Laars Series 2 Heater Repair

Jump to latest Follow Reply
T

txgal

0
LifeTime Supporter
May 9, 2008
26
Dallas, TX
We have a Teledyne Laars Series 2 gas heater on our pool that stopped heating one night. I just had a pool repair man come out to look at it and diagnose the problem. He said that we need a new "temperature control board". The price quoted was $370 for the part and $170 for labor. Is this something that my husband could do himself? He is fairly handy and has done electrical repairs before. Also, I would love some recommendations on the best place to buy parts. I just did a quick check on a price for the part and found the "temperature control assembly" for $275 online. Is this the part the repair man is referring to?

This site and the people on it have been invaluable to me and I always appreciate the help and advise. Thanks in advance for your help!
 
You are going to need the exact part number that matches your heater and ask if any changes have been made in what is needed for your heater.

Last year the control board went out on my "portable" spa, 6 yrs old, (don't know why they call them "portable"). I called the maker to get the part number, and then ordered the part online. The person I talked to failed to inform me about a change or maybe didn't know there was any change. I work on, hack, and build computers/notebooks/pen tablets, etc., so I'm quite familiar with "control boards". When I got the part there was no way many of areas of the board matched up to the old board nor instruction for spa and new board. So maker sent a service tech out. Seems there had been some kind of change or part number change or something like that; sorry I really can't remember. Anyway I sent the new board back for refund and had the maker supply the correct board (little bit lower price than what I ordered) but let the maker's tech install it just in case there were any more "issues". It cost me a little more in labor and took extra time as the maker had to order the correct board too. :roll:

If I had known about whatever changes that had occurred prior to my ordering the board my spa would have been up and running again much sooner without all the hassles.

I don't know anything about your heater but be sure all communications are very thorough and clear when getting the board that goes into your heater.

gg=alice
 
I can share my good luck, and hopefully, you can find it too.

Mice had moved into the recess behind my control board/PC board on my Raypak while the house was vacant for 18 mos. I was brand new to the pool scene when I found out why it didn't work...pool guy had to tell me why. Out of the book, the PC board was 500 bucks. Poking around online, I found some in the 250-350 range, a little better.

Always remember....you can find EVERYTHING on ebay, if you're patient enough.

A week prior to closing the first year, I installed the new PC board in the heater, fresh from ebay, that I bought for 50 dollars. True.

Some unlucky soul thought his PC board was bad, paid through the nose for it, then found out his headers were rusted. Might as well recoup a little money, I guess.

Like you, I had to find out about retro-fitting, since these heaters change all the time. I went Raypak website, found the owners manual, x-ref the part number in question, then dialed up customer service, and asked them the same question..."Will this xx-xx-xx part number fit in my heater model"?

Go to Laars website, find that same info, and see if you can find one on ebay. Won't hurt a bit.
 
Is there electricity going to your heater or just a gas line? The temperature control assembly for the millivolt model (no electrical service) is not difficult to replace, but there are a few different parts involved: the control panel up top, the "black box" behind the front panel, and the temp probe. The most difficult to access will be the probe, but that just requires taking off the top of the heater.

Verify that yours is or is not a millivolt heater and we can go from there.
 
Thank you for the advise about the making sure the current part fits my heater. I'll check with Laars before buying a new part. I wouldn't have thought about that!

Spishex, I'll have my husband take a look at our heater to determine if there is electricity running to the heater, and let you know.

Just because I am curious and I didn't actually talk to the repair man (he just left a message on my phone), how would he have determined that the temperature control board was bad? I would like to talk to him about it as well, but I am always the skeptic. I like to have some knowledge of the situation before talking to the service tech. Thanks again!
 
Your thermostat is in the same circuit as your safety equipment (pressure switch, high limit switches, fusible link, on/off switch, etc.). Each end of the circuit connects to your gas valve.
Assuming that the pilot is lit and you have somewhere around 3-6 millivolts (DC) going to the valve from the pilot generator, once the safety circuit closes the valve opens and you're in business.
I'd test the circuit by disconnecting the side closest to the fusible link, connecting that wire to my ohm meter, and then testing for continuity in the circuit before and after every component (be sure the pump is on or the pressure switch will be open). I believe the thermostat is the last or second-to-last part in the equation.
But that's if you want to find a problem without knowing what it is. If you wanted to simply test the thermostat then you could find the wire that goes from the on/off switch to the black "brick" mounted behind the door (only two wires on the on/off switch, one goes to the pressure switch, you want the other one). Then find the terminal on the gas valve that is connected by a black wire to that same "brick" and connect the wire from the switch directly to that terminal. If the pump is on and the on/off switch is on, the heater should fire.
 
I just wanted to thank you all for your help. After speaking with a representative at Jandy to confirm compatibility, we ordered the Temperature Control Assembly and replaced it ourselves. It was very easy and the heater is now working great! Thank you again!!
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
txgal said:
I just wanted to thank you all for your help. After speaking with a representative at Jandy to confirm compatibility, we ordered the Temperature Control Assembly and replaced it ourselves. It was very easy and the heater is now working great! Thank you again!!
Click to expand...

Good job, but I hope you paid the repair person for his trip as it was his troubleshooting and diagnosis that permitted your success.

:)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply