Question on Pool Heater During Texas "Winter"

pool512 · Oct 23, 2022

I have a Raypak 406 heater, and, being in Texas, never close the pool during Winter (just stop swimming). I have a bypass for the heater to avoid running water through when not in use.

Am I OK to simply leave the heater bypassed all Winter, or should I be draining it, and/or turning off the gas? IOW, is there any problem with it simply sitting with water in it?

My thought is that if I leave it as it but bypassed, then the freeze protection should be able to open the valve (IntelliTouch) and move water through the heater if it kicks on. Is this correct, or should I be doing a more formal winterization of the heater?

(I do recognize that if we lost power and have a freeze, I'd have to be outside pulling drain plugs, but I'd have to do that with the existing equipment anyway.)

Thanks!

ajw22 · Oct 23, 2022

pool512 said:
then the freeze protection should be able to open the valve (IntelliTouch) …

IntelliTouch or the IntelliCenter in your signature?

pool512 · Oct 24, 2022

ajw22 said:
IntelliTouch or the IntelliCenter in your signature?

Sorry. IntelliCenter is correct.

JJ_Tex · Oct 24, 2022

Does the valve in question have an actuator that can be controlled by the Intellicenter, or is it just a normal valve with a handle?

Usually, the Intellicenter comes with 2 actuator-controlled valves, which are typically installed in the suction and return lines to switch between pool and spa modes.

wireform · Oct 24, 2022

A heater bypass would be usually a manual valve and I'd keep it bypassed and drain off the heater so there's no water in the heat exchanger.

pool512 · Oct 25, 2022

The valve has an actuator, so that water only flows through the heater when heat is called for and the heater is bypassed when not heating.

If I drain the heater, do I then need to worry about blowing it out as I've seen recommended, or is draining good enough?

Turbo1Ton · Nov 5, 2022

I'm in NE Oklahoma and have the Intellicenter with an Intellivalve actuator on my heater bypass. I do not close my pool for the winter.

Based on advice here I don't ever fully bypass the heater as you want to keep the water in the exchanger flushed and fully closing could create a scenario where there could be a call for heat and it could satisfy the pressure switch with no flow.

There's no difference in satisfying my SWCG flow switch with the heater fully bypassed or 50% bypassed. So my valve home position is 50% open in both directions, and then closes off the bypass when calling for heat. During the winter, this split flow arrangement does just fine keeping enough water moving through both the lines and the heat exchanger to avoid freezing.

Not sure how yours is programmed, but I am using the internal heater bit to activate the bypass valve, which is not able to have freeze protection applied to it.

My concern with fully draining the heat exchanger and closing off the heater would be what if the bypass or check valve leaks internally and fills the heat exchanger without you knowing?

All that to say that with my valve setting, I have no issues with freeze protection working. This works for me.

Also, I will warn, if you are relying on the Intellicenter freeze protection, if there is ever a power event, meaning power drops out and then comes back on, Intellicenter will turn off freeze protection. I don't know why it does this but any time we have a power event in the winter, I go back in to confirm and have to turn on freeze protection back on for all the circuits. They still hadn't fixed that issue on FW 1.064 that I know. Could be just me but I recall others indicating they had this issue as well.

--Jeff