Stainless steel and pool water heater

[Charlie_R]

I was recently given a length of 1-1/2" stainless steel tubing. I am thinking of redoing the manifold for the coils of my pool heater with this.

What problems should I be anticipating if I do use this?

Will it add unwanted metals into my water?

How fast would it corrode if silver soldered to the copper serpentine coils?

 

[JasonLion]

Stainless steel comes in several different grades, only the highest of which are safe for use with a swimming pool. The odds are fairly good that what you have is not of a high enough grade, though there is no telling unless you happen to know what grade it is.

 

[Richard320]

I'd be wary. Stainless steel will rust, as anyone who owns a boat can attest. Nothing like rust stains embedded in the gel coat below the stanchion. Or as this picture shows.

 

[Charlie_R]

Thanks for the info!

Grade unknown. Now if I can find some 1-1/2" copper tube.....

Reason I asked, my heater currently has 3/4" headers feeding 3/4" coils. Not high enough flow rate for what I'm trying to do.

 

[ps0303]

What heater do you have and what are you trying to accomplish?

 

[Charlie_R]

I have a home built wood fired heater. 30' of 3/4" copper tube split into 5 serpentine coils. Headers on both ends are currently 3/4", and I'm wanting to increase flow rate through the coils by replacing the current headers with 1-1/2". Everything I've read here and on other websites points to needing high flow through the coils to maximize heat transfer to the pool.

Current configuration gives me a 4-7* rise (dT), intake to return at about 500 gph. If I can increase the flow rate to somewhere between 1000-1500 gph, my dT through the system will drop, but the higher volume will allow more heat to be extracted from the flue gasses, warming the pool faster.