Heater Recommendations

[MrRosie]

I am from the Mid West and moved to Naples, FL in 2014. I need to replace or fix a Sta Rite Max E Therm 400 LP gas heater on my pool. It is a little over eight years old and has just laid down. It won't fire up. Fix it or replace it??? How long do these heaters last here in Florida? Any recommendations on a new lp gas heater? The pool is 16 x30 with an avg depth of 5 feet.

Thanks

MJR

 

[1poolman1]

I am from the Mid West and moved to Naples, FL in 2014. I need to replace or fix a Sta Rite Max E Therm 400 LP gas heater on my pool. It is a little over eight years old and has just laid down. It won't fire up. Fix it or replace it??? How long do these heaters last here in Florida? Any recommendations on a new lp gas heater? The pool is 16 x30 with an avg depth of 5 feet.

Thanks

MJR

Whether or not to fix depends on what the problem is. Some repairs are relatively inexpensive, some more so. Need to know more about what it isn't doing, how far in the process does it get? Does the fan start? What does the display indicate? Do you have automation? How much use has it had? Eight years is about 50% of life in most cases depending on use.

Replacing with the same is a good option if needed.

 

[MrRosie]

Thank you for the follow up. When I tried to turn on the heater it will not turn on. I have checked all the circuit breakers and there is power going to the unit. I can hear the Aqua Link panel click when I turn the heater on or off from my app, but again, the heater doesn’t power on. The heater simply does not power up or show any lights, temps etc. I use Aqua link because all my other pool equipment is Jandy Pro series. My use I would classify my use as average use, mostly for the spa heat. I have a Heat pump (Aqua Cal) that I use mainly for heating the pool. I will from time to time use the Sta-Rite for the pool when I am needing to heat it quicker if the water is really cold and the grandkids show up. lol.

 

[MrRosie]

A quick note, we are located about 1/2 mile from the ocean.......... salt air is an issue here.

 

[guinness]

Highly recommend that you Create Your Signature with all your pool equipment, i.e. aqualink, gas heater, heat pump etc so you can get better help.

 

[ajw22]

When did the heater last work?

Do you have a multimeter?

Open up your Aqualink panel and post pics of the internal wiring.

 

[ajw22]

Your manual is at - https://www.pentair.com/content/dam...manuals/Max-E-Therm_Owners_Manual_English.pdf

Post a pic of the 2 wire fireman’s switch as shown on Figure 30 on page 32.

 

[MrRosie]

When did the heater last work?

Do you have a multimeter?

Open up your Aqualink panel and post pics of the internal wiring.

The heater was working before Ian hurricane hit. 6 weeks ago. We had no flooding issues. Prior to the hurricane, the heater had to be started several times before catching on and heating the spa/pool. Once it fired it ran fine and heated well. Yes, I have a Multimeter. (not sure how to use it) I will Get Pictures of the Aqua Link panel and heater fireman switch on the control box this weekend and get them posted. Thanks for your help and directions on this.

 

[1poolman1]

Thank you for the follow up. When I tried to turn on the heater it will not turn on. I have checked all the circuit breakers and there is power going to the unit. I can hear the Aqua Link panel click when I turn the heater on or off from my app, but again, the heater doesn’t power on. The heater simply does not power up or show any lights, temps etc. I use Aqua link because all my other pool equipment is Jandy Pro series. My use I would classify my use as average use, mostly for the spa heat. I have a Heat pump (Aqua Cal) that I use mainly for heating the pool. I will from time to time use the Sta-Rite for the pool when I am needing to heat it quicker if the water is really cold and the grandkids show up. lol.

Are you just turning power on with a relay or is the 2-wire communication cable attached to terminals 1 & 2 of the 10-position terminal bar, far right?

If using that position (commonly called the fireman's switch), remove the wires from the terminal bar and twist together to see if the board may be the problem. If the heater fires, do a diagnostic in the RS menu to check the water-temp sensor. If it went bad the RS won't allow the heater to light. If it doesn't fire, check the whole length of that small wire. Could have rodent damage. If no rodent damage, check inside the metal enclosure for the wires to be sure they are both connected. Or jump the two terminals where they connect and see if the heater fires.