HVAC Scam Rip Off told customer furnace heat exchanger cracked

[@CA-lk6fd]

I’m a 25 year electrician, I hear a lot of stories in my little world of companies that intentionally rip people off, it sickens me.

[@kyzor-sosay6087]

Me too,man. I’ve been doing Electrical work for a good 25-30 years,I’m 60,also used to do HVAC work,an older lady called me one time,a company told her that her house was going to explode if she didn’t replace her hvac system.The only problem was the igniter,for the gas heater.🤦🏻‍♂️

[@Grayarea321]

The customer needs to contact the consumer fraud division of the district attorneys office as well as the media.

[@iexlrate1]

I had a HVAC tech come out to service a non working heater very similar to that unit, he pulled the access panel off, looked at the MFG date and told me it was a cracked heat exchange. Gave me an estimate to replace at $4k. I had a 2nd HVAC tech come in and in 15min said it was the vacuum valve, replaced it and charged me $150. This was 3 years ago and the heater is still working fine. ALWAYS get 2nd or 3rd estimate / opinion!!!

[@stevencossaboon3237]

Nice job Ted. It's a shame there are scumbags out there doing this to people. It gives us all a bad name.

[@buffystclair9042]

My house was built in 1986 , still has original furnace. I am a retired auto mechanic so good with my hands and brain has common sense to know what good and bad stuff looks like. I am afraid to have a furnace tech inspect my furnace because of hearing stuff like your video depicts. Only issues my furnace has endured in its 36 years has been with the blower motor twice and this A/C season of 2022 I needed to put bearings on the blower drum. My trade has had alot of bad raps too with rip off artists but were not all bad . Keep up the good work and be able to sleep at night

[@joeshearer1247]

Now put it back together

[@SORGIGERMANICO]

Lol

[@Android_Warrior]

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂😂😂

[@CC-hv5hk]

He can probably do that in his sleep.

[@TedCookHVAC]

Uh..... no thanks. Unless you wanna buy it.

[@charlestomasino9161]

😂

[@chatrkat]

I’m fortunately able to service all my equipment myself, because I’d sure be very uncomfortable calling a service tech in for repairs on anything. Honest guys like you with good skills are positively not the norm, as most of us here know already.

[@georgewelker853]

Shop for a service technician via referral near your home. Not everyone is but honest techs stay in the trade and the creeps are eventually driven out of the trade, but the general rule of thumb is that the more expensive and less they advertise the better quality of people they have in their trucks

[@HVAC_Curt]

Disagree. I am an HVAC technician, and 99% of the technicians I know and come across, as well as anyone in the industry as a whole are honest people who take pride in what they do and care about you as a customer. Where most homeowners go awry is when they start looking for a cheaper option. That billboard with the “$79 heater checkup” from the “big reputable company” of guys in white shirts with orange trucks is what gives us a bad name. You get what you pay for. AntiDIY is a man. But if you can use a meter and manometer and combustion analysis tool and gauges and understand the processes of different equipment then your doing well. Hopefully with the ability to do all that your making 6 figures in your current career. If your not then you need to get into HVAC, treat your customers right, fairly, take care of yourself and them. Because that’s what a majority of the trade is about. Always looking to “save a buck” will definitely cost you more in the long run. I can’t count the number of times I’ve come to a customer’s house and they try and tell me what they think is wrong and they are actually wrong.

[@mark33545]

@@georgewelker853the problem is, you dont know who they are going to send. I have a good company, but half the time they send clowns who are clueless. It’s luck of the draw. No single man hvac companies around here.

[@jacklabloom635]

The honest HVAC guys have all the business they can handle. Honest people don’t have to advertise. My HVAC guy has not had to advertise in over ten years. Word of mouth gives him all the business he can handle. He was on vacation one time in Florida, and talked me through a repair on the phone. He told me what to do and it fixed my furnace problem. I gave his name and number to everyone I knew at the time and still do. His other customers do the same thing. He has so much business he had to hire a helper. That’s how you build a solid business. Not by hook or crook.

