Hayward Heater Keeps kicking off in Spa Mode.

[Mikey0214]

Sorry for the long post but I’m looking for some guidance.

The pool company has been receptive and working with me but I was wondering if there is anyone who has experienced this before. Last year a few times (maybe three) while the equipment / pool was in spa mode with the heater on and the blower on, one of the breakers at the pool pad would trip and turn off all the equipment. When I would go over to the pool pad to inspect, I noticed some water under the UV/Ozone box as if water leaked out of it. I would flip the breaker back on and not have any issues getting the equipment back up and running. I would monitor the UV/Ozone leak when I put the equipment back in pool mode and it would dry up and no longer be leaking. During the last time it happened last season, when I put the equipment back into pool mode it sounded like the pump was running on high (app showed it running at 100%) but the pump was hardly pumping any water into the pool (spa wasn’t overflowing, etc., the filters were cleaned and the pressure of the filter was not high). Pool company came out and we couldn’t get the equipment to replicate the issue I experienced.

Fast forward to this season, I have not experienced the breakers tripping at the pool pad and we have used the heater to heat the pool a few times with no issues.

We also used the heater three times to heat the spa and use the spa. The first time was on 05/29. During that time, the heater would continuously kick off but I would not get a notification on the OmniLogic App. When I would go over to the equipment pad I lifted the window on the heater and it had an orange light by the triangle and displayed Lo. Doing some research I came to the conclusion it was low water flow into the heater which didn’t make sense because the pump was on high and the pressure on the filters were not high and within range. Turning the heater off and back on would solve this problem, it would start up heating again for a few minutes before it would kick off again. We finished swimming that night and the next day (05/30) as a precaution I cleaned the filters which were not too dirty.

On 06/18 we used the heater to heat the pool and we also used the spa again to include the blower and the heater. While using the heater to heat the pool we did not have any issues with the heater kicking off and having that Lo reading. However, while using the heater to heat the spa, the heater would continuously kicked off, have that orange triangle illuminated and would read Lo. When it first happened, I went over to the pool pad to inspect and noticed water under the UV/Ozone box, the orange triangle lite up on the heater window and the error code of Lo. Turning off the heater and turning it back on solved the issue, it would start heating before kicking off again. We finished the night swimming and I left the pool in pool mode to end the night. I monitored the leak from the UV/Ozone box and it appeared to stop like it did last season when the equipment was put back into pool mode. Also, there has been some water under the heater when it’s on but I assume that condensation?
The pool company came out a few days later and could not get the equipment to replicate the issue but did advise they noticed a small leak coming from inside the UV/Ozone box.
Fast forward to this past weekend, on 07/22 we used the spa again and had the equipment in spa mode. At first, the breaker would continuously trip and I would go over to the equipment pad and flip the breaker back on. Eventually the breaker stopped tripping and then the heater
would continuously kick off and back on. The first time it tripped I noticed water under the UV/Ozone box, the second time it tripped I noticed water under the front right side of the heater, the third time it tripped I noticed water under the front left side of the heater. After the heater kicking off and back on a few times by itself I eventually turned it off to prevent any further issues.

To note, the water/wet spot I’ve noticed under the UV/Ozone box & the heater are only there when the equipment is in spa mode with the heater on. It’s not a leak as water is continuously flowing, it appears to drip for a few minutes to create a wet spot under the equipment and then it stops. I’ve also previously used the heater to heat the pool in pool mode and the heater ran for 3ish hours with no issues (not kicking off, not leaking, not tripping the breaker) and brought the pool temperature up 9ish degrees.

Does anyone have any idea what’s going on? When the equipment is in spa mode is it creating to much pressure and causing a leak in the UV/Ozone box and the heater and there is some sort of safety feature that if those two units detects a water leak it trips the breaker?

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance.

 

[HermanTX]

Is your VS pump set to the same speed when in pool mode with the heater and spa mode with the heater?
Do you have a heater bypass that could be partially open/closed?
Show a photo of your plumbing with the pump, filter, heater and UV device.

 

[Mikey0214]

Is your VS pump set to the same speed when in pool mode with the heater and spa mode with the heater?
Do you have a heater bypass that could be partially open/closed?
Show a photo of your plumbing with the pump, filter, heater and UV device.

I’ve only used the heater to heat the pool a handful of times. I usually never have my VSP set above 80% while in pool mode.

I do not have a heater bypass.

Attached are photos of the pool pad.

