A heat exchanger is a system of tubes within the furnace combustion. We'll provide you with all the information you need to know if you should replace your heat exchanger or buy a new furnace. A furnace heat exchanger lasts 15 to 20 years on average, depending on maintenance frequency, quality of part materials, and daily use. While both are possibilities with a really cracked heat exchanger, telling customers they have a back heat exchanger when they don't and then trying to sell them an expensive repair or furnace replacement is one of the worst scams in the HVAC industry.
As with the primary heat exchanger, the secondary exchanger will likely have a fairly long warranty period. When the thermostat is satisfied, the oven burners turn off, but the blower that pushes the hot air continues to blow until the heat exchanger cools down to a temperature close to ambient. Costs to replace a heat exchanger depend on furnace size, brand, accessibility, heating system design, and labor costs. A high-efficiency furnace is more complex than a standard oven, so spare parts and labor cost more.
If the heat exchanger is cracked or malfunctions sooner than expected, there may be another problem with your HVAC system. Heil, Day& Night and a few other brands are joining Daikin brands to offer furnace replacement if the heat exchanger fails. Labor often costs more than the part because the contractor must disassemble and then reassemble the entire interior of the furnace. So how do you know if your heat exchanger needs to be replaced? You only need to replace a heat exchanger if it really has cracks large enough to warrant a health hazard.
When the oven is in a hard-to-reach location in an attic or mezzanine, estimates could exceed the cost of a new oven.
