Hayward H400FD heater works for at least 30 minutes, then shuts down

May 9, 2011
3
Pearland, Texas
Pool Size
25000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Liquid Chlorine
I have a 10yr old (but clean, lightly used) Hayward H400FD heater that began acting up several months ago.

Unique from many other IF-related posts I've seen, mine always works perfectly for at least 30 minutes before cutting off, then going through 3 re-ignition attempts, then going to IF/service. Of the several times I've timed it, it was always around 35 minutes, except one time it worked perfectly for a couple hours, heating my spa to the 104 setting, going off as it should until the temperature dropped, coming back on, etc. I finally had to shut it off myself (I had to leave).

When the heater shuts off: the sound of the flame dies away slowly over several seconds; then another 20 seconds or so pass, then a cluck and the Heat light goes off; finally, it goes unsuccessfully through the re-ignition cycle (3 times) before going to IF/service.

If immediately after a failure I reset the IF/service state by cycling the circuit breaker and try to fire up the heater, the ignition sequence fails. But if I wait 30 minutes of so, it succeeds.

I removed and checked the orifices, and to my dismay they were all perfectly clean. I have replaced the digital display (and board) as well as the main board, but these did not change anything. I have removed and inspected the Flame Sensor and Ignitor, and they look OK.

Do you have a recommendation for what I should try next? Perhaps a new Ignitor (FDXLIGN1930), and then a new new Flame Sensor (IDXLFLS1930)? What is most likely failing when it gets too hot?
 
Post pics of your heater and gas meter and gas line.

It sounds to me like you are losing gas pressure for some reason. The cluck you hear is the gas valve closing when the flame sensor sees the flame disappear.

What other gas appliances do you have in the house that may be lighting up and starving the heater?

Let's see what @swamprat69 thinks.
 
If the heater is lighting off the problem shouldn't be with the ignitor. The flame is sensed through the flame sensor to the burners and back to case/cabinet ground. All points in this train must be clean bare metal back to a good ground. This would includee the flame sensor, burners and all points that bring the burners back to the good case/cabinet ground (and the fenwal or other ignition board). The flame sensor rod can be cleaned with steel wool, a small hardened hobby file or a small diamond file. The burner surfaces can be cleaned with a small stainless steel brush. Other metal to metal surfaces can be cleaned with a stainless steel brush or file as applicable. As Allen mentioned there are other possibilities such as loss of gas pressure. It is always helpful to have test instruments hooked up to the system when the failure occurs to aid in identifying the source of the failure.
 
Thank you both @swamprat69 and @ajw22! Since the flame sound dies slowly over several seconds, and I hear nothing beforehand, and the clunk comes 10-20secs later, it sure seems like the gas supply just "goes away". But the only other gas user I have that is currently active is a 40gal water heater in my attic. I also have a gas stove and 2 gas furnaces, but none are in use. The gas furnaces are part of my AC units, and I did have one unit replaced several months ago, which seems about the time I noticed my pool heater woes. I doubt this could be related though. Tonight I will try to monitor my gas meter, and test turning my water heater on/off while the pool heater is on.

If I get nowhere with the gas supply debugging, I will pursue the ground connection route this weekend, removing the gas line and cleaning what I can, esp the electrical connections. My pool/spa LED lights have not worked in years, except on two or three occasions when they magically worked. I have always suspected a grounding issue here, but doubt this grounding issue could be related to any heater grounding issues.
 

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Your manual is here --> https://www.hayward-pool.com/assets/documents/pools/pdf/manuals/UHS-Manual-Rev-C.pdf

It looks to me like you do not have a sediment trap in your gas line. You could have a blockage or corrosion in the inside of your gas line due to sediment and moisture.

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