My pool is new last August .... I notice it sounds like gravel rattling inside the cup?
What is this thing Anode for going into my heater and do I need to do any maintenance on it?
- Thread starter RuggedPool
- Start date
- Jul 21, 2013
- 54,775
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
- Jul 21, 2013
- 54,775
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
ProTek Shield – Raypak
Raypak Pool & Spa, Residential and Commercial Hydronic Products -
www.raypak.com
Last edited:
that is it...now I'll research the rattleProTek Shield – Raypak
Raypak Pool & Spa, Residential and Commercial Hydronic Products -
- May 3, 2007
- 17,225
- Pool Size
- 20000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Hayward Aqua Rite (T-15)
I can't tell from the picture but is then anode bonded to the equipment via the wing nut on the bottom? It must have a direct electrical contact to the heater metal in order to provide protection.
Found it. Yep. The wing nut is bonded to through the interior of the heater to the standard bonding location in the lower-right corner of the heater, so we're good. Now I just have to figure out which part of this anode assembly is supposed to weigh 1.46 lb. originally, and what it weighs now, to see if it's less than 40%. They listed the weight with a # sign (aka hashtag these days) so it was hard for others on this forum to find the weight in any normal sort of units haha!
Attachments
From the manual for the heater, here is the replacement procedure. Picking up a strap wrench from the hardware store, then I can follow this to remove it. Maybe it will be obvious once I weigh the assembly (after dumping out the corroded material).
Follow the steps below to replace the ProTek Shield Assy:
Follow the steps below to replace the ProTek Shield Assy:
- Shut off the pool pump and bleed pressure from the system.
- Close isolation valves to minimize pool/spa water loss.
- Remove wing nut from bottom stud on ProTek Shield Assy.
- Remove bonding wire ring terminal from stud.
- Rotate ProTek Shield Assy clockwise (by hand) to unscrew it from the assembly.
- Inspect/replace as necessary and reverse above procedure to reinstall. Hand tighten only! Do not use tools.
There are other forum posts older than 60 days on this, but the manual states when it is reduced to 40% of the original mass of 1.46 pounds. I'll probably remove it to at least clear the corrosion and weight it, to see what is 1.46 pounds. Not sure if the whole subassembly is replaced or just a zinc slug.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 54,775
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Ok. I'll have to struggle to separate it from the container.
However, upon reviewing some old threads, calling on @JoyfulNoise again. Is this explanation bonkers? The guy is a mechanical engineer from Pentair, not sure if he's a lesser expert, or a conflict of interest:
- Jul 21, 2013
- 54,775
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Interesting article. The science he describes is sound.
We are managing a residential pool outside and not a nuclear power plant with full time maintenance workers. Put materials outside with water with chemicals and heat and corrosion happens. Nature reclaims materials.
If Pentair and other pool equipment manufactures wanted to, they could build equipment that was more corrosion proof. Of course it would cost more and most consumers will not pay more for better quality.
Zinc anodes have been around for a long time. If they really helped they would be standard in pool equipment.
Pool manufacturers would rather blame the customer than build better equipment. It’s not just pool equipment. Lots of consumer products don’t have the quality of construction and last as long as they did 30 years ago. We have become a low cost disposable product society.
We are managing a residential pool outside and not a nuclear power plant with full time maintenance workers. Put materials outside with water with chemicals and heat and corrosion happens. Nature reclaims materials.
If Pentair and other pool equipment manufactures wanted to, they could build equipment that was more corrosion proof. Of course it would cost more and most consumers will not pay more for better quality.
Zinc anodes have been around for a long time. If they really helped they would be standard in pool equipment.
Pool manufacturers would rather blame the customer than build better equipment. It’s not just pool equipment. Lots of consumer products don’t have the quality of construction and last as long as they did 30 years ago. We have become a low cost disposable product society.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,649
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The article is a fine primer on corrosion and the author does a decent job of bringing the issue down to the level of the reader. As he states at the end, corrosion is far more complex than can be stated in a 2 page article … there are thick textbooks written on the subject!
