So I have some concerns regarding our new pool that was just finished this weekend. According to pebbletec's website, the heater shouldn't be started until 14 days after water going in. Nobody on the jobsite could tell me why but someone on TFP said its because the dust being released from the pebbletec can damage the heater. But the thing is, the heater has no bypass. Which already seemed weird to me. So the dust is already going through it regardless. Is this going to reduce the life or efficiency of my heater? And if not, is there any reason we can't start the heater sooner than 14 days? Also, is it common practice to not plumb a bypass for the heater or is the company just being cheap? The heater is a Pentair ultratemp 120Q and the pebble tec is Bluewave. The pebbletec was sparyed 4 days ago. The next day it was acid washed, pressure washed, then filled with nonsoftened water over the next 20 hours. Then yesterday, one gallon of acid was added and the equipment started. No other chemicals yet. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!
No heater bypass with Pebbletec
- Thread starter Luke__207
- Start date
- Jul 17, 2019
- 3,709
- Pool Size
- 13000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
Ours does not have a bypass either. While I wish it did have one we have not had any problems with it. Keep in mind that your heater is after your filter, so any pebble/plaster dust should be caught by the filter prior to reaching the heater.
I was told not to start the heater for the first 30 days, which we followed.
I would ask your PB about getting a bypass since it can come in handy down the road if you have a heater issue, but the heaviest dust is going to be in the first week or so. I would also follow the advice of the PB and not run the heater for at least 14 days.
I was told not to start the heater for the first 30 days, which we followed.
I would ask your PB about getting a bypass since it can come in handy down the road if you have a heater issue, but the heaviest dust is going to be in the first week or so. I would also follow the advice of the PB and not run the heater for at least 14 days.
Turbo1Ton
Gold Supporter
- Dec 26, 2019
- 1,836
- Pool Size
- 14500
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-40
The plaster dust running through the heater's heat exchanger is not an issue, as long as the heater is not fired. If fired, the dust in the water can 'bake/cook/adhere' to the walls of the tubes and cause hot spots in the future creating a likely failure point. This is the reason that you are not supposed to use the heater for the first 30 days (Sounds like PB says 14 in your case).
--Jeff
--Jeff
The issue is the hot water in the heater has a higher CSI than the pool water and can cause scale to form within the heater itself. This is largely a problem during plaster cure when the pool water is already typically in positive CSI territory and can fluctuate relatively rapidly. You should follow your PB instructions and also wait until the water chemistry has stabilized.
Ok thanks for all the advice. We're going to wait the recommended 14 days to heat. I still wish we had a bypass on the heater but there's no way I'll be able to get the PB to do extra work. Im having the hardest time getting them to simply finish the job.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 52,425
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
From Plaster Installation and Maintenance - Further Reading
Why no heater use for first 30 days? With new plaster there is a lot of plaster dust in the water and the pH is usually very high. When you heat water the potential for scale formation in the heater increases significantly. The actual timeframe for waiting to use the heater has no real merit. As long as the plaster dust is under control and the pH is in range there is no reason not to use it. Your risk of rushing to use the heater is scale clogging up the heater coil.
Why no heater use for first 30 days? With new plaster there is a lot of plaster dust in the water and the pH is usually very high. When you heat water the potential for scale formation in the heater increases significantly. The actual timeframe for waiting to use the heater has no real merit. As long as the plaster dust is under control and the pH is in range there is no reason not to use it. Your risk of rushing to use the heater is scale clogging up the heater coil.