At the beginning of last season the water out of the jets would be really warm and as the season went on not as much. Could this be dirty burners?
raypak heater not as hot???
- Thread starter wantboost
- Start date
Take the front cover off and look under inside as it's on and see how the flames look. Dirty burners usually translates to a sooted up heat exchanger. Also pop the top off and see how that heat exchanger looks. If it's full of black soot, then it needs to be cleaned. How is the water flow? How old is the heater?
It should have what is called a pagoda top that comes off. You can then look down inside to see if the heat exchanger is dirty.
With everything off including the gas, remove the burner tray and then using a hose with a good spray nozzle, spray down thru the top you removed and then spray up under where the burner tray was. Do this a few times until you don't have any more soot coming out.
A regular nozzle on a garden hose is what you need. As for the burner tray disconnect, There are several screws that hold the tray in place to the bottom of the heater. You have to disconnect the gas line and without seeing how you have it hooked up, I can't tell you exactly how. I would hope there would be a union after the shutoff that you can undo to remove the burner tray.
so an attached garden hose is ok? cause first u were just saying a spray bottle? also i see some people online just vacuuming them??
I never said a spray bottle. I suggested a hose with a spray nozzle on it. I always use a garden hose with a strong spray nozzle to wash it off. Vacuuming is not an viable option. Remove the burner tray and then hose off the heat exchanger from the top and then the underneath. It works great and is the best way to clean the heat exchanger. First do a visual inspection and you should see the soot on the heat exchanger.
So the pagoda top is different from the actual exhaust stack, does the exhaust stack have to removed to get the pagoda top off?
If the heat exchanger is dirty I can rinse it with the burners still installed correct?
Also does that mean burners need to be cleaned if heat exchanger is dirty? If so how do I clean those?
If the heat exchanger is dirty I can rinse it with the burners still installed correct?
Also does that mean burners need to be cleaned if heat exchanger is dirty? If so how do I clean those?
Well the best way to clean completely you would remove the entire top off the unit. However, if it's not sooted that bad you can removed the pagoda top and then spray down from there. I would remove the burners as all of that soot could get into the burners and clog them.
Don't try to vacuum the soot unless you have the proper filter for the vac to do it with. That stuff is finer than flower and will go thru most vacuum filters. As Paul said, take the time to pull the burner tray and hose it down. This is the best way to get them clean.
Up here in the north we have to do boilers and furnaces every so often if they are not set up right. Being indoors it is difficult to use a hose so we have to use long handled wire brushes and vacuum cleaners. Unfortunately, this does not get all of it out and the problem comes back quicker than if we could get it all out.
Up here in the north we have to do boilers and furnaces every so often if they are not set up right. Being indoors it is difficult to use a hose so we have to use long handled wire brushes and vacuum cleaners. Unfortunately, this does not get all of it out and the problem comes back quicker than if we could get it all out.
