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curves2000 · 11-01-2017, 11:22 PM

Hi all,

So my parents have recently completed their annual furnace/hot water tank, appliance check from Atco Gas and the tech found their furnace had a cracked heat exchanger. I came over recently and they were debating what to do.

It's my understanding that a heat exchanger is an expensive component to replace due to the fact that a large amount of labour is involved and a lot of times, people use this as a chance to replace the furnace as its an important safety component.

Now the dilemma I have for my parents is that their furnace is a 17 year old mid efficiency Bryant furnace. It's never had any issues, ever, other than this crack. Anytime I talk to any HVAC specialist or Atco Gas tech, they always rave about the "old is gold" when it comes to some of these older furnaces and even ones older. They may burn far more natural gas but the maintenance and the replacement parts are often much cheaper and they are easier to work on. The efficiency savings from newer furnaces are eaten up by the added costs for the high tech furnaces from what I gather .

Just wondering if any CPer's have any experience with this issue or HVAC and might be able to provide some guidance on either repair or replace? I haven't gotten a full cost yet and the part is technically under warranty but it's expected to be a high cost.

Thanks!

11-01-2017, 11:22 PM	#1
curves2000 First Line Centre Join Date: Dec 2013 Location: Calgary, Canada Exp:	Help me with a furnace decision! Hi all, So my parents have recently completed their annual furnace/hot water tank, appliance check from Atco Gas and the tech found their furnace had a cracked heat exchanger. I came over recently and they were debating what to do. It's my understanding that a heat exchanger is an expensive component to replace due to the fact that a large amount of labour is involved and a lot of times, people use this as a chance to replace the furnace as its an important safety component. Now the dilemma I have for my parents is that their furnace is a 17 year old mid efficiency Bryant furnace. It's never had any issues, ever, other than this crack. Anytime I talk to any HVAC specialist or Atco Gas tech, they always rave about the "old is gold" when it comes to some of these older furnaces and even ones older. They may burn far more natural gas but the maintenance and the replacement parts are often much cheaper and they are easier to work on. The efficiency savings from newer furnaces are eaten up by the added costs for the high tech furnaces from what I gather . Just wondering if any CPer's have any experience with this issue or HVAC and might be able to provide some guidance on either repair or replace? I haven't gotten a full cost yet and the part is technically under warranty but it's expected to be a high cost. Thanks!