New H200 heater already leaking

[Oxford01]

Replaced my old heater this spring with a shiny new Hayward H200. And now, less than 10 weeks in use and it’s already leaking. We’ve had a little trouble with water balance this year, but I wouldn’t consider it extreme enough to cause this. That said, I know (based on other posts) this is likely what I’ll hear from Hayward. I have all the test I’ve done so far (thx to the pool math app) and my PH has been at or above 7.2 for the past month. However it was low (6.5 - 6.9) when I first got the heater and filter running this spring.

I understand water balance can cause leaks, but is it really possible that can happen this quickly? I haven’t completely disassembled yet, but the leak is definitely coming from the middle of the unit, somewhere behind the header.

Thanks for reading - and thanks for any help you can provide!

-Doug

 

[ajw22]

Make a warranty claim and see what Hayward says.

You have to dig into the heater and see what is going on.

 

[Oxford01]

Make a warranty claim and see what Hayward says.

You have to dig into the heater and see what is going on.

Thanks for replying. I did, while you were responding and found the leak appears to be a bad solder connection. It’s the top one in the photo, which appears to have come apart a little. You can see the difference when compared to the others.

i’m going to make The warranty claim, just curious if others have experienced the same. Want to know what to expect.

Thanks again!

 

[ajw22]

@ps0303 @Pool Clown what do you think about the warranty?

 

[Oxford01]

Thx @ajw22. Here’s a little better picture as well. You can see the water spraying out on this one.

 

[Donldson]

I understand water balance can cause leaks, but is it really possible that can happen this quickly?

Yep. Acidic water can eat through a heat exchanger in a matter of days.
Three questions:
1- how are you chlorinating your water?
2- how are you testing your water?
3- what is your TA?

I have to offer some more bad news too, if your exchanger got dissolved away then all that copper is now in your water. That's not a good thing.

 

[ps0303]

You can try to see what Hayward might do but the issue is clearly poor water balancing and under their warranty they do not have to cover it. But you can try. Good luck.

 

[Oxford01]

Yep. Acidic water can eat through a heat exchanger in a matter of days.
Three questions:
1- how are you chlorinating your water?
2- how are you testing your water?
3- what is your TA?

I have to offer some more bad news too, if your exchanger got dissolved away then all that copper is now in your water. That's not a good thing.

Thanks for your response. I would have never guessed these heat exchangers are that sensitive. Maybe I'm just a slow learner, but this pool balance stuff has been a PIA so far!!!

1. I've been using the same tablets the previous owner used, but since my CYA was on the higher side, I turned the chlorinator way down and have been using liquid chlorine from the local pool store.
2. We use the Taylor K-2006 kit and have been taking samples to the local pool store as a sort of double-check.
3. TA has been around 150 for the past month. We've been trying to lower it, but that's been a slow process due to the affect on PH. I can't seem to get TA down while keeping PH up. Also, our local water supply has high TA, so that increases each time we top off.

 

[ajw22]

If your local water has high TA then you can't win the battle of lowering TA. Just keep your pH in the 7's and let the TA land wherever it wants.

 

[Pool Clown]

I/we aren't a Hayward dealer, so i know very little about their warranty procedure. If they decide this is anything they might need to warranty, they should send a rep or factory service out to look at it first hand. If it is where the tube is pressed into the flange, you may get warranty. A leak anywhere on the tube, forget it.

Copper is a soft metal and does not take much to get a hole in it, especially when it is in an acidic environment. The fact that the water is flowing through or past a point is what causes the damage (erosion). This is called "stripping" and depending on the speed or velocity of the flow past that point, can happen pretty fast.

If not done already get the water neutral. Whoever comes out will probably take a water sample.

 

[Oxford01]

I/we aren't a Hayward dealer, so i know very little about their warranty procedure. If they decide this is anything they might need to warranty, they should send a rep or factory service out to look at it first hand. If it is where the tube is pressed into the flange, you may get warranty. A leak anywhere on the tube, forget it.

Copper is a soft metal and does not take much to get a hole in it, especially when it is in an acidic environment. The fact that the water is flowing through or past a point is what causes the damage (erosion). This is called "stripping" and depending on the speed or velocity of the flow past that point, can happen pretty fast.

If not done already get the water neutral. Whoever comes out will probably take a water sample.

Thanks Guys, I really appreciate the advice. I'm planning to make the claim, but with Pool Clown's advice in mind, I'm going to get the water balance perfect before I have them out. I really don't believe my balance was bad enough to cause this damage. I'm hopeful that when the warranty tech's are out, they'll confirm. Either way, I'm thankful for all of you taking your time to help me out. -Doug