Pool heater testing?

[andyrob2215]

Hey everyone,

I purchased a house in the winter and am trying to tackle the pool it came with. I was told by the seller that the heater worked and the next door neighbor told me the people renting the house broke it without the seller knowing. So I don't know if it works or not. I plugged it in to see if it would even turn on and all the electrical seems to be working. Should I just hook it up to the gas line and a temporary hose, fire it up and see what happens? Following the manufactures instructions of course.

Thank you!

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[danpik]

I take it this is the Hayward 100,000 btu heater I saw in your other thread. It will need water flow thru it to work IF the pressure switch is still functional. As far as testing, that is the only way. Fire it up and see what happens. We can go from there then. These are pretty simple heaters as long as the pool chemistry stays normal. When you hook it up, check all of your connections with a soap solution for leaks. Actually in a pinch I have used spray bottle cleaners such as 409. If there is a leak, the bubbles will show.

 

[andyrob2215]

Thanks dan again!

I have a soap solution I will use when I hook it up. After I test it I'll get back to you

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[andyrob2215]

Do you have any recommendations on how to get water flow through there temporarily or would I just have to hard plumb it all together then test it?

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[danpik]

Just use the flex hoses that are there. You might have to get a section or two from the pool store for a temp hookup. I am not a big fan of those hoses either, especially on a heater output but for a test they should be fine. That heater is a fairly simple one as far as how it works, so it should be pretty easy to get running if something was goofed up on it.

 

[andyrob2215]

Ok sounds good I'll update when I'm done

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[andyrob2215]

Well it took longer than expected, but I got everything hooked up and last weekend got the heater put together and fired it up. And it worked! Pretty well actually.

But... when I went to turn it on today it would not fire. It will turn on, then I think I hear the gas valve open but no flames or heat, then it kicks back off to "idle". It did this last weekend once and I took the cover off, reset the valve as stated on the instructions and it worked after that. I tried that this morning 3 times and no luck. Any suggestions?

21' X 4' AGP 10400 GAL
1.5 hp pump
Sand filter
no SWG
TFPC method

 

[danpik]

The sequence of events for that heater are as follows...

Call for heat (thermostat on)
Fan starts and satisfies vacuum switch.
spark igniter fires (slight buzzing sound)
Gas valve opens (burners light)

In order for this to happen, the pressure switch must also be satisfied. There are also two limit switches. These are all in series with the vacuum switch. You will need a volt/OHM meter to verify that each of the switches are working. There is also another chronic problem with certain eras of these units. The solder connections on the power in pins on the board tend to crack and fail. I have repaired several of these over the years.

 

[andyrob2215]

Once I turn the thermostat on, the blower turns on. About 10 seconds later, there is a slightly louder noise similar to the blower. It sounds like it "kicks" on but then goes away after a few seconds.

I will try with the multi meter though. Thank you

21' X 4' AGP 10400 GAL
1.5 hp pump
Sand filter
no SWG
TFPC method

 

[danpik]

Yeah, I would start checking the pressure switch and vacuum switch to ensure they are closing. There are also two limit switches in there but, I doubt they are causing the problem
Make sure the hose to the vacuum switch is not cracked. Also check both ports where the hose hooks up to. They could be clogged up with debris. Also, make sure the exhaust port is clear.

 

[andyrob2215]

Well when I got home, I tried it again and it fired up on the first try.

I'm happy it's working but worried about the unreliability. What could be the cause of it to do this? Everything seems to be working properly. I checked the lines, etc for debris and spider webs and blew it out with an air hose.

Any suggestions?

21' X 4' AGP 10400 GAL
1.5 hp pump
Sand filter
no SWG
TFPC method