Told heater needs replacing, moisture in firebox. True?

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learn2pool

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Jun 16, 2015
6
LA, CA
Heater stopped working yesterday. Pentair remote showed the heater working, but nothing was happening. Incidentlally, I think the pump was shut off as well, possibly due to a power outage that could have tripped the breaker.

Our pool company is saying that it likely got moisture in the firebox. possibly through the exhaust, or residual moisture (equipment is in an underground pit room). Picture attached. It looks pretty corroded, but curious If others that know more agree before we move forward with 4-5k replacement. Pentair MasterTemp Pool Heater 400,000 BTU natural gas heater, salt water pool. Heater serial date is approx 9 years ago. Thanks!


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9 years is a decent amount of time. Has any troubleshooting been done to see what actually has failed? Any errors on the heater console? With moisture, it is possible the ignitor went bad but you'd see like an "IGN" error. When mine went out it was because the heater core (inside that black tub) failed and was leaking. It had filled up the tub when I removed the ignitor it was totally full to the top with water.
 
The heater can probably be repaired but the parts will cost half the cost of a new heater plus labor. If you DIY the repair then you may feel it is worth it. Having a pool company do the repair is not economical spending so much without a warranty.

Better to start with a new heater under warranty for the cost.
 
There are several videos that show the replacement of the heat exchanger so that you can see what it looks like inside.

If the heat exchanger is compromised and the combustion chamber is also compromised, you need a new heater.

Make sure that the venting is 100% correct for the intake and exhaust air.



 
This is what it looks like inside.

The fire goes into the center and the hot gas exhaust goes through the coils and out of the exhaust stack.

If the coils get a leak, then the combustion chamber fills with water.

The combustion chamber is pressurized during operation, so a hole in the combustion chamber can send hot exhaust gas through a hole in the combustion chamber creating a dangerous situation with fire and carbon monoxide.

The combustion chamber looks like it has holes or close to holes coming through the metal due to rust.

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As others have said, it looks like it’s time for a new heater. That tub is pretty badly corroded.

You do need to check two things though -

1. Is the exhaust adequate for the heater? Condensate from exhaust gases cooling is incredibly corrosive. You need to ensure that vent is properly run so that the hot exhaust gas gets out.

2. If your equipment is in some kind of pit room then you need to ensure adequate ventilation so that humidity doesn’t build up. Leaving equipment in a damp enclosed space is a recipe for corrosion.
 
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I agree with your first diagnosis and the advice so far. But it's not "moisture" as much as it's going to be full-on water. Remove the bolt as James suggested. It will tell you instantly.

Do not replace the exchanger. Anything over 5 years, we highly suggest full replacement. 9 years is a good life for a MT.
 
Thanks everyone for the insight. Had it replaced today with the same unit. It is in a pit (dirt floor, I assume this is common. Equipment is all on blocks. I'll have to look at the venting in the instructions to see if they ran it correctly
 
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