How do tenants destroy heaters in properties up north?

[Mike Schorah]

I hear tenants destroy air conditioners down south and destroy heaters up north. But how would someone destroy it? Overuse? Neglecting maintenance? Or actually taking a sledgehammer to it out of spite?

[Cory J Thornton]

@Mike Schorah - I live in the south, but before I pushed full time into the wonderful world of real estate, I spent a decade as a mechanical contractor. 

My guess is that most properties up north operate off of some form of furnace (gas, oil, LP). These types of systems create fire, that is thrown into what is called a heat exchanger. The purpose of the heat exchanger is to transfer the heat from the exchanger to the air that moves around it, thereby warming the space. To remain "cool" a heat exchanger requires a constant volume of airflow. If it does not get enough airflow it will run hot which can shorten the lifespan of the component or even cause it to crack from too much heat. 

Anything that restricts airflow will reduce the volume of air needed to keep the heat exchanger from running too hot. The biggest culprit for air flow problems is dirty air filters and dirty indoor coils. 

All the above said, standard maintenance goes a long way to protect the lifespan of a system. 

If you have questions about a specific system type, feel free to send them my way and i'll do what I can to help.