On my 4th Heater going into 5th season
- Thread starter Latch
- Start date
- Dec 13, 2020
- 902
- Pool Size
- 19600
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
A fellow Mastertemp owner here. A practice that can cause early failure is running the heater with the water consistently cold. (The manual says 68F, which is 20C.) This causes combustion gasses to condense in the heater, and they're quite acidic.
- Jul 21, 2013
- 64,901
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
Saying the pressure is good does not tell us anything to diagnose your problem. We need to know the numbers before and after the heater starts.
A heater should last 5 to 15 years. The people who you say are qualified should be able to diagnose the root cause and not simply throw up their hands and replace one heater after another. Are any of the people who touched your heater NATE certified?
Natex - NATE
natex.org
If you cannot dig into the details of the heater then you need to find someone who will.
Are you capable of dissembling the heater?
What does Penatir say about your problems?
Thanks. The water temp is set to about 84F. So if never dips below 74F ish when the pool is open. Don’t think that would do it. A heater a season is crazy. Is your pool salt or chlorine?
- Dec 13, 2020
- 902
- Pool Size
- 19600
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Jandy Aquapure 1400
It's been both. The heater was reportedly 2 years old when we bought the house in summer 2020, I'm pretty sure using liquid chlorine because the salt system was broken. Fixed that and have been using the salt system for 5 years now April to November. The rest of the year it's pucks in a floater. Note the salt was about 1500 even before boosting it to start running the cell. Unfortunately the first ~4 months I did not realize it was important that the plumbing had the generator before the heater. I was new to pools and learning. (Don't trust home inspectors.) Fixed that asap, but have been expecting a shortened life. So far (fingers crossed, knocking on wood) all good at 7 years. During the 4 months, we still had a big single-speed pump putting ~90 gpm through the system. This probably helped.
In case useful, our normal is CYA 60-70, FC 7-10, pH 7.3-8.0, TA 60, CH 400. One other detail is we only use the heater for the attached spa for maybe 60 hours of operation per year max.
Trust the experts here. They've helped me through several pool adventures.
One other low probability is some kind of unusual galvanic action. The heater must be bonded.
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Thanks for the tips and info. My water chemistry is similar to yours but my chlorine levels are a lot lower and my salt is at 3100. The usage is likely 3-5 hours a day as I have a shady backyard. So the total time will add up through the season, I don’t think it’s too much though. There is a chance my last two heaters were unlimited and real manufacturer defects.
Pentair sends the tech in and then the tech says the heater has a manufacturer defect. I can dissemble the heater to a certain point, what are you asking me to do? I can get the numbers you are asking for when I open the pool.Saying the pressure is good does not tell us anything to diagnose your problem. We need to know the numbers before and after the heater starts.
A heater should last 5 to 15 years. The people who you say are qualified should be able to diagnose the root cause and not simply throw up their hands and replace one heater after another. Are any of the people who touched your heater NATE certified?
Natex - NATE
If you cannot dig into the details of the heater then you need to find someone who will.
Are you capable of dissembling the heater?
What does Penatir say about your problems?
Your gas line is a 3/4" line, you measure the inside diameter.
Has anyone checked the incoming gas pressure? If it is too high, it will "blow" past the main gas valve when it is open (it can only regulate a certain amount of pressure measured in inches of water column, with a maximum of 10 or .037 psig.) and fill the combustion chamber so fast that you can get "explosive" combustion that can blow the venturi off the air blower. Have only ever heard of it one other time, and those heaters have been around for over 30 years.
I’m going to ck these numbers and the incoming gas pressure. Thank you.
- May 23, 2015
- 25,684
- Pool Size
- 16000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
There is actually a specific gas pressure check process that involves three measurements -
You also should know what your incoming utility service provides - gas pressure and maximum flow rate. There are many different options for residential gas setups and sometimes the output of the gas meter is setup to be a “high” pressure line that then needs to be regulated at the particular appliance. It is entirely possible that your service pressure is too high and that is causing these failures. Only a properly certified gas plumber can and should do these checks.
- Static pressure relative to atmospheric pressure on the input side (typically no higher than 11-14” WC)
- Dynamic pressure relative to atmospheric pressure on the input side (once the heater is running), typically no less than 4” WC but no higher than 9” WC
- Pressure differential across the valve (typically -0.2” WC)
You also should know what your incoming utility service provides - gas pressure and maximum flow rate. There are many different options for residential gas setups and sometimes the output of the gas meter is setup to be a “high” pressure line that then needs to be regulated at the particular appliance. It is entirely possible that your service pressure is too high and that is causing these failures. Only a properly certified gas plumber can and should do these checks.
Had an above ground pool installer in today and he said that the pool isn’t bonded. I had no idea. He mentioned this can cause Galvanic Corrosion, rapid corrosion of any metal parts. Is it possible this has also damaged my pool heater?
- Jul 21, 2013
- 64,901
- Pool Size
- 35000
- Surface
- Plaster
- Chlorine
- Salt Water Generator
- SWG Type
- Pentair Intellichlor IC-60
What model pool are we discussing?
It will be obvious if you have galvanic corrosion anywhere around your pool.
Bonding does not prevent galvanic corrosion. Sacrificial anodes can prevent galvanic corrosion.
Galvanic corrosion - Wikipedia
And no, lack of bonding did not cause the heater problems you have been having.
Electrical Bonding - Further Reading
www.troublefreepool.com
Thanks for the info and links. I have no corrosion like that around the pool. I have an all resin above ground pool, the only metal is the shell. I will still have it bonded at the seem. Thanks again