Burning natural gas in any appliance produces byproducts that can potentially be harmful to people. This is the basic way that combusting fuel works—after all, a fireplace can be dangerous if the smoke from the fire isn’t allowed to vent up the chimney and instead gets pushed into the home.
This is a way of saying that, yes, a gas furnace can become dangerous the same way that combustion of any kind in a home can create dangers. That doesn’t mean that it’s common, or that you should feel afraid that your gas furnace is always on the verge of becoming a danger for your family. The modern gas furnace is built to extremely high standards and must pass numerous government requirements before one can be allowed into a house.
If you take care of your natural gas furnace with annual maintenance from professionals, always schedule heating repair in Wesley Chapel, FL as soon as you believe the heater needs assistance, and have carbon monoxide detectors installed in the proper places in your home, you shouldn’t have to worry about safety concerns from your gas furnace.
What You Need to Know About Potential Dangers
To help you enjoy the safest possible heating in your home during the short winter seasons in Florida, we’ll talk about some of the ways a furnace can become hazardous. These problems are easy to prevent or detect if you work with professionals and know what to look out for.
A cracked heat exchanger is one of the common concerts with gas furnace operation. The hot combustion gas from the burners gathers in the heat exchanger, and the hot metal walls of the exchanger then heat the air moving into the house. If the exchanger cracks, the gases may escape into the air currents. This usually happens in older furnaces or ones that have poor venting. Regular maintenance will not only help prevent this, but it will also catch when cracks are starting to form so the exchanger can be replaced or a new furnace put in.
Blocked flues are another problem for gas furnaces. The flue is where the furnace exhausts the harmful byproducts of combustion from the heat exchanger once the heating cycle is finished. If the flue becomes blocked, carbon monoxide will be pushed back into the house. Regular maintenance will keep the flue clean and unobstructed, and CO detectors will alert your household to any dangerous rise in carbon monoxide levels.
Gas line leaks are always a possibility, in particular with an aging furnace that hasn’t received regular maintenance. (Notice this theme of “regular maintenance”? Yes, it’s that important!) Higher bills or changes in the color of the gas flames are warnings that leaks are occurring. Shut down the furnace if you have any suspicions about malfunctions and then call us for assistance.
We are here to help you 24 hours a day when you have a furnace emergency. Our maintenance program, the Premier Service Agreement, is our best way of helping to see that your family stays safe and comfortable, year after year. Call today to sign up if you’re not already a member.
Balanced Air, Inc. has served the Tampa Bay area since 1988. Call us today and Experience the Balanced Air difference!
