Roy McGowan 9/15/2011

Heaters
Roy McGowan 5/10/2011

I always ask the question, "Why are you replacing your heater?" and sometimes I'm surprised at the answer. In most cases it's leaking. Now, I know, it doesn't matter whose heater you install, you mess with the chemistry of the pool water enough and it will cause the heater to leak. Heaters are built to last at least ten to twenty years. When they leak after a few years of service it"s usually because of corrosive water. The copper in the heater should hold up for twenty years with no problem. It is when you add the mix of pool water and its issues, that you can get corrosive water. Any bromine tablet put into the skimmer or feeder going through the equipment will have concentrated amounts of chemical going through the heater, stripping away the copper. That's why I am surprised. If you replace the heater and continue the same bad habits, the new heater will also leak prematurely. You need to dilute any tablet into the main body of water before it goes through your equipment. You also have to keep the PH from dropping below 7.4 which would mean the water is turning into an acid and that will also strip away the copper.

Now there are some heaters that have rust issues. If the equipment pad is lower than the grade or a sidewalk is poured higher after the equipment is set, the water doesn't drain away from the heater and can cause the bottom of the heater to rust away. There have been many times I have pulled a heater out only to leave the bottom middle section rusted completly out, sitting on the pad. If you have this problem, raise up the new heater, so water won't collect and lay at the bottom of the heater. Other rust problems can come from inside the heater. A small leak or condensation can deteriorate the integrity of the heater, causing structure issues.

When replacing a heater I always go back to the heater's footprint and try to match what you're replacing. Each manufacturer makes different size units, so if you're replacing a Raypak heater, its footprint should stay the same. Measure the width and the depth of the heater, making sure the new heater will fit into the same area. Some pool builders give you all the room you need and others cram all the equipment into a small space.

Both Raypak and Teledyne Laars (now Jandy), have been making heaters since the early 1950's and in my opinion they have put a lot of great engineering into their units. When you are ready to replace your heater, stick with one of these two brands.Need help in troubleshooting your problem
Roy McGowan 6/22/2010

Many times parts are ordered and when they are installed, it didn't fix the problem. A few simple checks are always in order before ordering expensive parts. But what are the things you need to check?

Depending on you problem and the piece of equipment you are working on, you should always look at the installation manual. It has troubleshooting guidelines that take you step by step to many problems. If you dont have the manual, get your model number off the equipment and we have Manuals located under the Categories bar so you can look at your particular equipment.

We have also added a section to our web site called Technical Support. This section has a lot of great information on how your equipment works and troubleshooting ideas. Then you can ask the expert, well thats me. Email me your question and I will give you advice. We at Parts Depot are here to help you, just ask or give us a call, and again thank you for stopping by.