Dos and Donts of Heater maintenance

[SquallGBlade]

Hey guys!

New pool owner and I got everything in working order except I need to replaster and the heater is filthy.

So my purex triton plus 400 was quoted to be replaced for 4000, and I was afraid of touching it because "gas scary". A second pool guy from a local, reputable and trustworthy shop came, turned it on, and said "yea they're full of it".

However it does have a problem I found out today when trying to heat for a party. It turns on and off, not efficiently heating, but I found a YouTube video that fits my situation exactly, down to the service light flicker timing and I plan to replace the part.

Otherwise i'm interested in taking care of it and getting it up to snuff, the first thing I noticed is the burner(?) On the bottom, behind a panel, was caked with dirt and netted with spiderwebs so I used a dust wand and carefully scrubbed the heck out of it, Second is that the top of the heater has a cover with vents and under those vents is lots of dirt, foliage, and stuff I can't leafblow out.

Tldr: I wanted to know if it's okay to blast the heater with a hose and clean it all out and then let it dry. And what other maintenance I should perform to get it in healthy(ier) condition.

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

Blasting heaters burners with water from a hose is not the way to get them clean.

Most burners lift up from the end that is away from the gas manifold ( usually fitted into a slot at the far end) and push away from the gas manifold to remove off of the orifice on the manifold. They can then be cleaned with a wire brush and either blown out from the top slots or tipped towards the end that sits on the orifice to remove internal dirt.

Also check for spider webs at the end that sits on the orifice. Depending on the ignition source( spark/hot surface ignitor), you must be careful removing the burners.

Heater Maintenance - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

@swamprat69 may have more tips specific to your model.

 

[SquallGBlade]

Appreciate the help! I'll try getting in there with a brush and thanks for the link!