A heating techniction may have caused my heat exchanger to crack...? ?

Question

I went into the basement to see that he CEMENTED a damper closed. I questioned him and he assured me it was okay. This was part of my routine yearly cleaning/maintenance.

Later that day, there is a HUGE explosion. And when I say HUGE, I am not exaggerating one single bit. The noise was VERY loud. It shook my entire 2 story 1850sf house to the point that my chandelier was moving, as was the water in a vase of flowers and my kitchen cabinet dishes were clanging together. I hightailed out of the house with my hands covering my head!

Once I gained my composure, I got up the nerve to go into the basement. Come to find out, the service guy CEMENTED the barimetric pressure damper closed. I found it across the basement where it landed after it hit the wall during the explosion. He returned and replaced the damper.

Fast forward to this year's cleaning (with another heating company)....he said before they do a routine cleaning, they first check the heat exchanger....bad news, it's cracked and I need a new heating system / furnace. Badder news, time for a new oil tank AND, the new high efficiency furnaces are not compatable with my centralair conditioning unit . $ Cha-ching $

Could that explosion have cause my heat exchanger to crack? Believe me when I tell you how big and loud and violent that explosion was!
I thought my house was collapsing. It was like an earthquake!

crazy · Answer

That sensor will shut down the furnace if it is disabled or clogged.
So will a flame rollout sensor.

It would be hard to prove he was the one who did it, after a year.
His counterclaim is that he didn't do it, and YOU did.

The explosion may be caused by something unrelated to that sensor.
One or two of the burners might not have lit when the furnace came on and spewed fuel into the heat exchanger. Another one that did fire probably caused the fuel vapors to ignite and explode.
No way to really know for sure.

About your A/C.
You can have an air handler installed just for that and not have to spend massive cash on a new system.
Air handler is just two plenums, your evaporator coil, drain line, blower, and some wiring to tie it in.
Same principle as a dual furnace setup except the heat part is in a different air handler.

You could also get mini split systems too, which can be cheaper on the utility bill if you use them appropriately (manual zone control).

Just so ya know:
Unless your furnace is really old, heat exchangers can be replaced. If this is done, ask nicely if the repairman can spray PAM on the new gasket (keeps it from shrinking and very hard to burn VERY). Makes the gasket easier to remove in the future.
Same with a draft inducer gasket. PAM!

Also, if you have insurance, check your policy. If you have home warranty insurance, check that policy.

T C · Answer

I would say yes, there is a very good chance.  
What you need to do is have the current company evaluate your system. Explain what the previous technician did ....and have this current company supply you with probability as to the cause....and effect of the explosion on the heat exchanger. Maybe it will go somewhere ...maybe not, but it's worth a try. Any pictures you have would be helpful

A heating techniction may have caused my heat exchanger to crack...? ?

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