I just installed a new raypak 336btu heater. The one thing I noticed my old heater has in common with all the raypak heaters I have seen in utube videos is the corrosion in the cabinet. Would it help to cover the heater in the off season, to prevent water infiltration?
should I cover my heater
- Thread starter adl6009
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 65,414
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
No, that is not what is causing corrosion in Raypak heaters. And covers provide nice cover for rodents to nest in it over the winter and do more damage.
Covers over heaters trap condensation. And, as ajw22 said, provide a great home to rodents. Condensation has a low pH.
A properly installed RayPak will not have any more rust issues than any other atmospheric heater. That means a "normal" amount of rain, no sprinklers spraying on it, etc. Also, rainwater, which could also have a low pH, pouring off a roof will destroy a heater. Had one that lasted a year as the customer "promised" to install a rain gutter above the heater, that replaced the one the rain had destroyed, but "never got around to it." Electronics, gone. Cabinet, full of water. He seldom used the heater so it never was heated to dry it out.
Older RayPak heaters did have an issue with debris building up underneath as the "feet" on the cabinet were very low. I would always use a few bricks to raise the cabinet and the issue never arose again if even a small amount of "housekeeping" was performed at the equipment pad. New ones are higher off the ground but still need some cleaning underneath. Wet debris sitting against the bottom when the heater is firing will result in some rust, even though that part of the heater is made of stainless steel.
In general Rapaks have lots of open slots on the top where foliage this time of the year fall in which in turn just adds to the moisture retention heping it to its demise. Yearly the top "HOT" cover should be removed and vacuum the top of the heat exchanger and the baffles on the three sides to give it some more longevity.
I agree with those comments.. I don't cover my ac unit for these reasons also. One thing I failed to do on the old unit was clearing out the bottom space. This was pretty clogged up when I removed the old unit. Thanks.