The zinc anode adds a LAYER of protection to the heater but it will not solve all forms of corrosion. Draft air style heaters tend to suffer from more from their burner trays corroding than any other part as it is simply the part of the heater that sees the most extreme swings. Anyone that has ever taken apart a gas BBQ grill to repair/replace parts knows what combustion gases can do to any metallic components. Honestly, if a person wanted to keep a heater going like that, you’d replace the burner tray every other year.
So how much will a zinc anode delay corrosion failure … hard to say. It really depends a lot on how the unit is operated and what it is exposed to. It will solve one form of corrosion but there are many others that can take place.
As with all things pool related, preventative maintenance with a good schedule of replacement activities would go a long way to keeping pools running trouble free. Manufacturers could do a lot more in informing pool owners what parts should be replaced and when with ample spares on hand to sell to consumers but they don’t. And so most pool owners simply have to wait until something fails and then figure out how to get it fixed. But I suspect if a person saw a preventative maintenance flow chart for a piece of equipment with life cycle costs for spare parts, they’d never build a pool in the first place
The zinc anode adds a LAYER of protection to the heater but it will not solve all forms of corrosion. Draft air style heaters tend to suffer from more from their burner trays corroding than any other part as it is simply the part of the heater that sees the most extreme swings. Anyone that has ever taken apart a gas BBQ grill to repair/replace parts knows what combustion gases can do to any metallic components. Honestly, if a person wanted to keep a heater going like that, you’d replace the burner tray every other year.
So how much will a zinc anode delay corrosion failure … hard to say. It really depends a lot on how the unit is operated and what it is exposed to. It will solve one form of corrosion but there are many others that can take place.
As with all things pool related, preventative maintenance with a good schedule of replacement activities would go a long way to keeping pools running trouble free. Manufacturers could do a lot more in informing pool owners what parts should be replaced and when with ample spares on hand to sell to consumers but they don’t. And so most pool owners simply have to wait until something fails and then figure out how to get it fixed. But I suspect if a person saw a preventative maintenance flow chart for a piece of equipment with life cycle costs for spare parts, they’d never build a pool in the first place
Makes sense. Thanks.The article is a fine primer on corrosion and the author does a decent job of bringing the issue down to the level of the reader. As he states at the end, corrosion is far more complex than can be stated in a 2 page article … there are thick textbooks written on the subject!
The zinc anode adds a LAYER of protection to the heater but it will not solve all forms of corrosion. Draft air style heaters tend to suffer from more from their burner trays corroding than any other part as it is simply the part of the heater that sees the most extreme swings. Anyone that has ever taken apart a gas BBQ grill to repair/replace parts knows what combustion gases can do to any metallic components. Honestly, if a person wanted to keep a heater going like that, you’d replace the burner tray every other year.
So how much will a zinc anode delay corrosion failure … hard to say. It really depends a lot on how the unit is operated and what it is exposed to. It will solve one form of corrosion but there are many others that can take place.
As with all things pool related, preventative maintenance with a good schedule of replacement activities would go a long way to keeping pools running trouble free. Manufacturers could do a lot more in informing pool owners what parts should be replaced and when with ample spares on hand to sell to consumers but they don’t. And so most pool owners simply have to wait until something fails and then figure out how to get it fixed. But I suspect if a person saw a preventative maintenance flow chart for a piece of equipment with life cycle costs for spare parts, they’d never build a pool in the first place
We tend to run out equipment for enjoyment and not worry too much. I try to be easier on the pump though, since variable rpm allows that. We also keep the chemistry as tight as we can, and maybe that's the best you can do.
- May 23, 2015
- 24,649
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
The biggest thing that kills heaters is having pool water that is out of balance chemically with low pH being the biggest culprit. Inline trichlor feeders are the biggest killer of heaters because they create a corrosive stew of chlorine and low pH when the pump turns off. Even though the manufacturers tell builders to add check valves in between the chlorinator and heater to avoid back flow, it's impossible to avoid. Eventually the corrosive mixture from the chlorinator hits the heat exchanger and the copper is severely degraded.
Another problem is when people add chemicals directly to a skimmer. It's just not the right thing to do.
It sounds like you have good control over your pool and that is the most important thing. Keeping an eye on the equipment and doing simple visual checks along with some regular maintenance will give you the best shot at keeping equipment running for the long haul.
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