[@douglasmayherjr.5733]

It would make a good garage furnace. I really hate when people in the HVACR industry take advantage of customers, residential or commercial. There is parts that are replaced during troubleshooting that may not be bad, but most people are honest when that happens. This is the same as reaching into a customer’s pocket and stealing money. I am all for making a good living, but there are plenty of honest ways to do that. Thanks for sharing, Ted.

[@buddytaylor6983]

I’d save it and ask them to come and show the customer and you where the crack is. Please keep us up to date on this.

[@c.blakerockhart1128]

There is 1 " Professional " here in Anniston Alabama that pulls that same crap. We have been called for a "Second Opinion" by several of his ALMOST victims. The last one that he said was a cracked heat exchanger was nothing but the high limit lockout because the blower wheel had a couple of paper towels sucked up into it. He made a bid of $5000 (five thousand dollars) to replace JUST THE FURNACE in a basement that you can stand up in. We came to do a bid, and wound up with a couple of paper towels for the home owner. HE WAS PISSED ! I am pretty sure that the home owner went to the board with the pictures that the guy Bluetooth shared with him. In OUR case the pictures were NOT even from the Rheem unit in question. My personal opinion is that the pics were of a Goodman PACKAGE unit.( Huge difference in design.) I haven't seen that contractor in a while now that i think about it.

[@markman7]

Seems some hvac guys are the new transmission guys. Every time I needed a hvac repair in the last 5 years, I was told my complete furnace or a/c system needed replacement. Thanks for being one of the honest ones.

[@mpurecat4155]

when you have companies where service techs have sales quotas, this happens a lot. I work with someone who used to work for a company like that and he was glad he quit that company. He was told to sell to anyone he could, and while it wasn’t directly stated, it was implied to try and sell to people who were more oblivious or people who were more gullible (which generally meant women and older folks). I’m glad he has the good sense to leave that company, he really wasn’t comfortable with that business practice.

[@dndhvac9576]

First thing I do is check the flame and see if it bounces around when the fan turns on. That gives you a indication right away if theres a problem. Then check CO levels, temps, visual inspection if you can.

[@anthonyspadafora1384]

I use a UEI combustion analyzer that has a exchanger test feature. Basically it snapshots the the exchanger with the blower on and then again with the blower off and compares combustion results. They must be within a certain range. If not it prints out that the exchanger is leaking and at that point I am legally responsible if I turn that unit back on, which I don't. Visual inspection is not a for sure way to tell especially with the secondary exchanger. I often use the exchanger test feature on new installs to make sure it is reading accurately.

[@kentinman2326]

I've been working in the HVAC industry for 43 years in the trenches. When I came into the industry it was all about honesty and quality. Not about sales. I find myself combating the the sales motivated so called technician's dishonesty for two decades now. It's a difficult thing to do to prove I am not one of them. Because they tell the customer all the same things I tell them. When I do maintenance. I cover all the bases. Lets face it a C&C is used to get a foot in the door to make a sale. If a "technician" only spends 15 minutes on maintenance or C&C he's not doing the job properly. I've had customers watch what Im doing. When they see me pull the burners and wire brush the burners and zip passage they tell me no body has ever done that before. Is this thing going to run when you're done? Then I explain why its important to do that. To avoid delayed ignition. They are shocked when I tell them I found no problems. And I don't try to sell them anything.

[@Jbev-cz4cn]

I've been working in new construction for the last 11 years or so. And I've been trying to find a good reputable service company to work for. And man, almost every company I've talked to pushes all that sales and commission shit really hard, and that worries me. I don't mind selling a customer something they need or could really benefit from. Some of these places, I felt like I was interviewing more for a sales rep position than a service tech.

[@snidelywhiplash8923]

Please report back in a future video what the homeowner found out and what the outcome is. The trades need more folks like you.

[@katiek6678]

This video had me so frustrated... I find cracks in that exact spot on Tranes younger than that All. The. Time. If you put your inspection mirror through the high limit and look back towards the burners you'll find them where the two halves are crimped over. I'm not saying that the other company didn't lie and use an old picture from another system, but this video did not show confidently where to look and I would have liked to have seen a zoomed in shot on that trouble area before condemning the other company.

[@christiansnyder1746]

100% agree with you

[@LottimusMaximus]

Even if it’s not cracked, look at the hot spots on this thing, and it was condensing. You can see all the white chalky acidic residue on the inside. This thing was ready to go anyways.

