Heat Exchangers & Pirate Contractors

Once upon a time the best furnace ever made by mankind had a design flaw and a family of four lost their lives in their sleep. The manufacturer took this very seriously and sent out an army of trained professionals to test every one of these furnaces. Many of them were in various stages of failure. The tool that was used to help identify problems was a new product called a combustion analyzer. When used properly it is the only tool that can successfully identify failed furnaces in the field. Previously furnaces were a wide-open steel can, and a flashlight and a mirror were usually sufficient to examine for metal failure. The government of the United States demanded that furnaces become more efficient and the new design gave technicians no practical way to evaluate them for safety. Manufacturers put safety devices on them, but these were insufficient to the task. A combustion analyzer measures carbon monoxide and oxygen, sometimes pressure and usually temperature. These results give a good picture of the nature of furnace operation and safety.

Some entrepreneurs kept scratching their heads to find a way to visually examine heat exchangers and have decided on infra-red cameras with snakelike supports could give a technician evidence to show to customers that they have a flaw and need to spend money. Unfortunately, this method can give false positives, unlike combustion analysis. Unfortunately, the potential income from selling a new furnace make many operators willing to participate in what I call “piracy”. The customer has no way of knowing if the technician has told the truth or not and even if the camera shows a flaw, one does not necessarily exist. Once I was asked by a customer for a bid to replace their heat exchanger. I had replaced several of this manufacturer’s heat exchangers in the past and gave the client a bid more than a thousand dollars less* than the competitor who had used a camera to identify a flaw. I came to put in the new heat exchanger and upon taking out the old one I found there was no ‘crack’. The metal was entirely sound. My personal integrity would not let me continue and in consult with the client I reassembled his perfectly fine furnace. After I finished, I did a combustion test and found it to be well within the operational parameters. Recently I went to another customer’s home to give him an estimate on a new furnace. A technician had again used a camera to identify a flaw. The combustion test showed 17 PPM of carbon monoxide. This amount is totally harmless. The furnace in question is one I have never found a heat exchanger failure on and has a life time warranty. Replacing the heat exchanger was a much better option for this customer if he actually had a problem. He was very happy to pay me for my time and will continue to have many years of uninterrupted service from his fine furnace. Based on my experience I believe cameras are not useful for examining the safety of furnaces. Occasionally using a borescope in the optical spectrum can be an effective way to help identify the location and nature of a flaw identified by testing. In my mind a person with integrity would make further efforts to verify the results they got with the infra-red camera. Current heat exchangers are sinuous and defy our ability to visually evaluate them. Combustion testing is very effective and successful with years of consistent results. Any other means should be backed up with combustion testing and consumers should require contractors to show them the flaw and back up their diagnosis with a willingness to compensate the homeowner if it turns out that there is actually no fault. Removing a furnace to replace it is bad for the furnace and it will never be the same. Practitioners using infrared light are told by the manufacturer that this product will lead to furnace sales. It is not sold as a way to keep customers safe.

* It is often the case that a contractor will give an excessively high price for a repair to induce a customer to opt for replacement which has a larger gross profit. This can be another pirate practice.