Hayward heater IF error

[Pperc]

Curious what you find..I wonder if it froze.

it was professionally closed so I really really hope not!

 

[JamesW]

Listen carefully to the heat exchanger when you turn the pump off to see if you can hear air getting sucked in.

 

[Pperc]

Listen carefully to the heat exchanger when you turn the pump off to see if you can hear air getting sucked in.

Ok good tip. Assume I need to get the case of the heater off to stand a chance at hearing anything

I still don’t know how to take it apart

 

[JamesW]

Assume I need to get the case of the heater off to stand a chance at hearing anything

Just listen at the outlet vent.

 

[Pperc]

Just listen at the outlet vent.

The exhaust vent?

 

[Pperc]

Oh wow. What causes an igniter to look like this? Here is before and after cleaning.

 

[Pperc]

Cleaned. Tested igniter and it’s getting hot but NOT glowing red. Still cycling to an IF error. It sounds like gas is getting ignited. You can hear the whoosh although maybe not as loud as typically.

 

[Pperc]

Update: found a dead spider tucked in one of the injectors behind a big web. Wow. And the pool tech said he “cleaned” them. Right.

 

[JamesW]

The exhaust vent?

Yes.

 

[Pperc]

Yes.

Listened there but didn’t hear anything like air sucking when the pump went off.

 

[JamesW]

What is the height of the heater relative to the pool surface?

 

[Pperc]

What is the height of the heater relative to the pool surface?

Below it. A few feet maybe? Why?

 

[Pperc]

Tried again. Still IF error. No change. Ugh.

 

[JamesW]

Below it. A few feet maybe? Why?

If the heater was above the pool, air would get sucked in at the leak point.

If the heater is below the pool, air will not get sucked in.

I suspect that the heat exchanger is leaking, which usually means the heater is not worth fixing.

If the heater is more than a couple of feet below the pool surface, the heater pressure switch can be activated by the water pressure from the height of the water with no flow, which would ruin the heat exchanger.

Once the combustion chamber insulation gets soaked, the heater is not going to work right.

Don't even try to run the heater until the leak is identified.

 

[Pperc]

If the heater was above the pool, air would get sucked in at the leak point.

If the heater is below the pool, air will not get sucked in.

I suspect that the heat exchanger is leaking, which usually means the heater is not worth fixing.

If the heater is more than a couple of feet below the pool surface, the heater pressure switch can be activated by the water pressure from the height of the water with no flow, which would ruin the heat exchanger.

Once the combustion chamber insulation gets soaked, the heater is not going to work right.

Don't even try to run the heater until the leak is identified.

how do I keep this from happening again with a new heater? What if a new one is installed below the surface of the pool in the same place?

got it open enough to snap some pictures. The fins are blue in a lot of places. Cause? High chlorine? Could it be that the check valve between the SWG and the heater is damaged? When pump is off the check value doesn’t look like it closes all the way and the flange looks a bit warped.

 

[Pperc]

If the heater was above the pool, air would get sucked in at the leak point.

If the heater is below the pool, air will not get sucked in.

I suspect that the heat exchanger is leaking, which usually means the heater is not worth fixing.

If the heater is more than a couple of feet below the pool surface, the heater pressure switch can be activated by the water pressure from the height of the water with no flow, which would ruin the heat exchanger.

Once the combustion chamber insulation gets soaked, the heater is not going to work right.

Don't even try to run the heater until the leak is identified.

And to be clear, the heater never ran with the pump off so i believe the pressure switch was adequately set so as not to allow the heater to turn on with the pump off.

 

[JamesW]

the heater never ran with the pump off

You don't know that for sure.

 

[JamesW]

The manual will specify the allowable height differential. The pressure switch can be adjusted somewhat. If the height differential is too much, you have to install a flow switch.

 

[Pperc]

The manual will specify the allowable height differential. The pressure switch can be adjusted somewhat. If the height differential is too much, you have to install a flow switch.

Gotcha. Posted some pictures. The fins don’t look annealed or anything. Just blue.

 

[setsailsoon]

I suspect that the heat exchanger is leaking, which usually means the heater is not worth fixing.

The gorp on the igniter also looks like there's a leak somewhere.