[@Uticagreens]

Good work Ted, but … this can be a “sticky wicket” awkward situation we experienced a few times. When you notify the customer - who made their decision to replace the furnace without authorizing your inspection of the 2008 unit - you could possibly insult the customer. They may perhaps feel that you are showing off the fact that you were correct, and they made a costly wrong decision. People can be funny that way. In order to keep a new customer content and protect other vulnerable customers from unethical contractors who prey on them, we would expose dubious HVAC contractors to the appropriate government licensing agency to weed them out.

[@LuckyDogDog]

You're a good man sir it's hard to find good technicians like you whether it's for your furnace or for your automobile people have no more integrity or pride in their workmanship. I'm not an HVAC guy and I'm sure you're not going to approve of it but I fixed my share of furnaces and did one hell of a job for not being a trained tech. The reason I say that is cuz I fixed them for free made some people real happy. Of course I'll never tackle anything that I'm not 100% sure about. And I still think you sound like rip wheeler from Yellowstone have a good one my friend I love listening to you.

[@asbestosfibers1325]

ive found countless failures in that model. usually 20 year warranty on exchanger if we put it in and likely even if we didnt. its a 90, just do a simple shut in test. block flues, run blower. magnehelic on exchanger to see if pressure changes. voila.

[@westleymaytorena8962]

I’ve found heat exchanger cracks in units this age and newer but they are very small, luckily AGA does not care the size or emission, “ANY visual crack or separation found in heat exchanger is reason for required replacement”

[@patrickcomerford1523]

It's such a shame that this happens in our industry. It drives me crazy, and to often the customer loses all trust for our trade and this is a prime example of why. There is more than enough work out here that this should never happen, that image and scare tactic is criminal. The tech should be fired and never work in this field again period.

[@rabokarabekian409]

I absolutely needed a new house trailer oil furnace in 2021. A fast talking salesman with lots of glossy literature first quoted over $10k, saw my expression, and then offered about $6.5k. I spent a little time online checking reviews, hired a small owner operated contractor and got quickly everything done including disposal of the dead unit for just over $3k.

[@HVACRSurvival]

I found something similar on a boiler that someone else condemned, the customer wanted a written statement that he could use in court when he took the other company to court. Nothing like getting pulled into a legal battle as a witness.

[@TTrades-xt7xe]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm glad to see you pointing out scams like this. Thankfully, there are still honest techs out there like yourself.

[@JohnSmith-fi2ck]

Its amazing the scammers. I had a 2 year old greeflex ducted split for a bonus room, lawn crew kinked my line high pressure trimming bushes, call a HVAC company and they came out and said all they could do was replace the whole system as its Gree and non serviceable and quoted me 11k. It aggravated me so much I ordered a gauge set, a recovery system, evac'ed the system, cut and coupled/soldered the lines and recharged it. That was a few years ago, still working perfect.

[@sknight0391]

Hoodwinked!!!

[@epssax2]

I had this happen 13 months ago. The company who I had a bi-annual service contract with came to look at my furnace after it wouldn't stay lit. 8 year old carrier heat pump/gas hybrid system. He showed me a picture of a crack but I think that picture was saved in his probe camera. He told me Carrier was not a good furnace(my builder model) and that it was out of warranty. I later found out the heat exchanger had a 20 yr. warranty. We got ripped off by the heating and air company AND the "no interest loan" company in Atlanta. We wrote to the Attorney General in Kentucky, the consumer board of Kentucky, the head of Carrier(the heating and air company was a CARRIER dealer!)

[@williamserver4332]

My first boss did this to people and sadly that company is still around 23 years later. Thanks for the video

[@matthewklunk2813]

Most common places I have seen with those furnaces is the inducer transition and the plastic secondary cover. The plastic will be cracked causing water leaks etc. Usually caused by overheating/oversized furnaces.

[@christopherlabre3889]

I recognize the crack in the Photo. I used to work for trane/ American Standard dealers. That is a common crack on the collector box. This video didn’t show us any close ups of the heat exchanger components. To find this failure you either have to use a manometer and when the blower comes on you show see positive pressure rise (Trane’s recommended way) or camera scope it.

