Laars Lite 2 Heater runs intermittently

[the big splash]

Hello there,

I have just recently joined the forum, but recently found it as a resource, so thank you for all your helpful advice.

I had looked at the thread from awhile ago http://www.troublefreepool.com/threads/60128-Laars-Lite-Pool-Heater-won-t-keep-running---but it appears our outcomes are different.

I have the Laars Lite 2 model propane heater. (not the digital)
I have the printed manual for it and have done all that I know what to do to test its issues.

This heater worked great before--and then i had to replace the pump (on the spa), and the heat exchanger on the unit, but i have done much else.


The pump will go into second stage with activates power to the propane heater--the heater will then try to come on--the igniter lights up and then the flames kick on and will last anywhere from 7-20 seconds. This has started to become more inconsistent. I pulled out the flame sensor and cleaned it with emory cloth and then put it back in. After this---it ran for over 20 minutes, but then short cycled again and hasn't run that long since. It has been more challenging to test, because it seems quite inconsistent. The clicking of the control board and propane valve have become more and more noticeable as i test it. I'm not sure what this is about.

I have a new 100lb tank of propane.
I have pulled out the propane jets that are connected to the flame sensor and cleaned them
(although maybe not the best idea) I have bypassed the fireman switch, the fusible link, and the pressure switch, and both the high and low limit switch) just for testing purposes, but the heater still did not run
-i am also worried that i might have cleaned the flame sensor a little too well with the emory cloth
I also checked the voltage on the transformer and it stayed somewhat steady between 24-30

As noted in the other thread there is a clicking from the control box and also from the propane valve.
We have tried tapping on the propane valve (as suggested in the thread), but this did nothing.

Does anyone have suggestions from here?

I am not sure how to tell if the propane valve is the issue
or if the control board is the issue or what next steps I should take

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your time.

Ingrid

 

[ps0303]

Short cycling is usually an indication of a problem with the limits. Not sure what lead you to pull the "propane jets" as nothing would suggest to me that would be the issue or the gas valve for that matter either. The clicking in the control box could indicate an issue but until you verify everything in the safety circuit is good, I wouldn't go too much into it. The question you have to ask yourself is if it's worth it to keep this old unit. I know that's the salesman in me talking but many times these units of this age are more headache than it's worth to keep it running.

 

[g5marek]

I had a similar problem with my Laars Lite 2 natural gas unit earlier this year.

I found the technical manual online and used the trouble shooting instructions and my volt meter to determine that it wasn't getting sufficient water flow.

We had just moved into our house last fall and this was the first season that we were using the pool. It turns out that the previous owners had not bothered to backwash the sand filter. I backwashed the filter and the the heater started magically working. Could something be reducing the water flow to your heater?

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