Moved from here. Cracked Heat Exchanger in Heat Pump
I have a Jandy JE 3000T heat pump installed in 2013 for a 20,000 gal in ground gunite pool. It has functioned beautifully until last August when it began leaking from the bottom of the condenser (heat exchanger) housing on the side near the compressor. It was leaking excessively. The condenser is an Aquacal unit which appears to be made of black PVC with what appears to be bolted to a similar base with a gasket seal.
I had the unit inspected by a “ certified Jandy “tech recently. He confirmed that it was leaking from the bottom of the unit but it is difficult to see the exact area of the leak, he found that the bolts attaching the unit to the base had backed out and were loose. These were tightened but the leak persisted. He said that it couldn’t be repaired and replacement would run to $ 5-6000! Eventually he offered a replacement with a Pentair for $8000.
Not having the money but having a brain, I checked the bolts myself and found that they had not been fully tightened. I tightened ALL the bolts in the proper pattern, not knowing the proper torque I did it in two sessions so as not to strip them. The leak has stopped. I haven’t tested it with the heater running because I am unsure of the reassembly of the fan and electrical s that were done to get access. Maybe tomorrow.
Perhaps the heat and vibration may cause the leak to open up again, the gasket may be damaged, but maybe it is fixed.
Does anybody know of this occurring with Aquacal condensers over time? There is a lot of vibration in these units and we have used it quite a bit.
I would appreciate anybody’s input on this situation and I will update as i continue to test it
I do have photos and videos that I will post once I learn how to post.
If this is a fix , perhaps Aquacal and Jandy should issue a maintenance bulletin to periodically check these bolts and publish the torque for these bolts.
I have a Jandy JE 3000T heat pump installed in 2013 for a 20,000 gal in ground gunite pool. It has functioned beautifully until last August when it began leaking from the bottom of the condenser (heat exchanger) housing on the side near the compressor. It was leaking excessively. The condenser is an Aquacal unit which appears to be made of black PVC with what appears to be bolted to a similar base with a gasket seal.
I had the unit inspected by a “ certified Jandy “tech recently. He confirmed that it was leaking from the bottom of the unit but it is difficult to see the exact area of the leak, he found that the bolts attaching the unit to the base had backed out and were loose. These were tightened but the leak persisted. He said that it couldn’t be repaired and replacement would run to $ 5-6000! Eventually he offered a replacement with a Pentair for $8000.
Not having the money but having a brain, I checked the bolts myself and found that they had not been fully tightened. I tightened ALL the bolts in the proper pattern, not knowing the proper torque I did it in two sessions so as not to strip them. The leak has stopped. I haven’t tested it with the heater running because I am unsure of the reassembly of the fan and electrical s that were done to get access. Maybe tomorrow.
Perhaps the heat and vibration may cause the leak to open up again, the gasket may be damaged, but maybe it is fixed.
Does anybody know of this occurring with Aquacal condensers over time? There is a lot of vibration in these units and we have used it quite a bit.
I would appreciate anybody’s input on this situation and I will update as i continue to test it
I do have photos and videos that I will post once I learn how to post.
If this is a fix , perhaps Aquacal and Jandy should issue a maintenance bulletin to periodically check these bolts and publish the torque for these bolts.