[@deanoilberta8371]

Hi came across 2 furnaces of the same vintage as this one. They both had cracked heat exchangers right where those 3/4 holes are . There’s a pressed on ring holding the 2 sides of the clam shell heat exchanger together. Most of the rings had fallen off and the metal had started to crack at the holes. Of course it was winter and the wholesaler couldn’t get me a new heat exchanger for 6 weeks or so they said! I replaced both furnaces.

[@bengoolie5197]

Thank you sir! It is good to know there are a few honest tradesmen out there.

[@dontcare563]

I have a furnace manufactured around the same exact time, 2008/2009 that puts out no heat or very intermittent heat. The HVAC company came out 4 separate times and couldn't figure it out. Their excuse was I had a dirty filter, some of my vents were closed and so forth. When they fixed that nothing improved! I did find out the guy servicing it had ZERO formal training on HVAC systems and everything was on the job training. Even his boss came out and couldn't find the problem. I've given up on poorly trained and just bad companies in this industry! If you find someone really good make sure you keep them!

[@tgriebe]

Sadly, it is all too common. The "salesman" tech will threaten to condemn the furnace right there, take it out of service and leave the customer without heat, in the winter. That really puts anyone in a bind, especially women and older people. Plus, the hardware markup and installation fees are insane, especially with no competitive bids.

[@Cmill0588]

That happened to me. Tech tried to rip me off. I found out on my own the problem was moisture in the gas line preventing the furnace from igniting. Saved myself 7,500. It’s been running fine for the last 3 yrs.

[@nathanduke5323]

I used to work with a couple "techs" that were father-in-law and son-in-law that would always compete with each other to sell the most jobs. One service meeting, the older guy came in bragging about condemning a two year old furnace (still under warranty through a local competitor) and convincing the customer to purchase a new furnace. It was at that point that I figured out that my employer was not a good fit for me and I was eventually able to move on.

[@kamX-rz4uy]

This is why homeowners need to watch the inspector and see what they are looking at first hand. I had a furnace that needed replaced due to a crack. The inspector showed me exactly what he was looking at right there and then. No photos of someone else's furnace, no purposely damaging the furnace during the inspection. The odd thing about that house was that there were two furnaces, the original one in the main part of the house was over 50 years old and still fine. It was the 25 year old furnace in the addition that needed replaced.

[@F150_King_Ranch]

Changed one out 3 weeks ago same as this just a 120k BTU unit. The plastic on the secondary square to round where it get the adapters to the inducer was cracked. Part not available separately only comes with the entire heat exchanger. Put in a 2 stage variable speed system.

[@bc8265]

I have had the opportunity to discuss furnaces with several people I know that are licensed HVAC techs. The common answers I get as to why heat exchangers fail so early ( approx 15 yrs) is that they are made from thin, often recycled steel. Sadly that's where we are nowadays with pretty much any and all appliances. But wouldn't one think that with a potential deadly situation of a cracked heat exchanger that they would be made close to indestructible?

[@rickschiaffo618]

If I were the customer, I'd go have a private chat with the service tech (behind the building). He would find the inspection mirror up ........

[@shapedstones]

The heat exchanger experts are two brothers that put on a class and go around the country teaching about heat exchangers and where to find cracks. On that particular style furnace the heat exchangers crack right at the opening of the heat exchanger entrance on the underside you'll need a mirror to see. Not saying there is a crack there, but they can be no longer than about a half centimeter and it is cracked. Just thought I'd let you know where to look. But sounds like a scam for those other guys for sure. Good job checking back on the work

[@drcoffee5588]

Yes we learned that lesson the hard way too. Replaced my 24 yo furnace last year after HVAC A inspected and found “cracks” on the Amana furnace. We hired a different HVAC B to install the new furnace. Once it was removed, we could not find any cracks. In hind site, I should have insisted he show me live pictures. Im now sure that what he showed me was someone elses furnace.

[@joshuaseaton4526]

In Seattle, I used to be the "2nd opinion" guy. I followed up on numerous contractor's claims that the heat exchanger was cracked. Most of them were from a certain large company who will remain nameless. What they would do is sharpen the end of a screwdriver and gouge the heat exchanger real good upon the "inspection". Ya, those guys were crooks and I'm sure they got busted many times.

