Drum Heat Exchanger Failure Sequence Illustration

[billg]

The first scientific investigation illustrating stages of failure beginning with simple metal discoloration to catastrophic failure, and finally revealing the true causation of failures plaguing the drum furnace.

1) Simple metal discoloration in the typical bull's-eye pattern.



2) More bull's-eye discoloration with slight swelling.



3) Bull's-eye discolorations begin to blend into each other with increased swelling.



4) Metal now begins to open from complete loss of structural integrity.



5) Heat exchanger also begins to separate from back section.



6) Catastrophic failure with readily apparent causation.

[BaldLoonie]

Holy Toledo, you got us on that one. Many as we've removed, never that bad!

Too bad our customer "seeking sense" who came on here complaining that we condemned their perfectly good drum can't see this!

[PaysonHVAC]

Nice work on that pic :P

[Swampfox]

Originally posted by BaldLoonie
Too bad our customer "seeking sense" who came on here complaining that we condemned their perfectly good drum can't see this!

Go bump their thread with a link to this one...hopefully they checked the email notification box

[craig1]

If the H.O. had a preventative maintenance contract, that creature would have been removed when it was just a wee larvae. Now, they will need to cough up the dough for a new furnace. having one of those in your furnace must wreak havoc on IAQ. also the shedded skin plugs up the A/C coil.

If catch one before the damage it done, it can be removed. i have my out process, but i dont think th EPA thinks to highly of it. I start by releasing a couple pounds of r22 into the HX to freeze the bugger out. when it drops to the bottom, i whack it with a hammer and put it in a tool box. then i take it out side and seal it inside an old condensing unit i keep handy for use as a prison. eventually it suffocates from lack of CO.

[BaldLoonie]

Check with your distributor on a lower price on a replacement unit. We've replaced several this winter with the new 34" 90.

[selfemployed]

Good technical work humor there!

[billg]

Check out how this guy recommends repairing the drum furnace. Keep in mind this guy has "an AS in Mechanical Engineering" in other words you have to be really smart to do something really stupid. But I think he may have forgotten one S in that title.

http://www.hvacmechanic.com/cgi-bin/...&14467&15542&1

[Edited by billg on 02-19-2005 at 02:31 PM]

[PaysonHVAC]

"Furnace Cement"??? Never heard of it but in our climate the heat exchanger lasts longer than the rest of the electronics and A/C section.

Good thing he has a AS degree LOL!

[midhvac]

Well sure I like hx pics, but I'd much rather see that thing coming out of Adrienne Barbeau.