Hayward H400 Heater HELP!!

[rabys]

I have an older model of the H400, recently when the heater attempts to light, it seems to 'blow' itself out. That is that if I put my hand over the exhaust, I feel heat, then a pulse of the blower, then no heat. The system resets. If I were partially obstruct the exhaust during the lighting process, then the heater will remain lite and function properly. Any ideas out there; thanks in advance!

Stan

 

[ps0303]

If you have a "blower" in your Hayward heater, then it is a Universal H-Series heater, yes? The older H-Series model do not have a blower motor. Please let us know the exact model you have to effectively help you.

 

[rabys]

The model is H400IDL, I hope this helps!

 

[CombatYoga]

Hi rabys,

I don't know if this is your issue or not, and I'll certainly defer to ps0303 and his recommendation, however I have a similar heater and had many issues with it when I first got it.
I friend of mine looked at it and made a fix to it - it has worked like a charm ever since.

I posted what he did here:
solution-for-hard-to-fire-hayward-heater-t27462.html

If you think this is your issue and you need any help, I'm happy to explain.

SF

 

[rabys]

Yes, I read through this solution of yours before posting my question. Seems to be a logical solution, though I was hestitate to try it without further input. The heater has worked fine since it was new, this problem is occurring more and more frequent with time. I'll review your suggestion and ask questions if necessary. I'm trying to find the "heating element" on the parts list and cannot find it, to get an idea of what you are referring to. Are your referring to the 'ignitor'? Thanks, I appreciate the feedback!

 

[CombatYoga]

Yes - by heating element I mean igniter. It is a pencil shaped part that is mostly covered by a white ceramic material, with bare metal protruding from one end.

 

[rabys]

OK, I actually had to replace this part due to my clumsiness, very brittle and I broke the element. However, the ignitor on this particular model was only the serpentine element connected to the ceramic piece, which slipped into the burner chamber and secured with two screws, see attached. There was no metal 'guard' surrounding the element itself.