Recent content by riny

It's good you found a potential cause. I just went back and compared your installation photos to mine though and I have a question. What is this connection, marked with the green arrow? I think that's an extra connection that I didn't have, so I'm curious where it goes.

I might be talking nonsense here since this is not my area of expertise, but did you try charging it up to the correct pressure with the valve open? Then when the valve closes, any refrigerant in the water loop will be "excess" and trapping it is the right thing to do. When the valve opens, then...

I think the temperature probe connects to the two rightmost terminals on the terminal block. You'll probably need to calibrate it too (mine was off by several degrees). There's some info in the manual on how to extend the leads if you need to. Personally I think the flow switch needs to be...

What model timer do you have, is it a T-101? If so then you want to use this pattern, copied from here: Except instead of a switch, you're going to use your contactor there. The yellow and orange wires on the contactor are the NO on the load side, so connect the orange to terminal #1 and the...

This depends a lot on your setup. It helps to understand the startup sequence and the purpose of the contactor. The FPH controller is powered by the AC unit, so the controller always comes on when the AC comes on. The first thing it does is check the temperature of the pool water to see if the...

Incidentally, there's a reason they recommend a minimum of 45 gpm. Heat transfer occurs between the hot gas and the cold water, through the copper tubing in the heat exchanger. If the water is flowing too slowly then it will get hot, to the point that effective heat transfer can no longer take...

I think that's reasonable, especially if your house isn't super hot. IMPORTANT NOTE to start: if you're using your hand to test whether something is hot, always use the back of your hand or the backs of your fingers. Never test for temperature by grabbing, wrapping your fingers around...

IMHO the FPH installation should always include a pressure switch. The body has a port for one and the wiring diagram shows where to put it, but they call it optional. The problem is that if the flow rate is too low then the water in the exchanger will heat up to the point that it can no longer...

The trick when you start calling around is to avoid saying the word "pool" for as long as possible. If you open the conversation by saying you need someone to hook up a pool heater, they'll hang up on you right away. My script went something like: I need someone with basic HVAC skills to do a...

You're right about that! I'll send you a PM with the contact info.

I had a single-speed pump before which wasn't even the right size for the pool. So I wanted to replace it with a VSP regardless. If your AC is 64' from the pool then you're not going to want to pump the water all of that extra distance all of the time. So if you want to do what I did: add a...

Yes and yes to your first two questions. I put in my patio at the same time and I asked the crew to dig me a trench before starting since they already had an excavator on-site. I ran 2" pipe up and back for water and a 1" electrical conduit between the FPH and the pool pad. My distance is about...

My neighbor growing up was a sailor and he taught me how to make a bowline when I was maybe 6 or 7 years old, although he pronounced it with a short i (rhymes with rollin') unlike the video you linked. 40 years later and I still remember: the rabbit comes up through the hole, goes around the...