Gas furnace venting

[Jon mackay]

This furnace is an old Sears unit and is not vented correctly but I was curious about the white color above the 2nd burner and at the 2nd exhaust area below the vent hood. Is this an indication that something may be wrong in the heat exchanger or just from poor venting?

[David Bell]

Wow, its hard to believe ther have been no asphyxiations in this home. As for the white "Hot Spot" above the second burner, that is usually a sign of a heat exchanger hole, or a clogged burner tube. That unit should be tagged as unsafe and reported.

[Jon mackay]

OK, thank you for the info.
I know that the system is in bad shape and should be replaced.

It is always interesting to catch various symptoms like this. I was thinking that it may have been due to the pilot light being installed at the 2nd burner.

Thank you again

[Scott Craig]

Wow, its hard to believe ther have been no asphyxiations in this home. As for the white "Hot Spot" above the second burner, that is usually a sign of a heat exchanger hole, or a clogged burner tube. That unit should be tagged as unsafe and reported.

Yep! This unit has definitely see better days! Looks unsafe for sure.

[Jim Luttrall]

OK, thank you for the info.
I know that the system is in bad shape and should be replaced.

It is always interesting to catch various symptoms like this. I was thinking that it may have been due to the pilot light being installed at the 2nd burner.

Thank you again
You are correct, the rust is kept at bay by the standing pilot discouraging condensation and rust during the off cycle.
Might be other issues but in and of itself, the difference is not an issue.
The good news is you won't see many of this antiques with a standing pilot.
Replace it anyway!