Hayward H100ID screaming sound

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T

Tom17

Member
Jun 1, 2020
5
Toronto/GTA Canada
Hi all,

This is the third season for our pool & heater. It's a 12x24 above ground vinyl pool and a Hayward H100ID 100,000btu heater that gets fairly heavy usage. Upon opening last weekend, we started hearing some noises that we had not heard before.

The first thing I did was check my warranty, but it was only a 1yr, so that ship passed. Time for some self-diagnosis and online research.

Initially, I thought it was the draft blower - a dry bearing, but I pretty quickly eliminated that as the source. After doing some online research, it seems to me that it's either a broken baffle or scaling in the heat exchanger. The unit in question does not have any separate diverter valve, it's all integral to the heat exchanger.

Some things to get out of the way:
  • I have backwashed the filter and the pressure is as good as it's ever been (14psi)
  • I measured the flow at the pool inlet to be ~30gpm. The heater requires a minimum of 20gpm. The flow at the pool seems as strong as previous years.
  • It seems to occur more when the water temperature is higher (so it did not do it as much when I tried filming it this morning, typical)
  • I have been following the BioGuard chemistry system, taking water samples into my local pool shop every week or two. I have saved all the history and am willing to go back and check anything if needed.
    • Typically, the PH is high (7.7 - 8.1 - sometimes a little higher sometimes lower, usually below 8) and I adjust it using their Lo 'N Slo product following their instructions.
    • Typically, the Alkalinity is low, ~100 +/- 15. Again, I adjust it with the BioGuard product (Balance Pak 100) as per the instructions.
    • I don't see a CSI anywhere on the reports. Only a 'Total Hardness' which seems to stay around 194. It was lower for a while last year at 113-170 in July. Rectified with Balance Pak 300 . In 2018 (The first year) it seemed to be more like 270
  • Most related problems seem to complaints of banging and rattling noises, usually attributed to the internal baffle coming loose. Although this could be the problem, I do not hear any such noises.

I found another thread that was very similar to my problem: Cavitation when my heater starts
Unfortunately there was no clear outcome that the descaling fixed his problem.

I also found this: Hayward pool heater noise - DoItYourself.com Community Forums
Although there was no resolution, there was a link to his video that captures the sound very well. It's exactly the same sound:

And finally a video I made of my unit this morning, though the above linked video has better sound.

I fear that calling out the local gas man (Already a $100+ affair) is just going to result in a heat exchanger replacement, or a heater replacement, when all I need to do is descale the heater.

If I were to attempt the descaling, I would need to adjust the water plumbing a little as there is no bypass or disconnect plumbing. This is something I can do myself. I fear it will turn into a rabbit hole of expense if I get the gas man in...

Any thoughts? Do you think this is scaling? It seems I can't find much about this happening online. The company that installed the pool say they have never heard of anything like this before.
 
So I ended up talking to a gas guy today. He says he can clean it out, using some 4-in-1 product that would be added to the skimmer. I have asked what that might be, but I have not heard back yet. I am concerned.

Any thoughts what that may be?
 
So I got the Pool Math app on my phone and was able to calculate my CSI. It seems to be around 0.0.

It seems unlikely to me that I could have enough scale in 2 years to impede the flow in the heating coils that much. Is it possible to get that much scaling that quickly with a CH that is always under 250?

I'm wondering now if that baffle just came loose, but it's not doing it in a noisy manner. Is that feasible? Which problem is more likely after 2 years of service?
 
Hi Tom - I'm going to start following this thread because my 1 month old Hayward H100ID heater started doing the exact same thing last week.

It was running perfectly since May 5th but on May 26th it began to 'scream'. We contacted where we bought it and they told us to deal directly with Hayward. They are sending a technician out on Friday June 5th.

If the resolution doesn't come from someone before that I'll let you know what the Hayward tech says.
 
So what did your pool tech say?

I managed to pull off the inlet and outlet yesterday for a visual inspection. No signs of the baffle being loose and no visible scaling. But I cannot see inside the loops that get heating. There could still be scaling inside...IMG_20200605_145019.jpg
 
I wish I had an answer. The tech didn't know what was wrong with it. He speculated on the heat exchange but when he pulled it out he didn't see anything out of the ordinary. He took pictures and documented everything and said he'd be going back to Hayward to get their recommendation. He suspects that they'll replace it because it's only a month old. So now we wait.

Silly question... when it's screaming is there heated water coming out? Ours does but it's not hot water, it's warm water. Prior to the screaming it used to be hot.
 
I have this heater and can get mine to do the same thing. When the heater is on and the pump(2 speed) is running on low it will do this. Turning the pump on to high speed the problem goes away. Never could explain what is causing it. My heater is pushing 10 years old now and, with a few repairs, is working fine.
 
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