In search of installation advice

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Thank you jamesW.

It's very technical information and not for the layman. I think this kind of information will scare away many DIYers like myself.
Although the information is very much appreciated, in just about all cases from people I spoke to in real life application a 250g tank will suffice and has caused no issues with a 400k btu heater.
I'm sure a 500g would be nicer to have but replacing a existing tank to a bigger one is not practical just for another 100k btu.

Unless you live in North Dakota or Alaska, I don't think this will be an issue based on real life application and reported issues. At least from what I've seen.

An installer and professional will want the work, so beware of being scared into using money you don't really need to use.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
250G tanks are the most common for Florida homes. I see them ALL the time. Unless you live in the north and rely on propane for heating along with other items, 250 is more than enough for ANY sized pool/spa heater.
 
Ok, as long as it works. I suspect that you won't have a problem with how you're using it.

I think that you would have to have several things happen simultaneously to have an issue.

Keeping the tank full makes a big difference. At 80% full, you have 200 gallons. With 200 gallons, the liquid will lose 6.38 degrees Fahrenheit per hour of runtime at 400,000 btu/hr. Being full allows the wetted area of the tank to be high, which allows for good heat recovery from the ambient environment.

If the tank were 40% full, the liquid would lose 12.76 degrees Fahrenheit per hour with less wetted area to allow for heat recovery. If the liquid gets too cold, the pressure in the tank will get too low. The liquid would have to get to -44 Fahrenheit to make the tank pressure get to zero (gauge).

At 20% full, the liquid will lose 25 degrees per hour. Heat recovery depends on ambient temperature. At 20%, you're losing temp 4 x faster and gaining 4 x slower. Running for more than 2 hours at low air temperature (probably below 30 f) and low fill might be an issue.

Short run times will allow the liquid time to recover heat while not continuously losing heat.

Low humidity helps prevent frosting from freezing condensation.

High air temperatures helps keep the liquid from getting too cold.
 
Thanks JamesW that makes sense.
So far my in ground 250g propane tank has been at 20% since I installed the heater. The heater has ran 3 times heating the spa to 98° from ~70°. Not even 1% has ticked off from the gas tank.
It is in the 80s outside today. Gotta love Florida.

It's been running perfectly. Turns on and off when it's supposed to, based on the aqua logic board temp settings. The remote control turns it off and on as well. Good stuff so far.

I have one more question.
When we installed it the gas pipe travels right below the exhaust vent. I know this is dangerous and needs to be fixed. It gets way too hot.
What I would like to know is if instead of changing the pipe location, can I install a exhaust duct and move where the exhaust releases? Would a regular duct like ones used for clothes driers work?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
I like to do things myself. If I was going to hire a contractor to do the work, I honestly wouldn't ask here.
I was able to successfully install the pool heater myself. I think I can do the vent as well. As long as I have some decent advice on doing so.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
The manual for your heater has some very specific instructions on how it should be vented and what type of pipe and how much of it you can use. Please read those instructions carefully. You want to keep galvanized and aluminum pipe/dryer duct far away from the exhaust of that heater. You also need to make sure the vent pipe isnt supported by the heater itself. Dont forget the cap on the top of the vent to stop rain water from going in the pipe and the condensate drain line at the bottom of the first elbow which will keep the highly acidic exhaust condensate from going back into your heater and rotting it out.
 

Enjoying this content?

Support TFP with a donation.

Give Support
Alexr54 said:
Scratch that. It was a gas toggle switch I forgot to put on. Doh!!!

Working great now. Just need to adjust a few settings so it can run on the spa pump on alone. Currently for some reason it only turns on with the pool pump on.

Adjustments done. Looks like that's it for now. Thanks all!

Btw I have a 250g tank. It works without issues.
I'm in Florida so cold is not too much of an issue here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

sounds like the flow rate on the spa is too small to activate the sensor vs the pool. Sensor may need replacing or valves need to be adjusted for a higher flow rate on the spa.

Your Hayward equipment should have a diagnostic menu section that will indicate if "Flow" is detected on, if flow is not detected the heater will remain off for safety.
 
JoeGolan said:
sounds like the flow rate on the spa is too small to activate the sensor vs the pool. Sensor may need replacing or valves need to be adjusted for a higher flow rate on the spa.

Your Hayward equipment should have a diagnostic menu section that will indicate if "Flow" is detected on, if flow is not detected the heater will remain off for safety.
Click to expand...

It was actually just a gas on/off switch in the heater which was set to OFF by default. After I switched it to ON it worked fine.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Thread Status
Hello , This thread has been inactive for over 60 days. New postings here are unlikely to be seen or responded to by other members. For better visibility, consider Starting A New Thread.
Top Bottom
Back
Jump to latest Follow Reply