I've got a fairly new (just barely over 2 years old) mastertemp 400 (propane) that has started leaking. In my research I'm going to need a new heater core and a new blower. I'm estimating those parts at around $1800. I've had the local pool company come out and look at it and they are getting some pricing to replace those parts . What I'm posting about is, should I repair or replace? Where we live, Southern Utah, we never use the heater. Like right now out water is around 100*. So I've thought about just adding a bypass (not currently plumbed with one) for now and maybe replacing the heater with something else. I hate that we've literally used it twice and it's just over 2 years old and it's going to need likely a couple grand in repairs. I've also considered replacing with a lower BTU heater since we don't use it, still add the by-pass and then just always run with the heater by-passed. What's everyone's thoughts?
Pentair MasterTemp 400 leaking
- Thread starter keylooper
- Start date
If you never use it, why spend the money and effort. Just disconnect the inlet and outlet plumbing, connect them together, and be done. Getting a smaller BTU heater would just add to your frustration as it will take longer to heat whatever it is you may have never wanted to heat in the first place. Thousands of pools exist with no heater. Many thousands with heaters that aren't used also exist.
What is the cause of these parts failing prematurely. Can we see pictures of the equipment pad.
I’ve thought about this. Pitty story, we bought this house ~3years ago and it didn’t have a pool heater. After swimming at our neighbors during the winter and having so much fun, we decided to add a heater to ours. We had it on for two weeks, spent $1500 in propane, swam once, and then decided we didn’t care about having the heater…we’d just go to the neighbors if we really wanted to swim during the colder months. It’s been off since, only turning it on to get a quick water temp reading (I know there are other/more cost effective ways to have a thermometer
). My main motivation to replace it is we plan to sell in the next year or two and believe that having one would help (clearly it made no difference for us so that logic is probably flawed)The pool company that came over didn’t pull it apart but he said the green powder on the heat chamber would mean that’s copper which would mean a chemical issue. So the warranty would be of no use (it had a two year warranty). I’ve been pretty religious about maintaining the chemical levels, but being it’s my first pool, maybe I’ve been wrong? I’ve attached a pic of the heater. The pump and valves are inside the pool house bathroom in the other side of that wall.
If its pumping water out of the blower, that is definitely chemical damage, possibly from a lot of tablets or a tablet feeder (in-line or offline, doesn't matter). Is this a fiberglass pool? Both times I have seen that kind of damage to a MasterTemp/Max-E-Therm, water coming out of the blower, were on fiberglass pools that used a lot of tablets, one with and one without a feeder.I’ve thought about this. Pitty story, we bought this house ~3years ago and it didn’t have a pool heater. After swimming at our neighbors during the winter and having so much fun, we decided to add a heater to ours. We had it on for two weeks, spent $1500 in propane, swam once, and then decided we didn’t care about having the heater…we’d just go to the neighbors if we really wanted to swim during the colder months. It’s been off since, only turning it on to get a quick water temp reading (I know there are other/more cost effective ways to have a thermometer
The pool company that came over didn’t pull it apart but he said the green powder on the heat chamber would mean that’s copper which would mean a chemical issue. So the warranty would be of no use (it had a two year warranty). I’ve been pretty religious about maintaining the chemical levels, but being it’s my first pool, maybe I’ve been wrong? I’ve attached a pic of the heater. The pump and valves are inside the pool house bathroom in the other side of that wall.
View attachment 514924
Yeah, it’s a fiberglass in-ground and I do generally use tablets in a floater (sometimes I’ll use liquid). The pool also has an ozone generator. (Not sure if that helps, hurts, or makes no difference)
It’s feeling more like I should just remove it and not put the time, effort, or money in to repairing or replacing it.
It’s feeling more like I should just remove it and not put the time, effort, or money in to repairing or replacing it.
Tablets with occasional liquid seem to always be the issue. The pH is constantly dropping and there is little to no alkalinity in the water. It becomes very aggressive and loves to eat copper. Ozone is injected after the heater and has a very short life in the water, so it doesn't circulate back.
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