[@New2Life]

Commission isn’t a bad thing if your tech is honest. I take videos and SAY the customer’s name in my videos so the customer knows I’m not lying. If your tech is on commission AND honest, you are likely to get a tech that will be very thorough during inspection.

[@Zildjian_DW]

These companies are nothing but thieves! Lowe's wanted $7000 to replace my hot water heater! I laughed at them and did it myself for $900.

[@zenderxt]

This scam runs rampant up here in Ontario, Canada. I even had the tech show me on the camera what he was trying to pass off as cracks in the heat exchanger were just the regular folds in the crimped metal. Then when that didn't work he tried to tell me that I needed to be "thinking of my family" and their safety and that my unwillingness to believe his story made me a terrible human being. Got a second opinion, no cracks of any kind found. The second opinion even did an air quality check on every floor of the house for me and there was no trace of CO. Always get a second opinion folks.

[@r6f09]

Wouldn’t a cracked heat exchanger chance the flame color simply by running it from blue to yellow?

[@michaelreynolds3592]

Thanks to watching you, I was able to stop a scam at one of my customers. (I do pest control). As I was walking and treating, I watched this old tech puncture one of those canisters I see you always change out. He then told the lady she needed a new unit. I immediately halted that conversation, and let her know. I called my company and they were there within 20 minutes and confirmed it, and corrected it. I gave you the credit, but it really is bad, the lack of ethics anymore. SALUTE TO YOU SIR.

[@BLKMGK4]

Best part is when they claim this and shut off the gas to the unit claiming it's a hazard and they cannot leave it. In my case I don't doubt the unit was cracked but imagine being a customer in this case and being told that? You end up helpless....

[@herranenspearguns]

I hear that "i have a cracked heat exchanger " line all the time from people calling for a bid on a change out. I can very very rarely ever find it and it never shows on a co meter ( with the exception of very old units)

[@Doing_it_right_the_first_time]

We all know that was from a totally different job and then they used that picture to convince the customer that it was for their furnace. I’m a plumber and a septic system contractor and I don’t do those kinds of things. I like to have the customer with me and I like to tell them what we should see if everything is good before we even open it up that way they know and are comfortable with me if we find something abnormal. Edward H. “Integrity Plumbing, Septic and Drain” out of Madison, CT USA.

[@1977beanhead]

I would be shocked if you found one of those furnaces without a crack. They crack right in the corner above the fat part of the cell and right below the crimped over "tab". The secondary drain pan cracks in the bottom corners right inside the inducer opening. You have to look closer.

[@davidl2438]

I had a similar experience with my HVAC. The furnace was 30 years old and a tech stated we needed a new furnace. He showed me 3 or 4 pictures showing much rust and said I need a new furnace. I asked several companies to inspect but all I got was the unit was 30 years old and needed replacing. Finally, I found a very small company who only had 2 trucks. His verdict was the furnace was old but he thought the furnace was ok. Had him maintain the system until my wife and I decided to replace the entire system. This happened 5 years later. I looked at the furnace when it was removed and there was no rust at all. It is very hard to find honest people. We replaced the entire system because we felt the 3 ton compressor for the air conditioning system was not too efficient. It did not cool the house when temperatures reached 100 plus degrees Fahrenheit.

[@cameronblades2394]

Name and shame. Too many good guys out there doing good work that don’t need to be subject to this.

[@brnmcc01]

Even if there really was a little crack somewhere, that heat exchanger still under warranty until 2028 at least. What a ripoff.

[@Bliceroable]

Just happened to us. Rental house has a 22 year old furnace, wouldn't start because the hot plate ignitor had gone bad. I had a company out to fix it and they said "failed heat exchanger, red flagged, not safe to operate", etc etc. Warned the tenants of carbon monoxide poisoning, etc. Gave me a very blurry picture of proof of crack. Unit needed to be replaced anyways after 22 years so I went with another company to do it. I took a look at the heat exchanger once the old unit was removed; totally fine, not even rust on it.

[@MakerMike-bx5ms]

I'm a technician, and this gives us all a bad name. They should be ashamed of themselves!

