Gulfstream Heat pump stopped heating

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treimche

treimche

Well-known member
Nov 8, 2023
50
Lehigh Acres, FL
Pool Size
13000
Surface
Plaster
Chlorine
Salt Water Generator
SWG Type
Jandy Truclear / Ei
I had a Gulfstream HE150RA 150k heat pump installed back in late March, and suddenly it has stopped heating. It is within the manufacturer warranty so they will have to troubleshoot and fix it, but I would like to see if there's something else that could cause the problem.

We didn't use the heater much throughout the summer since we are in SW FL and it's hot but now that it has cooled off, we wanted to heat the pool and spa. I ran the heat pump for a few days last week before our company arrived for Christmas and everything worked great. Pool was warm, spa was nice and warm, then we tried turning on the spa heat the other night, but the spa didn't heat up. I have tried turning all equipment off/on, turned the breakers off/on etc and the heat pump will still seem like it's working, but just doesn't heat up the water.

Could there be something in the Jandy iAqualink causing this to happen? I don't see how, since I haven't changed anything, but electronics and technology....... can be weird.
 

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treimche said:
I had a Gulfstream HE150RA 150k heat pump installed back in late March, and suddenly it has stopped heating. It is within the manufacturer warranty so they will have to troubleshoot and fix it, but I would like to see if there's something else that could cause the problem.

We didn't use the heater much throughout the summer since we are in SW FL and it's hot but now that it has cooled off, we wanted to heat the pool and spa. I ran the heat pump for a few days last week before our company arrived for Christmas and everything worked great. Pool was warm, spa was nice and warm, then we tried turning on the spa heat the other night, but the spa didn't heat up. I have tried turning all equipment off/on, turned the breakers off/on etc and the heat pump will still seem like it's working, but just doesn't heat up the water.

Could there be something in the Jandy iAqualink causing this to happen? I don't see how, since I haven't changed anything, but electronics and technology....... can be weird.
Click to expand...
Probably the temp sensor. Did you figure it out?
 
Yeah it is fixed. Gulf Stream sent out a tech to diagnose and fix the unit. The wiring to the contractor was burnt badly. I guess it was drawing too much amperage at startup. He replaced it and also added something called a hard start. Now when the heater starts, it sounds like it starts up a bit slower and smoother. Before, when it would start, it would make a quick loud buzz noise as it kicked on. Glad it’s fixed under warranty and working again.
 

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treimche said:
Yeah it is fixed. Gulf Stream sent out a tech to diagnose and fix the unit. The wiring to the contractor was burnt badly. I guess it was drawing too much amperage at startup. He replaced it and also added something called a hard start. Now when the heater starts, it sounds like it starts up a bit slower and smoother. Before, when it would start, it would make a quick loud buzz noise as it kicked on. Glad it’s fixed under warranty and working again.
Click to expand...
YIKES! I think you meant a soft start. That's great they came out and fixed it. I am deciding between a gulfstream HP, or Hayward. I have time to decide.
 
treimche said:
He replaced it and also added something called a hard start. Now when the heater starts, it sounds like it starts up a bit slower and smoother. Before, when it would start, it would make a quick loud buzz noise as it kicked on.
Click to expand...
Soft Start is a device attached to AC and HP that reduce the initial start-up power surge needed. It is basically a large capacitor that absorbs some of the power surge and slowly feeds it to the compressor motor.

It is also another capacitor to fail as the HP ages.
 
They make a hard start kit for the heat pump, but I don’t know when that is appropriate to use.

This might be the correct Hard Start Kit for the heat pump (Verify to be sure).

473027 HARD START KIT TRANE AKTSTART

I don't think it would help your current issue, but maybe something to consider after you get it working.

Maybe ask Pentair if it would be beneficial.

1736705450413.png

Pentair ultratemp 140 heat pump compressor not starting

Have an ultratemp 140 (heat only) pump, installed in 2020. Had it running this weekend but noticed it was not heating the water. Fan runs but water exiting is cold, air blowing out of unit is air temperature not cooler as is normal, and no water condensate, so compressor is clearly not running...
www.troublefreepool.com www.troublefreepool.com
 

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JamesW said:

Hard and Soft Starters in the HVAC Industry – Which Is Right For You?

Starters are used in the HVAC industry for single-phase compressors. These compressors use permanent split capacitor (PSC) type motors for ratings above 0.5kW. Start assist devices can be the “hard start” or “soft start” type. But
www.briskheat.com www.briskheat.com

Comparison of hard start and soft start | Eltwin

www.eltwin.com www.eltwin.com
Click to expand...
Hard starter

A “hard starter” reduces system start-up time by spiking the in-rush current. It’s used when the electrical current may need a boost to get the A/C system operating. It increases in-rush to the compressor and doesn’t provide any protective benefits.

Soft starter

A “soft starter” increases the efficiency and longevity of HVAC units and heat pumps. It reduces the in-rush current needed for compressors to start by 60%, thus minimizing potential damage to compressors from mechanical shock hard-starting current surges. Additionally, it reduces the required size of a generator needed to start the system by 60%.
 
The Gulf Stream technician definitely said he installed a "hard start" which I thought sounded odd, but it is working well now. One of these days I'll pop the cover off the side of the heat pump and look in there to see what it looks like.
 
It makes more sense to install a Soft Start to lower the in rush current and prevent overheating the contactor.
 
ajw22 said:
It makes more sense to install a Soft Start to lower the in rush current and prevent overheating the contactor.
Click to expand...
Agree, that's why I was saying it's gotta be a soft start. I'm thinking that's probably what was installed. On a side note, it's concerning that the unit needs one. I'm thinking there's an issue on the el feed to unit to cause the initial burnt out part. Almost thinking it's not getting enough amps.
 
suzook said:
Agree, that's why I was saying it's gotta be a soft start. I'm thinking that's probably what was installed.
Click to expand...
In my opinion, it was probably a Hard Start kit that was installed.

The service person said hard start kit and I doubt that they said the wrong thing.

The only way to tell for sure is to open it up and take a look.
 
treimche said:
I guess it was drawing too much amperage at startup.
Click to expand...
It's not just the amperage, but the amount of time that the wires are carrying the amperage.

The equation for power in terms of current and resistance is P = I² * R, where P is power (in watts), I is current (in amperes), and R is resistance (in ohms).

Current is squared, so at 2x current , you get four times the heat generated.

If the compressor is not starting, then the current stays high for an extended time and the wires get really hot.

In my opinion, hard start and soft start kits should only be used in limited circumstances.

Most likely, the compressor was not turning over and needed the extra boost of a hard start kit, which would indicate a possible problem with the compressor or other issues making the compressor lock up.
 
JamesW said:
In my opinion, it was probably a Hard Start kit that was installed.

The service person said hard start kit and I doubt that they said the wrong thing.

The only way to tell for sure is to open it up and take a look.
Click to expand...
That does not mean the hard start kit will prevent another burnt contactor.

Replacing the contactor alone likely would have fixed the problem.

@treimche what warranty do you have on that repair work?
 
ajw22 said:
Replacing the contactor alone likely would have fixed the problem.
Click to expand...
Possibly.

All we can do is speculate on the exact problem and if the service person made the right choice.

If the compressor was not starting, the current stays high and the wires will get too hot fairly quickly.

If the compressor does not turn over, the current stays at the LRA (Locked Rotor Amps).

Locked rotor amps (LRA) is the amount of current a motor draws when its rotor is suddenly stopped while the motor is running.

It's also known as inrush current.

LRA is usually five to seven times the motor's full load amps (FLA).
 

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