Is there any advantage to a heater bypass?

[sccm_sysadmin]

I'll make this quick: my pool has a heater but it (thankfully) doesn't run all the time.

Would there be any advantage to bypassing the heater in the plumbing so that water isn't running through it unless it is being used? Or is it not worth the effort?

edit: Posted in this forum since I'm considering this a plumbing question.

 

[YippeeSkippy]

Yes, such as when the water is out of balance, for example low pH can hurt a heater.

 

[JoyfulNoise]

Keep in mind that newer model heaters (depends on the brand) already bypass most of the water flowing into the header block straight out again. I don't know the percentage of how much water flows through the heat exchanger, but it's not a huge amount. Therefore, the head loss differences may not be much.

Now, from the standpoint of water chemistry, sometimes bypassing a heater can be useful.

 

[bdavis466]

It also depends on the brand of heater. The MasterTemps are quite restrictive.

Take a look at this thread that was done by a really good looking guy:

Heater Bypass Data