Sta-Rite SR400LP pool heater problems

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D

deepend

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Jul 25, 2010
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Hello

I know this is an old thread but maybe someone will stumble across it and offer some help (especially “Waste” who seems knowledgeable about these heaters).

I have a Sta-Rite SR400LP pool heater (3 years old and only used once). The blower motor runs at full speed for 1-2 minutes and shuts off. The motor housing gets very hot and I assume the thermal device in the motor shuts it down. It will do this even if I disconnect F1 and F2 from the Ignition Control Module and jump them together. The interesting thing is that the motor runs constantly at a very slow speed regardless of whether the heater is turned on or off. With F1 and F2 disconnected from the Ignition Control Module (and not jumped) the motor still runs at very slow speed. If I disconnect the 12 pin plug, jump the blue and yellow wires from the motor and jump the red (L2) wire from the receptacle to the 12 pin plug the motor will run at the very slow speed. I’m guessing the motor is shot and that there is an internal short circuit that is allowing it to run even though it is only hooked up to L2 and not L1.

Speaking with PentAir support was not much help. They fixated on the ignition module being bad and didn’t seem to understand that by recreating the problem with F1 and F2 disconnected the motor was isolated from the ignition module.

I’m hoping for a reply from Waste since he has never had to replace a blower and maybe can suggest something else that may be causing this problem. If the problem is indeed a bad blower motor can I replace the blower unit without undue risk of blowing up the heater and burning down my house.

Thanks,
Gary
 
Re: Sta-rite Heater stopped working

Hey Gary, welcome to TFP!!

Unfortunately, I don't have an answer for you at this point :( There is something wrong with the blower firing up 'full' for a couple of minutes and then backing off.

Does it always fire up full, then drop off? Does the heater fire and stay fired, even when the blower goes to 1/2 speed? {there is a thought that's trying to percolate up through the ol' brain stem which I can't quite get to gel :x }

Have you checked for obstructions in the blower?

Get back to me and I'll try to squeeze the thought out :)
 
Re: Sta-rite Heater stopped working

Thanks for the welcome and the quick reply.

No obstructions. The heater fires and stays fired until the motor quits. The motor runs at slow speed (1/10) as long as the breaker is flipped on. That is its default condition. When I fire up the heater the motor goes to full speed but quits after 1-2 minutes. I think the "tell" is that if I jump F1 to F1 the motor runs, gets hot and shuts off. I wonder why the motor is overheating and why it wants to run at slow speed when I pull the 12 pin plug and only jump the red motor wire to L2. It has me mystified.

Thanks again for cogitating on this with me.
 
Re: Sta-rite Heater stopped working

I'm starting to think that the thermal regulator might be bad. Do you hear 'strange' sounds when the heater tries to run?

The problem is that I can't see the blower motor running hot, if this is the case :scratch:

My real hope is that someone else will see where I'm going with this and have a definitive answer :) -- If not, I'll keep trying :cool:
 
Re: Sta-rite Heater stopped working

No strange sounds. The heater runs fine for 1-2 minutes until the blower motor overheats and shuts down which then shuts down the heater.
 
Re: Sta-rite Heater stopped working

Scott -

The heater is wired for 240. The voltage across L1-L2 is 300 volts - hmmmm. I know it should be 240 +- 6%. I'll have to check my meter.
 
Re: Sta-rite Heater stopped working

I believe the blower is shot too but I'm trying to deterime what went wrong so that I can be certain before I replace it.

Does anyone know if the blower is consumer replaceable SAFELY

Thanks
 

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Re: Sta-rite Heater stopped working

I did use a different meter and it measured right around 240v. There is continuity between the blower motor's black wire and the ground. I'm not sure but I don't think there should be continuity there. I'm guessing there is a short in the motor that is allowing the red wire from L2 to supply 120v to the motor even when the heater is off which would account for the motor continuously spinning at a very reduced rpm until the heater is turned on at which time the motor is supplied with 240v and goes up to "normal" speed but then quickly overheats shuts down. I don't know that this is really what's happening but it seems reasonable. Bottom line - the blower needs replacing. Unless someone thinks it's a bad idea I will do it myself. After working on a propane line you check for leaks with a lit match, right.

Kidding of course. Thank you for the help!
 
Re: Sta-rite Heater stopped working

Four nuts hold the blower to the firebox. Motor unplugs from a connector, and don't forget the wire strap that holds wires in place near the bottom of the blower(1/4" nut driver). Oh yes and there is the gas line to the blower, and the air horn. Of course you will also need to disassemble some (not much) of the heater to expose the blower.

Believe it or not, a lit match can't find a leak that soapy water could. So other than the scary sound of doing it that way, soap is better for finding a leak.

Edit: After reading your first post again, you may want to consider a new heater given the age of your current one. Not having seen your current heater, it would be difficult to tell if you should replace. Some ten year heaters look and run pretty well. Others half that age look three times as old.

Either way, purchasing off the net sometimes presents a challenge trying to warranty/return those items if needed. Some company's, even though they are warranty stations, won't service items not purchased from them. Kind of a rebellion against the better prices available on the net i guess.
 
Re: Sta-rite Heater stopped working

The heater is just three years old and appears to be in great shape other then the blower problem. I think I will go ahead and replace the blower. It doesn't appear that any of the TFP supporters sell this heater ( Sta-Rite part no. 42001-0246S). Does anyone know of a reliable source?

Thanks again
 
Sorry to open an old thread but sometimes this helps establish a trend in failure modes.

I have the Natural Gas version of this heater (SR400NA). My failure mode is a little different but it’s likely motor related as well. The motor seems to be running slow (I seem to remember it running faster when it was working - I could feel more air at the exhaust).

The heater doesn't ignite, and I'm getting the AFS LED indicator. Bypassing the AFS switch doesn't help (though at least I hear the relay open the gas valve when the AFS switch is bypassed). The low speed is probably not creating the pressure difference needed for the AFS switch and therefore there's not enough air flow for combustion even when the AFS switch is bypassed.

It may be an internal motor short in my case too but not one that allows it to run when it's not supposed to. The motor says model GL200X30a (made in china - that doesn't have to be bad but sometimes it's not a sign of quality).

I ordered a new blower but for the fun of it, I took apart the old one to see if I could replace the motor. The impeller is thin metal (maybe aluminum?). I'm having a problem being able to remove the rusted nut from the motor shaft. The bolt is stuck on the slotted shaft of the motor. There’s probably a special tool for this but I don't have one.

See the attached photos.

heatermotorshaft.png


heaterblower1.png


heaterblower2.png


Heatermotorplate.png
 
I have the same motor in my Sta-Rite SR333NA that has burnt windings and the factory replacement is the complete blower assembly.

Does anyone know of a source to buy just the motor or have it repaired? It seems a waste to spend $440 for the complete assembly which is mostly good except for the motor.

Any ideas?
 
The blower kit is the way the manufacturer suggests it be replaced. The motor is probably most of the cost. Unless you have someplace in your area that repairs motors it's best you replace the entire thing.
 
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