Hayward H400IDL won't fire up!

[wowsza]

hi everyone!

new to the forum, had some issues with my hayward h400idl and a quick google search took me here. we've had a hayward h400idl for about 8 years now, and this summer it stopped working.

after inspecting the unit, i discovered that the ignitor was broken (the end had somehow broken off inside the heater). i figured that was the problem, but after replacing it, the burners still won't fire up. what happens is i'll start up the heater, the pilot light will come on (i can see the orange glow through the small glass hole), and then i can hear the machine click on and i can smell the natural gas begin to flow. after a couple of seconds the machine clicks off, the gas smell dissipates, and the pilot light turns off (orange glow disappears). this cycle happens three times i believe, and then i get the "IF" ignition failure code on my front panel.

it was suggested that my flame sensor may be the problem, so i took it out and cleaned it with some emery cloth. when i put it back in, same issue: no ignition. i ordered a replacement flame sensor off amazon which came today, put it in, and still no ignition.

any help/suggestions would be great.

thanks!

 

[ps0303]

The ignitor could be the issue. FYI, cleaning the old one really doesn't always work. In fact the vast majority of the time is makes it worse. Do you have the manual for your unit? If you do there should be a chart of all error codes and what the issues are to look at. Here is a link to a PDF of the manual, https://www.parts4heating.com/v/vspfile ... wNOxID.pdf. Good luck.

 

[Qwaxalot]

When you have it apart again, take a close look at the burners, especially the one nearest the igniter. You're looking for rusty or partially clogged apertures. Also make sure the orifice for each burner is clear.

Oh yes, if you must clean the flame sensor, use something like a dollar bill, emery cloth is much to coarse.

 

[wowsza]

When you have it apart again, take a close look at the burners, especially the one nearest the igniter. You're looking for rusty or partially clogged apertures. Also make sure the orifice for each burner is clear.

Oh yes, if you must clean the flame sensor, use something like a dollar bill, emery cloth is much to coarse.

thanks for the reply. i took a look at all the burners, and the system is very clean and seems to be free of any kind of buildup. i was going to take it apart to make sure, but after shining a flashlight on all the burners it doesn't seem necessary. any other ideas?

 

[Qwaxalot]

When you have it apart again, take a close look at the burners, especially the one nearest the igniter. You're looking for rusty or partially clogged apertures. Also make sure the orifice for each burner is clear.

Oh yes, if you must clean the flame sensor, use something like a dollar bill, emery cloth is much to coarse.

thanks for the reply. i took a look at all the burners, and the system is very clean and seems to be free of any kind of buildup. i was going to take it apart to make sure, but after shining a flashlight on all the burners it doesn't seem necessary. any other ideas?

Not super familiar with the Hayward unit, however I've seen issues where the Ignition control is not sending enough voltage to the igniter (hence it doesn't get hot enough).

Are there fuses on the wires going to the igniter?

If you feel competent you can probably get a trouble shooting manual from Hayward's website, and whip out your multi-meter.

 

[wowsza]

When you have it apart again, take a close look at the burners, especially the one nearest the igniter. You're looking for rusty or partially clogged apertures. Also make sure the orifice for each burner is clear.

Oh yes, if you must clean the flame sensor, use something like a dollar bill, emery cloth is much to coarse.

thanks for the reply. i took a look at all the burners, and the system is very clean and seems to be free of any kind of buildup. i was going to take it apart to make sure, but after shining a flashlight on all the burners it doesn't seem necessary. any other ideas?

Not super familiar with the Hayward unit, however I've seen issues where the Ignition control is not sending enough voltage to the igniter (hence it doesn't get hot enough).

Are there fuses on the wires going to the igniter?

If you feel competent you can probably get a trouble shooting manual from Hayward's website, and whip out your multi-meter.

there don't appear to be any fuses going to the igniter, but if it is able to light the pilot wouldn't it be able to fire up the burners?

 

[Qwaxalot]

It's not a pilot, the hot surface igniter is supposed to get hot enough to ignite the gas, then the flame sensor tells the controller that all is good in the world.
You need to check (and clean) all the associated connections for the igniter and the flame sensor. But really, the right way to do this is with a voltmeter.
If the voltage to the igniter is too low, it'll glow, but won't get hot enough to ignite the gas, hence the three strikes and you're locked out.

 

[wowsza]

It's not a pilot, the hot surface igniter is supposed to get hot enough to ignite the gas, then the flame sensor tells the controller that all is good in the world.
You need to check (and clean) all the associated connections for the igniter and the flame sensor. But really, the right way to do this is with a voltmeter.
If the voltage to the igniter is too low, it'll glow, but won't get hot enough to ignite the gas, hence the three strikes and you're locked out.

gotcha. so the orange glow seen through the glass is not a pilot light, but rather the ignitor heating up?

 

[Qwaxalot]

It's not a pilot, the hot surface igniter is supposed to get hot enough to ignite the gas, then the flame sensor tells the controller that all is good in the world.
You need to check (and clean) all the associated connections for the igniter and the flame sensor. But really, the right way to do this is with a voltmeter.
If the voltage to the igniter is too low, it'll glow, but won't get hot enough to ignite the gas, hence the three strikes and you're locked out.

gotcha. so the orange glow seen through the glass is not a pilot light, but rather the ignitor heating up?

Yep, unless the Hayward website lies.