[@gregmercil3968]

Not too long ago I found a crack in the heat exchanger of an old early 80’s Rheem furnace, the customer told me to get the hell off his property. Geez, the thanks I get for saving somebody’s life. 🤣🙄

[@CDX825]

Not surprised. We have a local big company that uses this as one of their scare tactics. They tell the customer that the heat exchanger is cracked or has corrosion or rust when it actually doesn't. They also show them pictures of cracked heat exchangers that are not actually of the customers furnace. Some of the people get second opinions and others take the bait.

[@DEValentine]

I have multiple 2005 American Standard Freedom 90 furnaces. An unscrupulous firm did the same scam to me. Showed me photos of cracks in the heat exchangers, then slapped "CONDEMNED" stickers on my furnaces. Which, by the way, were functioning perfectly. I said, "Thanks, let me think about whether I want a replacement estimate from you or someone else." Pulled off the stickers. Got another opinion from a second firm. They said the exchangers were fine and that the first firm was notorious for heat exchanger fraud. We really can't trust just anyone these days. Do your homework!

[@rev.djmurray7716]

I had a contractor company while selling a house with the same ruse plus flue was bad. NOT! buyer later fell for the scammers. Larger heating contractor in area. 10k fce and ac sale.

[@harrychang9376]

I had same experience years ago as a HVAC guy cheated us for our CA rental house ( we live in NJ), for only changing parts instead of changing the whole furnace and charging us the price of a new unit. Our real estate agent didn't check his work after he was done and we didnt know the scam until we visited the house a year later. I wanted to report to CA government authority but that guy promised us to service the old furnace for its lifetime. What a punk HVAC professional!

[@markbeiser]

Yeah, those inspection mirror pictures are not of that heat exchanger... I've never found the primary cracked in one of those, but I've found a couple where the secondary was leaking water. Both were in badly zoned systems that had undergone severe prolonged overheating, causing the plastic to warp.

[@michaelmyers7425]

The exchanger is still under warranty But the customer WILL have to pay the labor costs of installing a NEW FURNACE. How do people look themselves in the mirror after ripping their fellow man off like this? I've been doing HVAC for over 20 years and at our company our motto is if you want to get FIRED simply sell or customer something they DON'T NEED.

[@garyfishel9612]

Had my 30y old furnace replaced three years ago. It would not ignite. Tech told me there was rust in the cracked heat exchanger. After installation the new unit would not ignite. Turns out my gas line from the street was clogged allowing only 2 psi of pressure to pass into the house. Gas company cleaned the line and inserted a liner to prevent any problems. Makes me wonder if the furnace was really shot? If your furnace fails to ignite call the gas company first for a pressure check. Although periodic furnace inspections are a good thing, provided you can trust the commissioned tech/ sales person.

[@steveoxler9774]

A good test under these conditions would be to fill the heat-exchanger with water. This will occasionally find the types of cracks that are hard to see. The original tech may have seen some flame flicker to condemn this beast.

[@tthoutx1]

The crooks take pictures off of the Internet and do a screenshot and show it to the customer and represent that’s their problem.

[@drwhoeric]

Why did you destroy a perfectly good furnace when you could have pressure tested the heat exchangers that would have revealed any leaks or potential of a catastrophic leaks. Another good point to make is even though a customer claims no need to check it is always ethical to check and report to the customer your own findings.

[@marvinsellers4457]

Hoss there is a lot of things people will have to answer for . Thank you for being stand up man

[@nojokeauto]

Did the flame rollout or limit switch keep popping on this unit though?

[@striperjunkie]

had the same thing happen here in nc and i spoke with the homeowner and explained that the only way we would change out a unit is if we also find the crack. after inspecting the furnace for about an hour i found no crack and then we checked the CO coming out of the supply and it showed NO CO. meter read .00 for 30 solid minuets of run time. the home owner then had a very lengthy call with the other company who said it was cracked. the nice thing is we gained another repeat customer that day. honesty is and always will be the only way to do business.

[@beardedgaming1337]

Here's what I don't get. Why do we just go straight to replacing stuff with all the waste. Why not find the crack, tear it on the furnace just like you did here, TIG weld it back together, then reassemble? That would save so much resources

[@thetruthhurts4542]

I know someone that had friends in the hvac trade and would carry dead birds and burnt parts in their equipment. They’d show the customer after a few minutes and tell them that the system was no good and they had to replace it. They’d take the old system and clean it up to install somewhere else. Total scam .

