Hayward H400IDL2 Heater AO Code - bad blower

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J

jleonard711

Member
May 3, 2015
17
AZ
New to the forum - well sorta, been lurking for a while but this is my first post. :D

So here's my situation. Upon firing it up my Hayward H400IDL2 heater for the first time in almost a year, I got the dreaded AO code. I first followed the testing procedures in the manual for the control board and blower, and they both checked out. Then I replaced the pressure and vacuum switches, but no luck. Then I opened up the top of the heater and found the tubes were disconnected from the blower and vent assemblies - DUH, should've checked those before replacing the switches!! So I reattached them and VIOLA! It fired right up! Only problem is upon firing up flames started shooting out of the vent (which happens sometimes after not running it for a while due to leaves and debris getting in through the vent), but then it only ran for about 3-5 minutes and then immediately shut down with the AO code again. So I decided to pull out the blower assembly and take a look at it - and I found that the squirrel cage was completely rusted, warped, and there were several broken fins which had gotten caught and caused the motor to jam! I'm guessing they got rusted during the long period of non-use, and then when it started spinning and getting hit with flames they broke loose.

I started shopping for a new motor, but i'm a bit confused on what to buy. According to the manual the replacement part for my model is Hayward IDXLBWR1930 which is a 240V motor. However, the motor I pulled out says "Hayward P/N 1503044601" and has a sticker on it that says "115V 60Hz 1.3A". And in the manual it says to test the control board by measuring for 120VAC across pins 1 and 2 of the blower connection on the board, which tells me that the heater is supplying 120V to the blower rather than 240V. So why would the replacement part be a 240V motor if the original one is 115V and the control board puts out 120V to the motor? Is it a dual-voltage motor? I just want to make sure before spending $250+ and having it burn out quickly due to not being run at the correct voltage.
 
Patrick_B said:
New posters have to be approved. When you edited it, it sent it back into the mod que. You should see it now.

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Ah, gotcha! Thought that's maybe what happened.

Well since posting I have done some more research and here's what I found. There are apparently 4 different blower parts/kits available for the H400IDL2 heater:

IDXLBWR1930 - Original model w/240V motor which is listed in the manual
IDXL2BWR1930 - New model w/120V Jakel motor, used in heaters mfg after 9/20/04, (I'm guessing this is the one I have mine is a Jakel motor which says 115V)
IDXL2BWR1931 - upgrade kit with yet another new blower w/120V Fasco motor, along with a new control board & vacuum switch - which I'm guessing are needed to make the switch from the Jakel to Fasco motor.
IDXL2BWR1932 - Newest blower w/120V Fasco motor, does not include new control board & vacuum switch - you would only buy this if your heater already has the 120V Fasco motor in it.

So from what I gather, the original blower used in these heaters - model IDXLBWR1930 - was a 240V motor. That's apparently not what I have.

Then in 9/2004 they updated it with a 120V Jakel motor. I don't know when my heater was mfg'd, but my house was built in 2007 and the pool was built shortly after - so I'm guessing the heater I have was made after 9/04. That being the case, it should have the IDXL2BWR1930 model in it already - which makes sense since my motor is a Jakel and says 115V on it.

And then sometime after that (after S/N (21)130701100532001, according to several websites) they switched again to a 120V Fasco motor. I don't know why they would have updated the blower again from Jakel to Fasco, the only reasons I can think of is either that the motor is better quality or they were able to get it cheaper. Or it could be that because in 2007 a company called Regal Beloit acquired both Jackel and Fasco and subsequently merged them together. So maybe Jakel = Fasco, just with a different label on it?

So should I replace my blower with the same model, IDXL2BWR1930, or should I get the kit IDXL2BWR1931 which also includes a new control board and vacuum switch and upgrades it to the Fasco motor?

Can anyone help keep me from pulling my hair out?? I called Hayward on Friday and they were no help at all, they recommended I call my local pool service tech.
 
Okay, so I just found out that the 120V Fasco motor is definitely different from the older 120V Jakel model. The 120V Jakel motor pulls 1.3A and has a 9.0 MFD capacitor, and the newer Fasco motor uses 1.6A and has a 7.5 MFD capacitor. But I'm pretty sure they're both made in the same factory since they are both manufactured in Piedras Negras, Mexico. Don't know if there's any difference in performance, but I figure why not go with the newer one right? Any other opinions/insight before I pull the trigger on the IDXL2BWR1931 kit?
 
Thanks for the reply, Hayward! So just to confirm, would the other P/N IDXL2BWR1932 not work with my setup even though it already has a 120V blower & control board? Do I definitely need IDXL2BWR1931 which includes a new control board & vacuum switch?
 
I'm also wondering if I really need the new control board that comes with IDXL2BWR1931. I recently replaced mine and I only see one option for a control board (ie not a listing for those with the original blower vs those with the new Fasco motor.)
 
Just to follow up on this. I didn't need to replace the control board but did need IDXL2BWR1931 due to the new vacuum switch and plates that connect the blower to the flue. I'm now in this about $1000 in new parts. Should probably have just replaced it but easier shelling out the smaller amounts each time vs the $3000 for a new heater. Hopefully I get an extended life out of this thing lol.
 

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You're not kidding. And of course it's now not working again. Went to turn it on this evening and the blower kicks on but it doesn't seem to be activating the blower vacuum switch. I pulled off the tube and sucked a bit and it seemed to fix this issue. From what I understand this means the blower vacuum switch is bad but it seems odd as I just replaced with new that came with the kit. Any thoughts?
 
And that kids is why Styrofoam is bad for both the environment and your pool heater. I was ready to burn the entire setup to the ground but figured I would mess with it a bit more. I try blowing through the tube and no air is flowing through it. Sure enough I'm looking at the nipple coming off the blower and there must have been some Styrofoam still in there and it got stuck in the nipple blocking flow. Working great now. I seem to have all the luck.
 
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