For most of you, it’s probably a new term. But if your home has a gas furnace, the heat exchanger is one of the essential components that helps to keep you warm in the winter months.

What does a Heat Exchanger do?
A heat exchanger transfers heat energy. When your thermostat or HVAC control system signals your gas furnace to operate combustion from the burning of natural gas or propane to create heat inside the heat exchanger. When your indoor air is circulated over and around the heat exchanger, it gets warmed before it is re-circulated back to your conditioned indoor living areas.

Heat exchanger features may include:

• One-piece, tubular construction: Joints are eliminated, reducing weak areas.

• Wrinkle bend technology: This maintains the wall thickness of the curved section of a heat exchanger. Additionally, the wrinkle-bend technology provides a “turbulation” effect for excellent heat transfer properties.

• Sloped design: The sloped angle of the secondary heat exchanger allows for optimal condensate drainage which helps improve the performance of the heat exchanger.

• Stainless steel or aluminized steel: Heat exchanger materials with outstanding thermal and corrosion properties are selected to provide reliable warmth in your home for many years.

A gas furnace’s heat exchanger is designed specifically to optimize heating performance.

If you have questions about which gas furnace features would benefit your indoor comfort, talk to your licensed professional HVAC dealer.