Yesterday I had a 20 point furnace inspection that found a crack in the heat exchanger in my 18 year old Trane furnace. The technician red tagged the furnace and turned off the gas to the furnace only and told me to contact a licensed dealer for Trane to see if it is under warranty yet. If it is not, Ill be getting quotes for a new furnace. My question is, is it safe to let the furnace sit with the gas valved turned off to it for a period of time? Does that cause any problems when it's turned off for a length of time, say two to four weeks? It's not cold enough to need the furnace yet, so it is off and so is the gas to it. But he left the gas to the water heater turned on. He left a note saying it should be address immediately. So I wanted to make sure it was safe to let it sit while I get some quotes. Thanks!!!
Yes- you can let it sit forever- just don't use it. A leak in the heat exchanger can put carbon monoxide into the air you breath- not a good thing. edit: btw- you don't have to buy a Trane. if you have to buy a new unit- look for a better deal than a trane.
The problem with waiting until it gets colder: that's when everyone with a furnace problem calls for repairs and replacement and you may have to wait and/or get less than great service/price.
Yes as long as the power is off or the thermostat is off to keep it from trying to run. Don't use the furnace it could be dangerous.
I think Trane has a 20 year warranty on their heat exchangers. Don't let a salesman tell you that you HAVE to get a new unit ! Unless you just want one.But you might can just have the heat exchanger replaced under warranty. Check out the warranty with the serial numbers. As long as the gas is off,there are no dangers. Good luck
yes it is safe for the furnace to sit with the gas valve turned off. I would call Trane to see if it is under warranty however at 18 years your warranty on the heat exchanger is probably over or very close. I wouldn't wait too long or your are going to run into trouble getting some one out there as the heating companies are going to be busy. I would suggest that when you look into a new furnace you choose something other than a Trane unit. Make sure you get at least two estimates so you can compare prices three would be even better.