[@brianwintermute9551]

Always get another tech to check out the unit b4 getting pulled in to buy another one.

[@mikimiki195]

That furnace looks great it had a lot more life 👍🏻

[@WORDversesWORLD]

I was sent out to replace a 3 ton condenser, a/c only. When I got there the first thing I noticed was the breaker tripped outside, hum! I wondered why because if the compressor was blown then the tech would not have left it running, so I went inside home to find indoor panel and the breaker there was tripped, now I’m curious! So I go inspect the unit myself and found a cap blown, so I replaced it and left. Got back to the yard and was immediately fired, I cost them a 4590 dollar job! Oh well I sleep good at night!

[@condor5635]

Great job! Is that hardware at 3:00 the secondary heat exchanger? If so then this is a 95%+ efficient furnace with a condensate line? Even though you separate the 3 primary manifolds you buy them as a unit typically right?

[@knechvatal]

most furnaces from that era have a 20 year or even a lifetime warranty on the heat exchanger so trane should have replaced it if it was faulty. how did they determine it was cracked in the first place? did they do a co2 test?

[@adamblough1239]

I do believe there was no crack in that furnace, but to say its not common. We find multiple cracks in that exact furnace every week in that spot where the picture was taken by the crimp under the burner inlet.

[@habpar6531]

Is it true that these high-efficiency furnaces usually have a service life of around 20-years before the cells develop a crack?

[@Tinfoiledhat]

I was a helper for a commercial HVAC company for a few years, so not an "expert" but when they quoted me 900$ for a inducer draft motor I knew they were ripping me off. Found one for 350$ locally and saved myself money.

[@melquesedekcastro7480]

Sometimes the Tech is pressed by his "tech managers" to sell and not to repair whenever it is possible. Some just cave in.

[@markgrunenwald2670]

Are there size differences between Trane furnace primary HEX cells? Are they all identical? Do they just add additional cells (& different size burners) for larger or smaller furnaces? Thanks for the video

[@lanefagan2714]

Big fan of the channel, and I have learned a lot watching your videos for years now; But this is the first time I have ever commented and its with a drastically different opinion. We can all agree that in a modern furnace the "danger" of a cracked heat exchanger is vastly mitigated. How techs handle the issue of a crack varies widely from company to company and tech to tech. Setting that fact aside, Trane heat exchangers crack disproportionately high when compared to other brands. As a tech who finds cracked trane heat exchangers on a predictable basis and at consistent locations I wouldn't be surprised to find a crack in one that age. TUE and TUD tranes especially, I have even seen them in furnaces under 5 years. Luckily Trane has a good heat exchanger warranty. Though one big variable not discussed being airflow. As you are a loyal Trane company you install them all the time, my guess is that when you are installing systems you take the time to ensure proper static, hence why you may not see this in your area from the equipment you have installed. Perhaps I see them in my market because the companies that install Trane around here don't address airflow concerns when they are swapping out? That is the benefit of the doubt ill offer to go with the comment. My perspective/opinion is probably worth what you are paying for it, so feel free to return it for a full refund.

[@mikethehammer360]

Just diagnosed a bad board for a customer on one of these tranes, board was $1200 after it was all said and done, and they just spent another $1200 on an inducer motor a month prior. Unit was 2 months out of warranty. They got persuaded by my boss to replace the whole unit...Merry Christmas

[@andymasiddo8180]

Uncle Ted, we need you here in California, we need honest person doing HVAC.

[@heavyd777]

I used take gas furnaces apart all the time to replace the heat exchangers for Sears. It's not too complicated, just keep up with everything. He's lucky, most techs are working in tight crawl spaces under a house. You can't take any chances with the possibility of a cracked heat exchanger. I've come behind techs who said the furnace was fine but the pilot kept going out after they left the house. I went in there and inspected the heat exchanger and it had 12 inch cracks which were leaking carbon monoxide into the home. The tech could have killed the elderly couple that lived there. It is a prosecutable offense. We replaced the heat exchanger the next day.

