Heat exchanger crack?

[mashburn]

I found this today and had a hvac guy tell me it was runn off form the welded seam. I just don't buy it.
What do you guys see?

[David A. Andersen]

That was nice for him to tell you WHY!

I see a cracked heat exchanger!

Call it as you see it!

99% of heat exchanger cracks are not detected by ANYONE!

Good job!

[mashburn]

I am still calling it out. Even though it was the agents business networker associate went to see it. She refers me work all the time.

[Bob Elliott]

Have the HVAC guy go out and put it in writing.
Lets you off the hook.

[mashburn]

Robert, that is exactly what I told them both (agent & hvac guy).

[Louis Cannizzaro]

How did you get in there to take this photo?

[mashburn]

I opened a registar on side of plenum. My gut told me told me to open it up.

[Bob Elliott]

What ESP.....what was the clue?
Flame roll out , noise etc.

[mashburn]

Plain old gut feeling. I'm glad it happened

[David A. Andersen]

Have the HVAC guy go out and put it in writing.
Lets you off the hook.

As far as I'm concerned, I'm off the hook as soon as I document it.

This is an example of a good reason why you do not refer further evaluation by another. We don't need anyone to tell us the crack is a crack or not. It's defective, simple as that.

To save argument, don't give anyone else an invitation to dispute your findings.

A crack heat exchanger does not operate as intended. The heat exchanger is supposed to keep combustion air away from the indoor air. It's not doing that if it's cracked.

We don't need to know what the carbon monoxide content is in the supply air. We don't need to know if it's even leaking. It probably isn't. Forced draft heat exchanger's suck the air through the exchanger so it's in a negative atmospheric pressure. The burner compartment on the indoor air side is pressurized and in a positive atmosphere. But this is not the point. It's cracked.

This is also a good example of exceeding the SOP. He didn't have to look in there! But if someone got sick, he'd be in court. But then there are those that will twist it around and say because he did it once, now he'll have to do it the rest of his life!
I don't think I'll go there.....

[tdietrich1]

Looks like a weld bead to me. Just saying...

To test for crack/hole, communication between the combustion side and the home's air side must be detected. Since what is visible is a very small percentage the overal heat exchanger. I've run into hvac guys that use smoke bombs and gas detectors for that purpose.

So how is crying chicken-little benificial to your client? If they wanted to hire a professional for every system, why do they need a home inspector? <retorical questions>

tom <a home inspector, not a HVAC dude(anymore)>

[mashburn]

Thomas, the hvac tech said it was a weld bead and wrote it up in his report. To me that does not look like a weld bead. I had 2 hvac techs, one commercila and residential, review larger pics and we agreed that it was cracked. CO came up nada, as we suspected.

I am sorry the pic is small. Thats all I could get to upload.

David, I recommend that a qualifed hvac tech replace the unit.
The registar on the plenum was half off which is why my gut told me to stick my borescope there in the first place, without removing the cover. Then I saw that and had to look in.
I understand about the twisting of the sop, so I always take close pics to show just the item in question. Joe Farsetta tells to do that as well.

Thank you all again for your respones!!

[mjones6]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but having been a welder for 20 years I can tell you that if it is weld slag that the weld may be defective and just might leak the only way to know is to have it tested. Good catch.