During a maintenance service call or utility company inspection, your furnace may earn the unfortunate status of being red-tagged. A furnace is red-tagged when an HVAC or utility professional finds a dangerous safety problem such as a cracked or damaged heat exchanger. Red-tagged furnaces cannot be operated until the problem is fixed.
Red-tagging may seem drastic, but it is done only when the furnace presents an immediate threat to health and safety. The broken heat exchanger could allow deadly carbon monoxide gas to leak back into your home’s living environment. A major leak of this substance, especially during the night when you and your family are sleeping, could result in death.
It most cases, it’s cheaper to completely replace a red-tagged furnace than to fix or replace a heat exchanger. When looking for a new furnace to replace your red-tagged unit, you should:
- Contact your trusted local HVAC contractor for selection and installation. If using a contractor you’re not familiar with, check their references and licensing, ask about their experience and check with your local Better Business Bureau or Chamber of Commerce for more information.
- Look for a unit with a high Annual Fuel Utilization Efficiency (AFUE) rating. This number represents how much energy in the fuel is converted to heat that can actually be used. High-efficiency units have high AFUE numbers—usually 90 or above.
- Make sure the new unit is correctly sized for your home. A furnace that is too small won’t heat properly, while a too-large unit will overheat and waste money and energy.
- Use the replacement as an opportunity to check the ductwork and fix loose sections, air and energy leaks, damaged areas or other problems that could reduce the furnace’s efficiency and decrease your indoor comfort level.
If you’ve found yourself with a red-tagged furnace, the experts at Around the Clock Air Conditioning and Heating can help. We’ve been serving residents of the greater Los Angeles area since 1967. Contact us today!
Our goal is to help educate our customers about energy and home comfort issues (specific to HVAC systems). For more information about furnaces and other HVAC topics, download our free Home Comfort Resource guide.
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