Heart broken 💔 (heater inside is crumbling rust mess)

[LisaBgame]

Is there any hope?

Heater fired when pool was opened. I hire a company to open and close my pool each year cuz I lack tools and I’m not mechanically inclined.

A little over a week ago it started up just fine but, heated the pool for a while then started displaying “sensor error”. I ordered another sensor off Amazon but it hadn’t come yet. Then over the weekend I turned it on just for the heck of it and it ran just fine. Got the pool to 82 degrees!

The pool fix it man showed up yesterday for the call I placed a couple weeks ago and it was running when he got here. I said it’s been temperamental so he decided to open it up.

Well the bottom was full of crumbling rust. He said ”you’ve got a big problem” and he said the heating grate was done for. Ty hen he just started pulling these long metal pieces out.

I asked how did this happen and he said he didn’t know.

I’ve had the heater for 7 years. They installed it. Last year I paid $600 for a new control board (I think that’s what it was called)

I only get to live in my home for 18 more months (due to divorce agreement and having to buy it or sell it). I can’t afford what the new payment would be with an interest rate more than double my current one.

In Michigan it’s hard to fully enjoy a pool during our short season without a heater.

I’m so sad. Is there any hope of fixing this?

 

[Texas Splash]

Based on the gas rails and areas we can see in those pics, I don't see a bright future for that heater. I don't see any details on it in your signature such as make/model, age, atc. Do you know any of that info?

Also, on the equipment pad, do you have a bypass valve at the heater so that you can divert water away from the heater as to not get any of that corroded metal in your pool?

 

[JamesW]

Is there any hope of fixing this?

Not for a reasonable cost.

I’ve had the heater for 7 years. They installed it.

This looks a lot older than 7 years.

It was installed only 7 years ago?

Or, it was already installed when you moved in?

Can you show the labels?

The rust on the gas lines points to a serious problem in the local environment like chemicals or stray current.

I would get rid of the tab feeder.

 

[JamesW]

It looks like the bond wire is not connected to anything?

Even the copper is corroding pretty badly, so you have something in the environment causing serious corrosion.

 

[LisaBgame]

Thank you for your replies

I haven’t used the chlorine feeder for 2 years. Just liquid chlorine and whatever else pool math tells me to put in.

Pipes were like that when I moved in 9 years ago. This heater was put in new in 2016. They never commented on the rusty gas line going in except that sometimes it was hard to turn the handle on/off when opening and closing.

My pool is prob close to 30 years old but it was completely rebuilt with new plumbing, new liner, new sand filter, new heater and new decking because there was a significant leak somewhere before.

What are my next steps? I need some guidance

 

[JamesW]

You can pay to fix the heater or replace it or just cut it out and redo the plumbing if you don’t want a heater anymore.

I suspect that something is causing accelerated corrosion, but I don’t know what.

You can get estimates for repairs, but I suspect that it will not be worth repairing.

Before doing any repairs or replacement, I would try to determine if there is something locally causing accelerated corrosion like a stray current.

 

[JamesW]

The gas line looks undersized.

How far is it from the meter to the heater?

What is the gas line size?

 

[LisaBgame]

it’s about 35 ft From the meter. How do I determine gas line size?

 

[JamesW]

It looks like copper pipe.

Measure the outside diameter (O.D) of the pipe.

 

[JamesW]

For the 266 heater, the line should be at least 1" (nominal) diameter, which is an O.D of 1.125".

 

[LisaBgame]

The pipe coming up from the ground is the mark between 3.5 and 3.75 inches in diameter.

The rusted pipe coming off that is 4.25 inches



The small pipe headed toward heater is 3.25 niches

I used this pink measuring tape which is divided into 8ths

 

[JamesW]

Diameter or circumference?

 

[JamesW]

A diameter of 1.125” is a circumference of 3.534 inches.

Assuming a pipe size of 1" and a length of less than 50 feet, the line should be adequate.

Maybe check for stray currents.

 

[LisaBgame]

I wrapped it around so I think circumference?

 

[JupiterFL]

Do you happen to store your MA next to the heater?

 

[LisaBgame]

No - all of my chemicals are in the garage

 

[Poolbreh]

Looks like the header is or was leaking.

 

[jgofnj]

A diameter of 1.125” is a circumference of 3.534 inches.

Assuming a pipe size of 1" and a length of less than 50 feet, the line should be adequate.

Maybe check for stray currents.

what is "stray current"?

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Since the divorce agreement is forcing you out of that home, it makes absolutely no sense to replace the heater. Just cut it out and dispose of it, have the plumbing rerouted with a bypass, and cap the gas line.

Let the next owner decide if they want to pay for a new heater.

And try not to get too hung up on “how can I sell the house without a pool heater”. Pools rarely change the cost equation for a home and most people either want a pool (or are ambivalent) or vehemently do not want a pool regardless of what equipment is attached to it.

 

[LisaBgame]

View attachment 499029
Looks like the header is or was leaking.

Yes! I noticed small droplets that were coming down the side and I notified the pool repair person about it when he came to put a new control board last year. A different guy (same company) opened my pool this year and he said he took that side piece off to tighten something to stop the dripping.

I wish I would have contacted this forum last season