Hayward H series natural gas pool heater

[cledee]

My heater was working fine for about 2 weeks, and then I noticed strange sounds coming from it. 3 days ago I saw "bd" code. And now when the heater receives power it makes a loud buzzing sound, so I cut power from the breaker for the heater.

My guess is that I need to replace the boards but I'm concerned that maybe something else caused the boards to fry first. My plan is to open the panel and take a picture of everything in the inside. I've looked up videos online on how to replace the boards (ICB, FUSE).

 

[ajw22]

Does the air blower begin running when the heater starts up?

If not, the buzzing is probably from the blower motor.

 

[cledee]

Does the air blower begin running when the heater starts up?

If not, the buzzing is probably from the blower motor.

No, the air blower doesn't start.

 

[ajw22]

Air blower starts before anything else.

Power to air blower comes from the Fenwal box that sequences the startup with the blower and gas valve. Don't waste your money on a board yet.

Check if the Fenwal is providing voltage to the air blower at startup.

If @swamprat69 is around he can provide more details.

 

[swamprat69]

Photos of the entire heater and also with the panel off would be helpful as different styles of Hayward H heaters sometimes use an induced draft blower or a combustion air blower. Also the full model number on the heater. Do you have a multimeter and feel both safe and comfortable using it?

 

[cledee]

Thank you @ajw22 @swamprat69

I had the power off for a while. I turned the power back on today and I did hear the blower come on for a few seconds and I got code CE today. I have Universal H-Series Natural Gas 350,000 BTU Low NOx (Expert Line) model number H350FDN. It looks like an animal got inside and lived there. I took pictures and videos. The pictures are too big but the videos show everything. I went back to try again and got the BD code with the same sound from the video.

Heater 1
Heater 2
Heater 3

 

[swamprat69]

This should be the manual for your heater if you don't have it https://www.hayward-pool.ca/assets/...-h-series-service-and-installation-manual.pdf . The heater needs a thorough cleaning and inspection. Looking to clean out debris and inspect for chewed wires shorted boards etc.. It is hard to tell where the noise is coming from in the videos. It looked like the blower may have been running in the first video, but not the other 2. Videos are somewhat shaky. CE is a board communication error, but if a short exists it may not bode well for a replacement board. The manual will give you the possible causes for the fault codes. May not be a DYI unless you are handy and both comfortable and safe with electrical troubleshooting. Did not see a BD code. This guide may also be helpful http://www.haywardnet.com/pdfs/uhs-heater-troubleshooting-guide.pdf

 

[cledee]

This should be the manual for your heater if you don't have it https://www.hayward-pool.ca/assets/...-h-series-service-and-installation-manual.pdf . The heater needs a thorough cleaning and inspection. Looking to clean out debris and inspect for chewed wires shorted boards etc.. It is hard to tell where the noise is coming from in the videos. It looked like the blower may have been running in the first video, but not the other 2. Videos are somewhat shaky. CE is a board communication error, but if a short exists it may not bode well for a replacement board. The manual will give you the possible causes for the fault codes. May not be a DYI unless you are handy and both comfortable and safe with electrical troubleshooting. Did not see a BD code. This guide may also be helpful http://www.haywardnet.com/pdfs/uhs-heater-troubleshooting-guide.pdf

I cleaned up the heater but I've decided to get some service help. I can confirm that I got a "CE" code and after a little bit, it switched to a "bd" code.

 

[swamprat69]

You might try finding a NATE certified contractor in your area https://natex.org/homeowner/find-a-...-a-contractor-with-nate-certified-technicians although not all HVAC contractors are willing to work on pool heaters.

 

[cledee]

You might try finding a NATE certified contractor in your area https://natex.org/homeowner/find-a-...-a-contractor-with-nate-certified-technicians although not all HVAC contractors are willing to work on pool heaters.

So after looking around they said they couldn't do it but that they would refer me to certified techs that work on pool heaters and they referred me to the pool companies that I had contacted in the first place. One pool company said if it's an electrical issue which I believe both CE and bd codes, are electrical issues (boards, harness, wires) that they couldn't work on them. So I believe I need to call an electrician? I contacted one referred by the pool company since he has worked on pool Hayward pool heaters and is familiar with the codes.

 

[cledee]

You might try finding a NATE certified contractor in your area https://natex.org/homeowner/find-a-...-a-contractor-with-nate-certified-technicians although not all HVAC contractors are willing to work on pool heaters.

Great news! I was able to get someone from the pool company to come by and it ended up being all of the boards that needed to be replaced. They had old parts from other heaters so they were able to get it done in 30 minutes.