[@cliffanderson7544]

Been in residential HVAC for 15 years. Ive seen it all. Crazy how some companies will do and say what ever they can to sell a new system. Plus they don' t make systems the way they did back in the day . Luck to get 10 ys out of a system these days. Shady ass sales people!!!

[@sandyc1100]

Did you inspect by feeling for cracks. I'm not clear how to tested it for cracks.

[@johnharrisonschulz]

Very few companies repair heaters once they reach past 10 years old. I'll fix anything if the parts are still available. I'm 100% certain that if there were cracks in the heat exchanger, parts are available to replace what is cracked. I bet the other company also told them that there are no parts available.

[@ganocd4]

Great job for doing diligence on this. Hopefully if it was malice, there is some consequences. I did some experiments using match trick is gonna find a significant leak in most cases. Test is blower fan only with match inserted in all burner tubes looking for similarities. I’d love to compare match trick vs full leak down test with some various holes drilled in heat exchanger, but in ones with a crack it was obvious. Full heat exchanger leak down pressure test is tough to seal off the flue and put stoppers in the burner tube to seal, but that’s a fun science experiment to show how small of a hole the 1 minute match trick can find.

[@BillyN31]

Bryant had a issue with failing secondary hx. Been swapping both 1 and 2nd hx for a couple years now. 20 year warranty.

[@adammalzahn7238]

For someone who has replaced 4-5 heat exchangers it’s not fun. That mess he just made can be put back together but he would need some high temp caulk now..

[@Showmeflipper]

I live in a trailer and I have an older AC unit that's going on 20 years old there's an outside unit and an inside blower and heat exchange. I would like to change it to a unit that is contained all outside just so it's quieter but when I asked the local hvac company here they told me it couldn't be done. And when I asked for a quote after months of them never showing up. I finally got them to just say it's gonna cost me $8000 to put in a new unit in my trailer without looking at it or nothing I personally think that's a little expensive and I live in Missouri so I know you can't do it lol. My brother just recently replaced his HVAC system within unit that's all outside and he lives in a house so it's a bigger unit than I would need and it only cost him around 5000. I've looked up units online and I can get them for her anywhere from 2 to 3000 for the unit some even less around 1500 for the size I need

[@penguins8933]

The trick I've heard of is if it's an older out of warranty furnace is to take a CO monitor and have it near the heat exchanger so it gets a reading and then tell the customer. Oh geez your heat exchanger is leaking CO. You should just get a new one. So be on the lookout for that too. If they're measuring CO make sure it's away from the furnace a good bit.

[@CrypticChords]

I know this is 9m old but I had a tech out today and they measured co2 and determined bad. I'd say about 12" above the furnace he drilled a hole in the pvc and measured from that. I also was experiencing a waxy metallic burning smell feom the vents (reason for the call) do I assume it is but just want to be safe.

[@lmnohos]

@@CrypticChords a hole drilled in the EXHAUST??? i think that would certainly be chock full of CO...it is a good possibility that something fell into a vent (do u have kids?) i am no expert on HVAC but i do know quite a bit about kids...mom to 4 & a school bus driver for 4 years.

[@sitori663]

Sadly these days finding workers who are honest is the exception.

[@MrACDude]

Don't most condensing furnaces have a long heat exchanger warranty, like 25 years?

[@BryanClementi]

I had that exact thing happen to me. Tech told me crack in heat exchanger. Thankfully, I got a second opinion. Gotta look out for yourself.

[@christopherlabre3889]

Just to let people know that most heat exchanger failures are do to improper install, improper start up,or filters not being changed at correct intervals. Most top brand furnaces have a life time warranty (life time of the furnace that is, which is usually 20 years). When it comes to heat exchanger warranties any HVAC company can claim on them. The homeowner doesn’t have to go to the Brand dealer to have it changed.

[@tombeilman5579]

Can’t you tell from the flame pattern if there is a crack or leak

[@ronb8052]

A few years ago, my furnace stopped working. I call an HVAC contractor....he went into my attic and said "well, you definitely need a new furnace".......he was six feet away from the furnace when he made that diagnosis. I changed the igniter....it's still working. (Oh....his quote for a new furnace was $4000) He's no longer working for that company.