Amana Heat Exchanger Nears 2 Million Cycle Mark, 
A Record Surpassing 100 Years of Residential Service 
By Mark R. Klein, FKM, mklein@fkmagency.com 
FAYETTEVILLE, Ark., February 27, 2009 –
Relentlessly, every day, an Amana furnace here turns on,
its burners firing full blast until the temperature in the
heat exchanger hits a blazing 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit,
before shutting off and cooling down to 200 degrees – a
torturous cycle that’s repeated over and over. Sometime
this year, that same heat exchanger will surpass the two
million cycle mark, a staggering milestone that Amana
engineers believe is well in excess of 100 years of typical
residential service.
It’s an achievement that quite possible represents a
heat exchanger lifetime of more than 200 years in
Anchorage, Alaska, 300 years in Atlantic City, New
Jersey, or even 500 years in Beverly Hills, California.
“I think we left the ANSI standard in the dust,”
jokes Jim Fisher, product manager-gas furnaces at
Goodman Global, Inc., which manufactures the Amana
brand of heating and air conditioning systems.
Appropriately, Amana brand engineers call their
product the Million-Air® Heat Exchanger. If they keep
cycling the unit, they may have to rename it the Three
Million-Air Heat Exchanger.
“We started testing our Amana brand heat
exchanger to make sure it would surpass the ANSI
Z21.47 test of 10,000 cycles for gas-fired furnaces,”
Fisher explains, “and we just kept it going. The original
unit’s been cycling on and off ever since, repeatedly
firing up and then cooling off.”
“We are not aware of any other heat exchanger that
has ever reached the two million cycle achievement,”
Fisher says.
Most Critical Part of Furnace
Heat exchangers are the most critical part of a
furnace, subject to extreme temperature cycles that can
create significant stress and potential material failure.
It’s also where efficiencies or inefficiencies occur with
heat transfer. Amana’s patented Million-Air heat
exchanger draws on three technologies designed to
vastly improve heat transfer by taking advantage of the
physical properties of the unit’s stainless steel tubes.
“The result is a strong, long-lasting heat exchanger that
to our knowledge is the most durable heat exchanger
ever produced,” Fisher says.
The Million-Air’s stainless steel tubes are formed
using wrinkle-bend technology, explains Fisher, “which
minimizes the manufacturing stresses that can be placed
on the material.” The wrinkles also create turbulence
inside the tube – an environment that enhances heat
transfer.
A dual-diameter tubing design forces hot gasses to
pass from larger to smaller diameter tubes, a process that
releases heat and increases the velocity of the gas. This,
says Fisher, ensures
that hotter gas remains
in the chamber longer
for optimum heat
transfer to the home.
Muffler-joint
technology helps
strengthen tube joints
in the heat exchanger,
as the Million-Air
leverages the
properties of thermal
growth. Where the stainless steel tubes are joined
together and to the vestibule panel, the larger tube is
drawn to a narrower diameter, and then fitted inside a
smaller tube. During operation, the larger tube gets
hotter and expands; consequently, the joint becomes
stronger. The same thermal principle is employed where
the tubes are joined to the vestibule panel.
95% AFUE Rating
Approaching two million firings, the technology
behind the Million-Air’s strength and durability has lived
up to the test. Amana brand is known for its industry-
leading warranties, and the Million-Air heat exchanger is
no exception. A Lifetime Unit Replacement Limited
Warranty is offered on any Amana gas furnace with a
Million-Air® heat exchanger. Online warranty
registration is required within 60 days of installation.
The Million-Air is a key feature of all Amana brand
gas furnaces including the AMH95 gas furnace – a two-
stage, multi-speed, high-performance unit that offers
homeowners a 95% AFUE (Annual Fuel Utilization
Efficiency) rating, one of the best in the industry.
“It’s gratifying to build and sell a heat exchanger that
can take a million on-and-off cycles, but it’s amazing to
have one that can continue to perform as it approaches
two million cycles,” Fisher says. “This is why we get up
in the morning. To make reliable products that last and
last and last, exceeding the expectations of millions and
millions of satisfied homeowners.”
For more information on the Amana Million-Air
heat exchanger and Amana gas-fired furnaces, visit
www.amana-hac.com or call 1-888-292-6262.
###
About Amana
Amana® is a trademark of Maytag Corporation and used under
license to Goodman Company, L.P. For more information,
dealers can call 888-292-6262, or visit www.amana-hac.com.
Houston-based Goodman Global, Inc. is a leading
manufacturer of heating, ventilation and air conditioning
products for residential and light-commercial use. For more
information about Goodman Global, Inc., visit
www.goodmanglobal.com.