 

[Mikey0214]

Is your VS pump set to the same speed when in pool mode with the heater and spa mode with the heater?
Do you have a heater bypass that could be partially open/closed?
Show a photo of your plumbing with the pump, filter, heater and UV device.

Here are photos during the issues I’ve experienced with the leak / wet spots under the equipment.

While the equipment is in spa mode I believe it defaults to 100%. This past weekend I lowered the speed to around 40% and slowly adjusted it up to about 60% to see if it made a difference. I believe the leak stopped but it would still kick off and back in and read LO on the window of the heater.

 

[HermanTX]

I think with what you have explained and shown in the pictures, when in SPA mode the pump is running at 100% and there is a leak occurring in the UV device at that higher flow rate and pressure on the system. Could you be exceeding the design flow rate for that UV device? Has the PB opened up the UV cabinet when in Spa mode to see any small leaks?

Can condensation be a cause? Just throwing that out there for PB to consider.

The UV device and the heater do not know where the water is coming from or going to. It is just seeing flow. In pool mode it was stated the pump was at 80% and no issues. Have you set the pump for 80% in spa mode?

 

[Mikey0214]

I think with what you have explained and shown in the pictures, when in SPA mode the pump is running at 100% and there is a leak occurring in the UV device at that higher flow rate and pressure on the system. Could you be exceeding the design flow rate for that UV device? Has the PB opened up the UV cabinet when in Spa mode to see any small leaks?

Can condensation be a cause? Just throwing that out there for PB to consider.

The UV device and the heater do not know where the water is coming from or going to. It is just seeing flow. In pool mode it was stated the pump was at 80% and no issues. Have you set the pump for 80% in spa mode?

I appreciate your response. I’m sorry for my delayed response. I’d have to figure out what the design flow rate is for the Hayward UV/Ozone system and then what flow rate would be coming into the system from the Hayward VS Pump in Spa Mode set at 100%.

The PB did open up the UV cabinet and documented a small leak in the UV/Ozone system. Yesterday over the phone, the PB stated they are going to be sending an electrician out to see why the pump keeps tripping in spa mode. They will also be replacing the UV/Ozone system under warranty for that leak.

So, I used the spa again tonight, the first time since I made this post. The pump originally primed in spa mode for the first five minutes and then stayed at 100% for another minute or so before I changed it with no issues. At this point, the heater and blower were not on. Before I changed the pump to 60%, I took note that the PSI in spa mode with the pump at 100% was 25 psi. To note- the filters are clean and the PSI is usually at 18 psi while the pump is in pool mode at 100%. I dropped the pump down to 60% and the psi dropped to about 8ish. When I dropped it the UV/Ozone filter light went off…. I assumed because there wasn’t enough water flow for the UV/Ozone filter to work. I then turned on the heater and instead of initially setting the set point of the heater at 100 degrees, I slowly went up in 2 degree increments. The water temperature was originally 84 degrees, so I set it to 86 degrees. When the temperature reached 86 degrees, I then bumped the heater up to 88 degrees and so on and so forth. Tonight, the breaker DID NOT trip at all. Also, the UV/Ozone system DID NOT leak tonight. Although, I did notice water slowly dripping out of the front right corner of the Hayward heater (see attached photos). At about the time I noticed water under the Hayward heater, the heater would go into Lo Mode and the heater would kick off. Within a few minutes, the heater would automically go back into Bo mode and start heating again. This continued for the rest of the night until the spa reached the set temperature.

With this new information does angone have any thoughts on what’s going on? Also, the water under the heater, does that appear to be condensation? Is condensation possible under a propane heater?

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

 

[HermanTX]

At this point, the heater and blower were not on. Before I changed the pump to 60%, I took note that the PSI in spa mode with the pump at 100% was 25 psi. To note- the filters are clean and the PSI is usually at 18 psi while the pump is in pool mode at 100%.

The filter pressure when in spa mode is normally higher then when in pool mode because the spa has small diameter jets which cause back pressure to increase, whereas the flow to the pool has large diameter eylets. Also, back pressure changes with pump speed but if the pump speed is the same, filter pressure in spa mode tends to be higher then when in pool mode. There are other variables such as how many jets, the size of the jets, how many pool returns, length of pipe to each body of water, etc. that also effects the pressure at the filter in different modes.

The PB should remove the heater panels to determine where the leak source is.

Great that the UV system will be replaced under warranty.