to heat exchanger safety. There are too many people in this industry who claim to provide expert advice on this matter, but far too few really understand what it is they are looking for. The most important point I can ever impress upon a person in one of my classes is that you don’t want to ever make a mistake about diagnosing a crack in a heat exchanger. You don’t want to be wrong. If you are, it can mean the difference between someone waking to see the sun come up and that person never waking up again. ■ ABOUT THE AUTHOR… COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION SOLUTIONS FRIDGECARE Take Your Competitors Commercial Customers Business is WAR Arm Yourself with FRIDGECARE Limited Exclusive U.S. Territories Available Contact Element Service Inc. at: 888-482-2463 or FridgeCareUS@elementservice.com for your local sales representative. COMMERCIAL REFRIGERATION SOLUTIONS FRIDGECARE A Certified Gessa Product Ellis Prach, Heat Exchanger Experts Inc., can be reached at 970-482-1194. For more information, visit www. heatexchangerexperts.com. Element121707.indd 1 eProduct #54 at achrnews.com February 18, 2008 12/7/07 9:47:49 AM 57 http://www.shortridge.com http://WWW.ACHRNEWS.COM http://WWW.ACHRNEWS.COM http://WWW.ACHRNEWS.COM

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of The NEWS - February 18, 2008

The NEWS - February 18, 2008 Turnout Contents Newsline FYI Unitary Oil-Fired Products Furnaces Hydronics Ductless Rooftops Drives & Motors Controls Transmitters, Sensors Zoning Valves Refrigerants Condensers & Coils Heat Exchangers Cooling Towers Chillers Duct Products Humidification IAQ Monitors, Instruments Trucks Tools Software Installation, Maintenance of HVAC Coils Munters MCS Dries Up Water Concerns at Hospital Michigan Home Show Brings out Contractors Investigating Furnace Failures Mold/Bacteria Protection of A/C Coil Learning Center Classifieds Advertisers Opinions

The NEWS - February 18, 2008

For optimal viewing of this digital publication, please enable JavaScript and then refresh the page. If you would like to try to load the digital publication without using Flash Player detection, please click here.