What is a central heating heat exchanger?

Category: home and garden indoor environmental quality
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What is a heat exchanger? A heat exchanger in your boiler works by converting the energy (heat in this case) from gas, over to your water. Water passes through the heat exchanger in the boiler, heating up in the process. The water is fed into the central heating system via a “flow” pipe.



Simply so, what does a heat exchanger?

A heat exchanger is a device that allows heat from a fluid (a liquid or a gas) to pass to a second fluid (another liquid or gas) without the two fluids having to mix together or come into direct contact. Photo: How a simple heat exchanger works.

Subsequently, question is, what is the heat exchanger and what is it used for? Put simply, a heat exchanger is a device which transfers heat from one medium to another, a Hydraulic Oil Cooler or example will remove heat from hot oil by using cold water or air. Alternatively a Swimming Pool Heat Exchanger uses hot water from a boiler or solar heated water circuit to heat the pool water.

One may also ask, what are the symptoms of a bad heat exchanger?

3 Signs Of A Bad Heat Exchanger

  • Cracks. A cracked heat exchanger is one of the most basic and common symptoms, and also often the most drastic sign of a damaged heat exchanger.
  • Discoloration. Sometimes a cracked heat exchanger has cracks that are simply too small and thin to be directly observed.
  • Odd Furnace Flame Behavior.

What is the difference between a local heating system and a central heating system?

The main difference between central heating local heating is that with central heating, the heat generation occurs in one place, such as a furnace room in a house or a mechanical room in a large building.

39 Related Question Answers Found

What are the different types of heat exchanger?

What are the different types of heat exchanger?
  • Parallel-flow and counter-flow heat exchanger.
  • Finned and Unfinned tubular heat exchanger.
  • U-tube, single pass straight and two pass straight heat exchanger.
  • Plate-and-frame heat exchanger.
  • Pate-fin heat exchanger.
  • Microchannel heat exchanger.

How many types of heat exchangers are there?

There are two main types of regenerative heat exchangers—static heat exchangers and dynamic heat exchangers.

What is difference between heat exchanger and condenser?

A condenser is a device which converts vapour into the liquid state whereas a heat exchanger is a device which is used for heat recovery also to transfer heat from two fluids. Heat exchanger only heat is transferred without phase change and heat is transferred along with the phase change in the condenser.

Can a heat exchanger be repaired?

Unfortunately, heat exchangers cannot be repaired. When a heat exchanger cracks or rusts through it must be replaced. Because the heat exchanger is at the center of the furnace, nearly the whole furnace must be disassembled. Even if the parts are covered under warranty, the labor and freight will start around $500.

How does a plate and frame heat exchanger work?


Plate Heat Exchanger Working Principle. A plate exchanger consists of a series of parallel plates that are placed one above the other so as to allow the formation of a series of channels for fluids to flow between them. The space between two adjacent plates forms the channel in which the fluid flows.

Is boiler a heat exchanger?

Since exchange of heat occurs in the Boilers, Boilers can be termed as a Heat Exchanger. But there's more to a Boiler, than just being a Heat Exchanger. But A Boiler generates heat through chemical reaction of the fuel, and exchanges the heat with the water to produce steam or heated water depending on the application.

What happens when heat exchanger fails?

The problem is that all heat exchangers will eventually fail, developing holes or cracks that allow those poisonous gases to leak out and contaminate your home's air. These leaks can be extremely dangerous, even deadly. In fact, cracked heat exchangers are one of the major causes of carbon monoxide poisoning in homes.

What happens when a heat exchanger goes bad?

A cracked heat exchanger is pretty serious, as far as safety for your home goes. If there's a crack in this component, the gases being burned off, such as carbon monoxide, sulfur dioxide, and nitrous oxide, could leak into your home, causing illness or, in extreme cases, death.

What can go wrong with a heat exchanger?

Some of the most common heat exchanger problems for many process plants include the following; Increasing exchanger energy consumption. Pass Partition bypassing (thermal leakage) Air cooler air recirculation.

How much does it cost to fix a heat exchanger?


If so, here's the thing: replacing a heat exchanger isn't as simple or affordable as it sounds. In fact, replacing a furnace heat exchanger can take up to 8 hours and can cost anywhere from $2,000 to $3,500. Yeah, we know that's crazy expensive.

How much does it cost to replace heat exchanger?

Replacing a furnace heat exchanger costs $1,500 on average with a typical range between $1,000 and $2,000. Most have a warranty of 10 to 20 years, which usually only covers the price of the exchanger, which typically ranges from $500 to $2,000. Labor alone runs an average of $500.

What does it mean when your furnace blows cold air?

Your furnace may be blowing cold air because the filter is too dirty. A dirty air filter blocks airflow over the furnace's heat exchanger, causing it to overheat. When overheating, your furnace can trip a high limit switch, causing the furnace burners to shut off so that the heat exchanger does not crack.

Should I smell gas when my furnace turns on?

You probably don't need to worry. It's normal for your gas furnace to occasionally emit small amounts of gas when it's cycling on. But if you notice this faint smell persistently, or it gets stronger, you may need a furnace repair.

Does a cracked heat exchanger make noise?

If you have a crack in the heat exchanger, you'll likely hear a rattling noise seconds after your thermostat clicks to turn on the heat. That's because the heat exchanger is made out of metal, so when it's heated, any cracks in it may start to expand, causing a rattling noise.

Can a cracked heat exchanger cause a fire?


Cracks in the heat exchanger or “Fire Box” is no laughing matter. There are two major dangers with having a broken heat exchanger: The first is the potential for the furnace to catch fire and potentially spread to other parts in the home. The second danger is carbon monoxide emissions.

Which type of heat exchanger is more efficient?

Each of the three types of heat exchangers (Parallel, Cross and Counter Flow) has advantages and disadvantages. But of the three, the counter flow heat exchanger design is the most efficient when comparing heat transfer rate per unit surface area.

What type of heat exchanger is a condenser?

A surface condenser is one in which condensing medium and vapors are physically separated and used when direct contact is not desired. It is a shell and tube heat exchanger installed at the outlet of every steam turbine in thermal power stations.