Safe to run old heater?

[nostaljake]

I have a very old gas heater that I inherited with the house. The only thing I can read on it is "Laars 2" which, based on googling, appears to be a Jandy heater from 15-20 years ago.

I know the heater was tested last year by the pool company the previous owner used. So it still worked as of last year.

Would it be safe to give it a try? Any issues with copper leeching into the pool, or any other chemical/safety concerns? I read the wiki article about condensation, but my water is currently around 70, so I don't think that should be a problem.

I'm planning to renovate after this season, so this thing is getting replaced soon anyway. But hoping to run it into the ground for a little longer if I can do it safely!

 

[ajw22]

You should open up the sides of the heater and check that no critter built nests in the heater before you fire it up after a long period idle.

Examine the burners and see that they are clean of debris.

 

[nostaljake]

You should open up the sides of the heater and check that no critter built nests in the heater before you fire it up after a long period idle.

Examine the burners and see that they are clean of debris.

Thanks! How does this look? I don't see any nests, though a ton of acorns got in there.

 

[wireform]

It looks like the critters will need to be evicted. Vacuum ou well and then take a closer look. Worst case scenario You buy the new heater you had in mind now and then transplant it with the new equipment.

 

[nostaljake]

I vacuumed as best I could, though it's difficult to get stuff from the back. Took a closer look with a flashlight. Still not seeing an obvious nest, though I could be missing it. I did notice more of that white fuzzy stuff scattered throughout.

Is there any risk to giving the heater a try as-is? Any chance of having copper leech into the pool or anything else?

 

[1poolman1]

I vacuumed as best I could, though it's difficult to get stuff from the back. Took a closer look with a flashlight. Still not seeing an obvious nest, though I could be missing it. I did notice more of that white fuzzy stuff scattered throughout.

Is there any risk to giving the heater a try as-is? Any chance of having copper leech into the pool or anything else?

Biggest concern I would consider is that the main valve is corroded. That is always a reason for caution. The "white stuff" is fiberglass insulation that is around the outside of the firebox being used as nesting material for whatever rodent has taken up residence. Unless there are large wads, it is not likely to be too much.

Since all pool heaters have copper heat exchangers, the only way copper could "leech" into the water is if your chemistry is really, really bad. Doesn't matter if it is an old or new heater or whether it is firing or not.

A Laars Lite 2 should not have the condensation issues earlier Laars heaters had, but there will be some until the heat exchanger gets to about 100 degrees. There is a mechanism in the manifold to make that happen quicker.

Be prepared to clean the burner orifices (brass nozzles) as they are likely clogged with spider nests. Use a 14ga copper wire bent into a hook shape about an inch long. Just get it into the holes in the nozzle and move back and forth a bit.

Turn on the pump and, with the door in place (never start a heater that hasn't been used in a while with the door off), try to start the heater.

 

[wireform]

I have one such heater in the field and it runs. Need to be you can pull the complete burner tray out in one piece by opening the gas union (be sure the gas cock is off) and unscrewing some of the sheet metal screws that would be obvious on the front from holding it back. Then you can clean the floor of the heater completely and one by one remove the burner tubes and clean the spyder webs and gas orifices as mentioned above. .
In the picture I haven't noticed any chewed wires except for this picture below. Also I can't see the wires in the tip right side of the heater and that's where my clients wires needed some splicing from rodents chewing on the wires.

 

[nostaljake]

Thanks to everyone for the help! Got her up and running today and she was heating the pool around 1.5 degrees per hour.

I cleaned out the burner orifices with a paperclip, but when I turned the heater on there was no flame at first. I assumed I was out of luck. But then I remembered I was running the pump at 2,200 RPMs and thought maybe I'd give it a try at full speed. Sure enough, that did the trick. I'm guessing there wasn't enough water pressure in the heater to activate the sensor? Anyway, very glad to be able to run this thing into the ground a little while longer!

 

[ajw22]

Glad we helped you.

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