Cracked heat exchanger

[mm]

I didnt' say he should leave anything in service.

I was just explaining the law on the matter. The law is that people are only liable for their negligence if their negligence actually causes some harm.

But I also pointed out that he might lose in court even he wasn't responsible.

I think it is Maryland where they just found out that a ballistics expert who testified in many cases didn't have two academic degrees like he said, and lied about other parts of his resume too, and may not have been qualified at all. And yet in one case, his testimony was, according to the jurors, responsible for someone's conviction and for the jury's recommending daath. And they exectuted him; the guy is dead now.

And the "expert", when people started suspecting he had been lying, killed himself. One cannot count on things going right in court.

[mm]

I haven't and unless someone posts it, I'm not going to.

Not the one that went off when I had CO. It woke me up.

It was store bought.

It was far louder than necessary, and all I had when it went off was a very small headache. So it went off soon enough.

We agree. Very few people will spend 200 dollars. If you actually convince people that they have to have one that expensive, most of the people you convince will buy nothing. Why would you want to do that.

Have you heard the expression, "Don't let perfect be the enemy of good."

All life decisions involve weighing the odds. How many people in the US die of CO each year? Multiply that by 80 and divide by 300,000,000 to do a first estimate of the odds of any one person dying of CO in his lifetime. They're very low, whether someone has a CO detector or not. He might get more safety for his 300 dollars by buying better tires, or part of the cost of ABS brakes, or other things.

Especially when 40 dollar CO detectors work pretty well.

[<kjpro]

First off, each furnace operates differently and the conditions will effect each situation.

Wow, you discovered something new here.... NOT

CO detectors that you buy at the big lot stores are a complete joke.

Have you even looked at UL-2034 that regulates CO detector alarm specs?

If you have, you know that MOST store bought detectors are useless.

There are detectors out there that will alarm and detect low levels of CO, but most people run from them when they hear they cost $200+

I guess everyone must evaluate what their life is worth....

[<kjpro]

The smart man covers his ass... why take on liability for something that&#39;s an unacceptable to leave in service?

[HeyBub]

For the cost of a new heat exchanger, 100 African babies could be saved,

10,000 Bangladeshies could be vaccinated against typhoid, or I could have a really good meal and maybe a lap-dance.

It&#39;s a value decision.

[jamesgangnc]

I said it should be replaced in the very first sentence.

But the big co scare that some technicians like to put on their customers is bull. The units are engineered to deal with a crack because otherwise the manufacturer would have been sued out of business long ago.

[Steve Scott]

CO concerns aren&#39;t related to just death although that rates right up there. Chronic low level CO exposure is or should be a concern for anyone who&#39;s pregnant or elderly, or has elderly people or very young children in their household. Levels well below the amounts a UL listed CO detector can alarm at are an issue.

While this site isn&#39;t laid out particularly well, there is a lot of information here.

This chart is a good, quick guide.

mm wrote:

[Deke]

My apologies for leading you astray about the co2 and co error I made. I didn&#39;t take chemistry although I have a doctorate. Should have spelled out the words: carbon monoxide, although I believe everyone knew what we were talking about. When you don&#39;t like the message, attack the messenger.

I watched a show on 60 minutes or 20-20 and learned a great deal about these so called repairmen.

I&#39;m going to get me one of those carbon monoxide detectors when the price goes under $20 at Walmart.

[PaPaPeng]

There are indeed too many scams going on. Nationwide deaths from cracked furnace tubes is pretty low for this to be a common problem. But it is not something to dismiss out of hand.

The best test is still to ask if you have a sick home syndrome? That is do you have unexplained headaches, unexplained tiredness principally at home, vomitting and respiratory problem especially in cold weather but not in summer. Then suspect a faulty furnace. Home quality CO detectors aren&#39;t that reliable. Keeping house plants and a pet bird or keeping aquarium fish will be far more effective warning indicators should they die early. They are in the house all the time.

That said call the gas company for an unbiased inspection. At least in my city they don&#39;t do any repair services and are not conflicted to recommend unecessary repairs.

[Deke]

Sure it is. It definitely should be dismissed out of hand. It&#39;s pure BS.

No one ever got a headache from a cracked heat exchanger, much less died. It is actuallly physically impossible.

But those heat exchangers often come with a 20 year or lifetime warranty so have it replaced by all means, since it&#39;s free. Maybe in the process the guy will actually find something else such as burner rollout that could actually be harmful.