Raypak (p-r158bl-en) Gas Heater - Clean Burner Orifices

[sub780lime]

I have been having quite a bit of trouble with my spa heater and it's orifices getting clogged up. The pool service person has indicated the orifices are getting clogged by spider eggs. I know this is a common issue because the spiders are attracted to the smell of the gas. The symptom that usually happens is that the heater starts producing a gas smell when operated, even though you know at least some of the burners are lit. It also takes much longer to heat the spa, another symptom suggesting some of the orifices are blocked.

The cycle of this happens is enough that I'd like to know how to clean the orifices myself. Unfortunately, I haven't had the opportunity to be home when the service guy has come to work on it, so that I can see how it is done. Also, I can't seem to find the model on the label anywhere out there on Raypak's site or a general google search. p-r158bl-en is what's on the unit. I've found that the Raypak p-r185AL looks very similar to it.

I've watched videos of the burner removal and it looks fairly straight forward, but as I examine my heater, I can't follow what needs to be unhooked fully to be able to pull the burner and I was looking for some help/direction. I'll include some pics of my unit below with the front cover off.

Do I need to disconnect the gas line completely to pull the burner out and, if so, at what junction:

 

[JamesW]

It looks wet under the heater. You might have a leak in the heat exchanger.

 

[Pool Clown]

It looks wet under the heater. You might have a leak in the heat exchanger.

The state had some rain over the holiday...

Sublime, If i didn't know any better, i would say that you lost the door to the heater? Keeping the door in place, and the area clean with maybe a shop-vac would do a lot to keep the spiders away. Maybe even running the heater (fan) once a week or so could help. Without the door, it will definitely be a challenge to keep the heater spider free.

 

[sub780lime]

The state had some rain over the holiday...

Sublime, If i didn't know any better, i would say that you lost the door to the heater? Keeping the door in place, and the area clean with maybe a shop-vac would do a lot to keep the spiders away. Maybe even running the heater (fan) once a week or so could help. Without the door, it will definitely be a challenge to keep the heater spider free.

Thanks for the feedback. I removed the door as I was examining the unit. I do have it and keep it installed. I had thought about running the heater periodically, but would that really do anything to keep the spiders away?

As for the moisture, it had rained and the equipment sits only partially under an eave.


And, sorry I missed the posts. I didn't have my notifications set to email. I have fixed that.