Winterize Hayward Heater

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E

Eilum

Well-known member
Jun 19, 2016
107
Jackson NJ
First year closing pool myself.

Blew out lines with shop vac attached to a skimmer through system with all drain plugs still in the filter, pump basket and heater.

1. After capping the return lines, tried to blow air into main drain with shop vac but no bubbles but closed off valve anyway. I am wondering if this was a mistake or I should have left it open so any ice build up will have room to expand.

Question #2: Removed drain plug from heater and a whole lot of water came out. This was after the system was blown out. Does this mean that the heater is not ready for winter? What do I do now?

Also, read that the pressure valve has to be drained on these gas heaters. Is that true? How do I do that?

Thanks
 
1. After capping the return lines, tried to blow air into main drain with shop vac but no bubbles but closed off valve anyway. I am wondering if this was a mistake or I should have left it open so any ice build up will have room to expand.
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Shop Vacs are not powerful enough to clear on the line for the main drain. Air compressors most of the time work. I use a Cyclone. Regarding leaving the valve open or closed, this is up to you and I can not tell you what could happen.

Question #2: Removed drain plug from heater and a whole lot of water came out. This was after the system was blown out. Does this mean that the heater is not ready for winter? What do I do now?
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I have not seen drain plugs on any heaters from Hayward, at least other pools. I just sent a message to my distributor to see if there is a drain plug on mine, which I believe there is not. Closed 2 pools Saturday (not in the business) and both gas heaters did not have any drain plugs that I could see.

Where exactly is your drain plug? And yes, the probability is that water will still need to come out if there is a drain plug. My sand filter has water even after I clear out the system on filter, but usually work with recirculate. This is why drain plugs are installed, because they are needed.
 
Where exactly is your drain plug? And yes, the probability is that water will still need to come out if there is a drain plug. My sand filter has water even after I clear out the system on filter, but usually work with recirculate. This is why drain plugs are installed, because they are needed.
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I have one plug under the outlet pipe coming from the heater back to the pool. You screw it out, and water came shooting through. Are you suggesting that I put the MP on recirculate and blow it again with the plug removed? Will that clear the remaining water from the heater?
 
I have one plug under the outlet pipe coming from the heater back to the pool. You screw it out, and water came shooting through. Are you suggesting that I put the MP on recirculate and blow it again with the plug removed? Will that clear the remaining water from the heater?
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No, I am not suggesting this. Is the plug on the plumbing of the heater or to the returns? Can you take a picture? Also, the drain plug should be sufficient. If you clear any water from the heater, the plug will need to be installed. You may have not removed all of it with the shop vac.

I would also go on line and check the manual for your heater regarding winterization.
 
borjis said:
Some heaters have 2 drain plugs and if so, advised to remove both.
usually they are on the opposite side and require removing the other sides panel.
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Are you stating they are behind a hidden panel? The Cyclone was used in the pools I closed. The unit ran for at least 10 minutes. I doubt there is any water left in the units unless some sort of residual. If so, I will need to contact them. Upon opening the pools, the drain plugs were never removed by the individuals who closed the pools. Maybe this is not done around here, but does make a lot of sense.
 
Thanks guys. I have sent this information off to my friends to look for the drain plugs. I can promise you that no one I spoke to does this in NJ, but others may. Spoke to 3 other friends that had pool companies close their pools yesterday and this was not done.
 
I have 2 drain plugs on my Raypak 406A. They're situated pretty much the same way as indicated in Serious1's picture; on the headers on opposite sides of the unit. I remove them after I've blown out the return side of the plumbing. Then I blow air thru the heater to get any remaining water out of it.

My pool builder gave me a free closing yesterday as part of a mesh cover installation. He had no idea what I was talking about when I described this procedure...but the manual tells you to do this. So I did it myself after he left. This guy gives a good explanation of how you winterize a heater.
 
He had no idea what I was talking about when I described this procedure...but the manual tells you to do this. So I did it myself after he left.
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I dug in this a little bit closer with my friends in the business. They indicate that there is no free standing water in the heater and this is the reason why removing the drain plugs is not necessary. In the end, everything is based on comfort. I do not remove the black plug on the pump housing, while others do. The heater is usually the first piece of equipment to receive air during a closing if you have the MPV on recirculate and bypass the sand, which is what I do.

I know people who have stripped the plugs on the pump housing, so maybe leaving them in the heater is not such a bad idea. It all depends on if water can actually get back to the heater after closing. My heater (which has no plug) is about 4'-5' about the level after closing.
 

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No difference between circulate or filter. If the filters in a finished room like mine, on filter mode I remove 95% of the water in the filter. Either way the air going in the return of the filter exits and moves down the line. Recirculate only stops the air from going into the laterals and up the sand, it won't affect blowing anything else free of water down the line to the returns.
 
Catanzaro said:
Are you stating they are behind a hidden panel?
Click to expand...

Ya
RayPak owner here.

The installer from the pool co showed me (when I asked) where the exposed drain plug
was. But that this heater had 2 and I could remove the other one as well.
The instruction video from RayPak recommended and showed removing both.

I busted my old Lars heater last year by not draining it during a rare 2 week long super deep
freeze we had last winter. The water was frozen the day I tried to drain it. I did
fortunately put an empty milk jug full of pebbles in the skimmer. I'm sure it would have
cracked had I not.

I will be draining the heater / pump / filter EVERY year now regardless of forecast
on Thanksgiving weekend with no water in those items until march first.

no more dumb / costly mistakes!
 
Borjis:

I will be draining the heater / pump / filter EVERY year now regardless of forecast
on Thanksgiving weekend with no water in those items until march first.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the heads up. I do not have a drain plug on my heat pump. Did you not close your pool the traditional way by clearing the lines lout with a pool blower? I know there are drain plugs, but I was told they are not removed because of the closing procedure.

I did fortunately put an empty milk jug full of pebbles in the skimmer. I'm sure it would have
cracked had I not.
Click to expand...

Did you not clear the lines either in the skimmer? Thanks!
 
Catanzaro said:
Borjis:
Thanks for the heads up. I do not have a drain plug on my heat pump. Did you not close your pool the traditional way by clearing the lines lout with a pool blower? I know there are drain plugs, but I was told they are not removed because of the closing procedure.
Did you not clear the lines either in the skimmer? Thanks!
Click to expand...

In my region there's never been a freeze in history that would freeze
damage the underground plumbing, so a lot of folks here just keep the pool
at fill level through the winter, but do drain equipment and jug the skimmer to be safe.

It's not unusual to go through most winters with no snow or ice days.

About 300 miles north east of here it's a completely different story.

Would definitely close / blow out pipes if I lived there.
They get feet of snow every year like clockwork.
 
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