Safety Notice – Carrier Secondary Heat Exchangers

SAFETY NOTICE

Serious Gas Furnace Issue

Do you have a Carrier, Byrant or Payne Furnace in your home?

  • Please note – we are a local service provider in the Metro Vancouver / Fraser Valley, serving the areas of Surrey, Langley, Delta, White Rock, Abbotsford, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge in BC Canada.  If you need a local service provider outside of these areas, please contact Carrier to find a local dealer.  

Image result for payne furnace

Recently we replaced a seriously failed Carrier furnace.  This was one of many Carrier, Bryant and Payne furnaces we have been seeing recently installed prior to 2010 with a problematic secondary heat exchanger.   Many of these units have developed serious operational issues or have failed completely. When combined with poor installation workmanship, these issues can result in an unsafe operating condition or a complete shutdown of the furnace, rendering it non-functional.

This issue can be confirmed via several online sources, including an investigation by Technical Safety BC, the BC regulator of gas appliances in the province of British Columbia.  To read this investigation, please visit: https://www.technicalsafetybc.ca/sites/default/files/2021-09/Technical_Safety_BC_-_Investigation_Report_Failure_of_Gas_Furnaces.pdf

Below this post is an official Carrier Service Manager Bulletin as of the date of publication.

Gas Furnace models affected include:

Bryant:

340A, 340M,345M, 350A, 350M, 351D, 352A, 352M, 355A, 355B, 355C, 355M

Carrier:

58MCA, 58MCB, 58MXA, 58MXB, 58MSA, 58UVB, 58MVP, 58MVB, 58MVC, 58MTA, 58MTB

We are finding a large number of failed secondary heat exchangers in these particular models, which relate to a failure of a polypropylene coating. The secondary heat exchanger is designed to extract the maximum remaining heat from the fuel source, resulting in a normal condensation reaction.  The chamber becomes corroded from the inside, possibly due to a reaction from acidic condensation on the polypropylene coating. Carrier has not yet explained the cause of the failure; however, the result is a slow blockage of the system, leading to heat retention and further damage of system components. When left untreated, the furnace will no longer operate and in some situations result in melting of exhaust pipes and a serious risk of carbon monoxide leakage.

This is not fear mongering or marketing hype but a serious condition we are seeing regularly.  Like many failures, there are several stages and conditions evident.  Extreme failures are quite obvious.  Early failure needs to be caught early by a trained technician, as letting the condition persist will result in progressive issues.  It will only get worse if left alone.


Examples of visual extremes

 

Failed Secondary Cells

Carrier Heat Secondary Heat Exchanger Failure

Vent pipe damaged from heat

Failed Secondary Cells

Leaking corrosion down primary Heat Exchanger

Carrier Heat Secondary Heat Exchanger Failure 3

Corrosion buildup on secondary cells

Carrier Heat Secondary Heat Exchanger Failure 4

View from under blower cabinet

Carrier Heat Secondary Heat Exchanger Failure


WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Get your system inspected by an authorized Carrier dealer.

We have over 20 years of experience directly as a dealer of Carrier and can provide you with some critical information to allow you to take action to determine if your unit has an issue and how to proceed. The most effective method to confirm the condition of your furnace is to have us do a system checkout and audit, which includes a combustion analysis. This will confirm if the secondary heat exchanger is in good condition or if there are any issues. Carrier does not cover this diagnostic procedure under warranty, but the diagnosis is required to ensure your system is operating safely and provide you with benefits confirmation under any Airco Heating & Cooling Ltd has developed a discounted rate to assist you in confirming the condition of your furnace. The cost of this inspection is $199 plus tax and will include a full audit of the system.

Should any problems be found, we can provide you with your options under their warranty program.

WHO IS AIRCO HEATING AND COOLING LTD?

We are a Langley based heating and cooling company, registered with the BC Safety Authority and WorkSafe BC. We are an independent dealer, with factory-trained technicians and licensed gas fitters. We have been in business since 1970 and are members of the BBB and the Langley Chamber of Commerce. With excellent references and a great online reputation, we are a company with very high standards.

Most homeowners are unaware of this issue and the manufacturer has not formally issued any safety recalls. We believe homeowners should be informed and understand their options. We understand this is a disappointing situation and we will do everything we can to ensure the safe operation of the unit.

Please call our office at 604-882-9224  use our form here as soon as possible to book a system audit.

Please note – we are a local service provider in the Metro Vancouver / Fraser Valley, serving the areas of Surrey, Langley, Delta, White Rock, Abbotsford, Pitt Meadows and Maple Ridge in BC Canada.  If you need a local service provider outside of these areas, please contact Carrier to find a local dealer.  


 

SERVICE BULLETIN

© Carrier Corporation 2012

Number: SMB 09-0024 Issued: 6/8/9 SMB 07-0056

Revision:12/17/12 – Extended to 6/30/2016

Title: Enhanced Warranty Policy – 40” Tall,

Multipoise 90% Furnace Secondary

Heat Exchanger Failures

Category: Policy

PRODUCT CATEGORY:

90% Gas Furnaces

MODELS AFFECTED:

340A, 340M, 345M, 350A, 350M, 351D, 352A, 352M, 355A, 355B, 355C, 355M 58MCA, MCB, MXA, MXB, MSA, UVB, MVP, MVB, MVC, MTA, MTB 490A, PG9M

Serial Number Range: 2993A00001 – 1808A99999  (ed Note – other serial numbers have issues as well, but this bulletin relates to this range only)

SITUATION:

Carrier is providing an enhanced warranty on the secondary or “condensing” heat exchangers for the above listed 90% high-efficiency furnace models, within the stated serial number ranges. This bulletin announces and provides details of this  ew enhanced warranty coverage policy. This policy ONLY covers the failure and required replacement of a secondary or “condensing” heat exchanger and the following related parts: coupling box kits, cold spot baffle, and cell inlet and outlet panels.

SMB 09-0024 page 2

Failure or imminent failure within 6 months is defined by the following criteria:

1. The furnace no longer functions to produce heat due to diagnosed heat exchanger restriction per inspection guidelines provided in SMB 09-0022.

2. The furnace produces heat but fails combustion analysis test due to heat exchanger restriction as diagnosed per guidelines provided in SMB 09-0022.

3. The secondary heat exchanger meets the visual inspection failure criteria per visual inspection instructions provided in SMB 09-0022.

The coverage period for this policy is twenty (20) years from original furnace installation date.

SOLUTION:

This enhanced warranty policy provides two coverage options:

Option #1: Flat Rate Allowance to cover the replacement of a failed secondary heat exchanger.

Option #2: Monetary credit allowance toward the purchase of a new piece of equipment.

Note: Option #2 is only available toward Carrier, Bryant and Payne brand equipment that has a minimum retail value of $1250.00 (not including the cost of installation).