Is this normal pool heater size flame?

[SandyO]

We have a Hayward H series pool heater. Our pool is new to us last year and we were told the heater was one year old last year (so now two years old). It didn't work at all last year, we kept getting a IF error.

So my husband has been working on it, figured it was a blockage and cleared out the manifold and nozzles. Now it works but seemingly too well!

Upon start up there is a LOUD "whoosh" (I heard it in the house about 50 feet away) and the initial flame shoots up outside of the pipe. Then it does down and stays in the box. He turned it off thinking he didn't want to burn it all up.

Is that correct? Should we just leave it on and call it good? Or did he maybe blow out a regular or something and now too much gas is flowing?

Sandy

 

[JamesW]

Really need to have a qualified gas contractor check it out.

 

[danpik]

It didn't work at all last year, we kept getting a IF error.

I would suspect the IF error could be a dirty flame sensor or a clogged orfice.

So my husband has been working on it, figured it was a blockage and cleared out the manifold and nozzles. Now it works but seemingly too well!

Upon start up there is a LOUD "whoosh" (I heard it in the house about 50 feet away) and the initial flame shoots up outside of the pipe. Then it does down and stays in the box. He turned it off thinking he didn't want to burn it all up.

Sounds like he either re-assembled it incorrectly, or possibly damaged something in the process of cleaning it.

Is that correct? Should we just leave it on and call it good?

NO! something is not right. The flame should come on nice and easy and burn about 3-5" tall on the burners (depending on the BTU output of the unit)

Or did he maybe blow out a regular or something and now too much gas is flowing?

Sandy

Without knowing what he did when he cleaned it it is hard to say what might be wrong. The orifice in the burner supply tube is what controls the gas flow to the burners. This is a critical opening and it it was damaged it will need to be replaced

 

[Pool Clown]

The exchanger may be sooted, and not letting initial exhaust gasses vent properly until natural draft takes over and pulls everything up through the flue. As stated above, you should at least have someone come out an take a look at it.

It would be considered "money well spent" to do so.

Or it could be this...

Loud "whoosh" comes from the gas suddenly igniting because it was allowed to mass in an area that had no source of ignition until the mass grew, or migrated to the ignition source, and, well, WHOOSH!

The pilot ignites the burner by its close proximity to one flame rail, typically at one end of the burner tray. If that one flame rail gets clogged or otherwise blocked by say a spider web (usual suspect), then the pilot has to ignite the burner by means of the next flame rail over. And if that one is also blocked, to the next one, and so on, until the gas, however far away makes it to the ignition source. The level of noise or Whoosh tells how far away the gas, or how many flame rails are blocked (trained ear).

When i try to fire a heater that has this symptom that still has the door on, i am never standing or kneeling in front of it. I'm always to the side. That's so, i'm never in the way when the door is en-route across the yard!

Either way, you should get it checked out.

 

[ps0303]

We have a Hayward H series pool heater. Our pool is new to us last year and we were told the heater was one year old last year (so now two years old). It didn't work at all last year, we kept getting a IF error.

So my husband has been working on it, figured it was a blockage and cleared out the manifold and nozzles. Now it works but seemingly too well!

Upon start up there is a LOUD "whoosh" (I heard it in the house about 50 feet away) and the initial flame shoots up outside of the pipe. Then it does down and stays in the box. He turned it off thinking he didn't want to burn it all up.

Is that correct? Should we just leave it on and call it good? Or did he maybe blow out a regular or something and now too much gas is flowing?

Sandy

You say it's only a year old heater? Then does it have a blower motor on it? If not, it's surely older than one year old.

As for cleaning the orifices, that wouldn't cause the holes to enlarge unless you used a drill and drill bit to clean them. Now if there is a hole in the manifold it could cause that and more.

Flames should not shoot out the top like that. Now had the unit tried to light many times in a row without the short time in between ignition cycles, then gas was built up inside and when it did light, whoosh, it went up. Several things to question here but I would get a gas pool heater guy out to look at it.

 

[SandyO]

Ok thanks. This is all good information to go on. He had tried to light it several times with no luck so there was a suspected build up of gas. And he didn't use anything but air to clean the web. That's all good.

Hes eat going to check the regulator and then we will call someone. We've had two people out to look at it before. The first just shrugged and left. The second just said it all needed to be replaced.

We we really do think it is newer. There is a blower and based on the shape it is in that seems right. We will see how tonight goes.

 

[Pool Clown]

If you can get the serial number, either someone here, or Hayward tech support can decipher as to what year it is.

 

[ps0303]

Here is what the newer Hayward units look like. These have been around for about 6+ years now.

 

[SandyO]

That is exactly what ours looks like.

Today's update is that there is no update yet. He had to work late yesterday so never got back to it.

Hoping that left a lot of time for any remaining gas to be blown away, he's going to recheck that it was put back together correctly and try again. My fingers are crossed!

 

[flyweed]

my father in law is retired from a gas company. and I've worked many gas jobs with him...can you post photos of your burner, orifices and the flames when lit? I can tell alot simply by the flames the burners are putting out. The most obvious and easiest thing to try first is to CLEAN out the burner "rails" you have 4, maybe 5 gas jets that inject gas into hollow tubes..each of those tubes should be blown out with compressed air, and then a good long, round brush run in and out of each one, and then blown out again. Give that a try and relight, and see what happens

HTH

 

[ps0303]

flyweed,

This is a sealed unit and you can not see what the flames really look like when lit. There is a very small viewing sight but you can't see much thru it.

 

[SandyO]

Small update... it isn't fixed yet.

He took it apart and cleaned it again and sealed it up really tight, in case it was extra air getting in there. Aaaaaand... no flame again.

He's out of town now so I can't post pictures and I'm certainly not touching this thing by myself. So more to come this weekend.