Staying comfortable in the heat of summer also means staying cool. There’s no better way to stay cool than to immerse yourself in your own custom pool. It adds beauty and ambiance to your backyard while making a Texas summer tolerable.
But there is such a thing as a pool that’s too cold. When your pool heater malfunctions, your dream oasis can turn chilly quickly.
You can complete a few simple pool heater maintenance tasks to keep your pool heater running efficiently. Keep reading to learn general and specific pool heater troubleshooting tips should you experience a broken pool heater.
General Pool Heater Tips
Your swimming pool should have relatively simple pieces of equipment to keep it running as it should. The pool heater, however, tops the list of the more complicated pieces of equipment.
If the pool heater breaks down completely, contact a pool company that specializes in how to fix a broken pool heater. You can prevent a broken pool heater, however, by knowing how to maintain a pool heater.
Follow these basic pool heater maintenance steps.
Hose Off the Coils
Locate the coil of your heater. It looks like metal vanes on the outside of the heater. These coils draw heat from the outside air.
The coils and your heater can malfunction when dirt and debris clog them. Regular cleaning will keep them running efficiently.
Turn off your heat pump by shutting off the breaker. Then use your garden hose and a nozzle to wash the external coils of your heater. Start at the top and work your way to the bottom.
If you find greasy dirt, use a mild detergent like Simple Green to clean off the grease and gunk.
Go Deeper
Clean the organic matter that has gathered at the bottom of your pump. You may find mud, leaves, and other goodies that Mother Nature has left.
If you’re tall enough, you can scoop the matter out with your hands. Otherwise, use a wet/dry vac to clean it out. Make sure your side openings are clear so rain can run out as well.
While you’re inside the heater, clean off the fan blades with a rag. Dirt will accumulate on the edge of the blades and eventually cause problems.
As you clean the blades, make the blades are not wobbly. If they wobble, you may have a bad bearing.
Inspect Wire and Insulation
You can see a potential problem with simple inspections on your own before they manifest themselves in a broken heater.
Start with the writing. Examine the wiring coming from the breaker box, and ensure it has proper conduit with tight connections on each end. Keep an eye out for chewed or loose wiring.
If you notice a problem with the wiring, contact an electrician immediately.
Take a moment to check out your refrigerant line insulation as well. The black foam on the line can deteriorate over time. You can repair this problem yourself by picking up new pipe insulation at a local hardware store.
Maintain Flames
Since you’re in your heater’s business, you should take time to inspect your heater flame. Here’s a basic step-by-step process so you do not end up pool heater troubleshooting in the future:
- Remove the burner shield
- Inspect the height and color of the flames with a hand mirror while the heater is running
- Make sure all the burners have flames
- Make sure all the flames are blue and strong
If a burner is missing a flame, it may simply be clogged. Turn off the heater by pulling the breaker, and then use a paper clip or wire to clean the clogged burner.
If you have low or poor flames, you may have a defective fan, a sooted heat exchanger, low gas pressure, or a defective gas regulator. You will need a pool maintenance company to look at and fix these particular problems.
Troubleshooting Heater Leaks
You may have leaks here and there in your pool system. Rarely can you find a water-tight system. But if you find water inside your heater, you have a problem.
To begin your troubleshooting efforts, look on the inside. Look for leaks around drain plugs, pressure switches, and header gaskets. Even tiny pinhole leaks can cause erosion if you have too much water or low pH water.
If you’re attempting to heat very cold water, condensation will form on the floor of the heater. This is not a leak, and it will evaporate once the pool water rises to the appropriate temperature.
Natural Problems
You can do one more thing to keep your pool heater running smoothly. Break out the pruning shears.
While bushes and trees look beautiful and offer the necessary shade to relieve you in the Texas heat, they can also wreak havoc on your pool heater.
Make sure you prune bushes and trees back away from your heater to keep it free of organic material not to mention the animals and insects that inhabit foilage. If you’re just installing your pool and pool heater, place the heater in a sunny, foilage-free spot.
Keep mulch away from your heater as well. It traps moisture, attracts insects, and can produce acidic humidity. Use paver stones or gravel around the heater instead.
Stay Cool With a Heater
Your pool heater is an essential item for staying cool in the Texas summer. Without it, your oasis of a backyard will just look pretty but lose its functionality. A few basic maintenance steps will keep your heater running efficiently for a long time.
Are you have trouble with your pool heater? Or do you just want an entirely new custom pool? Contact us for all your pool needs.
We keep Katy, Texas residents cool with custom pools and pool services. We carry top-of-the-line products and services, and we can turn your dreams into reality with our custom pools.
Take a minute to check out our gallery. If you’re having trouble with your pool, we offer pool service as well as pool building services. Contact us today.
