After educating myself as best I can by watching videos and searching the forums, wondering if someone could help me (as much as you can virtually) diagnose my heater. It seems to function fine, but leaks from the bottom manifold bolt hole. This season it seemed worse. I've attached pictures of what I think are the pertinent angles, but let me know if I'm missing anything. Hoping maybe it's just the manifold that needs replacement, but read somewhere that if you're leaking out the bottom bolt then the heat exchanger is bad. Thanks in advance to this great community!
Sta Rite Max E Therm heater diagnosis
- Thread starter puckerth
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,741
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
You probably have some pinhole leaks in the heat exchanger.
You can do what @PoolGate did in the thread below and assemble the heat exchanger with the burner can top open and circulate water through it. You will see if water is leaking.
www.troublefreepool.com
You can do what @PoolGate did in the thread below and assemble the heat exchanger with the burner can top open and circulate water through it. You will see if water is leaking.
Jandy JXI400N - Trouble Air
BTW I would LOVE to take out the stupid useless worthless POS plastic pads and put a proper poured concrete pad instead. I might do that one day.
www.troublefreepool.com
Thanks. Unfortunately pool is shut down so not able to hook up like that. At least for a few months! Also read a radiator place could possibly identify and fix leaks, but also read questions on whether it would hold up to the heat of these.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,741
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
A radiator repair is done with solder and will not holdup in a heater.
If the heat exchanger is leaking it needs to be replaced.
If the heat exchanger is leaking it needs to be replaced.
Use a garden hose to push water through each tube to look for a leak.
Maybe put your hand over the other end to create some back pressure.
Maybe put your hand over the other end to create some back pressure.
At the very least you need a new heat exchanger. Repairs are not an option, it gets too hot in the combustion chamber for anything to hold up. That's about a $1500.00 repair. You've got half the job done already.
Minor update. Brought to my local pool store. They are going to look through spare parts and see if they have anything that could work. Luckily I have few months to figure this out.
Ok, so no spare parts available at my local store. They stated the parts would be >$2k plus shipping, and recommended a new heater for ~$4k given my current heater is 13 years old. I was able to find a heat exchanger and manifold for about $1.2k shipped on Amazon.
Thoughts/recommendations on which route you'd go? And where you would source parts or new heater? I'm confident in myself doing the install, however you'd factor that in.
Thanks as always!
Thoughts/recommendations on which route you'd go? And where you would source parts or new heater? I'm confident in myself doing the install, however you'd factor that in.
Thanks as always!
- Jul 21, 2013
- 53,741
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
I would buy a new heater rather then put $1,200+ into a 13 year old heater.
New heater costs $4K. Let's say you get 10 years out of the heater then your cost $400/year. If you can get 3 years from your $1,200 repair then you are breakeven. Do you want to bet your old heater will go another 4 years without needing more repairs?
New heater costs $4K. Let's say you get 10 years out of the heater then your cost $400/year. If you can get 3 years from your $1,200 repair then you are breakeven. Do you want to bet your old heater will go another 4 years without needing more repairs?