Leaking Heater

[Bsqrd]

I have a Laars Pool/Spa heater that is leaking water and has possibly turned the water in my pool blue and stained the pool walls blue. My pool maintainer has drained the pool and flushed the system. My question is about the care that was given to the pool and system. Could the heater be damaged due to poorly maintained chemical balance, or do these things just go bad? I have bypassed the heater until I can afford another heater or is it possible to repair the heater?

[thewired1]

It might be possible to replace or repair the heat exchanger on your heater. You could also pickup a used unit and harvest parts from it. I've successfully repaired a heat exchanger on a pool heat pump with JB weld before.

Regarding how it broke? Rust, age, improper winterizing, etc all could have an effect.

[kelemvor]

Could the heater be damaged due to poorly maintained chemical balance, or do these things just go bad?

Poorly maintained chemical balance is most likely your culprit. Specifically, when pH is allowed to drop below 7 ( the range limit on most test kits) your water is acidic and will corrode the copper from your heater. The copper is in your water and on your pool walls. That's why things are stained blue.


is it possible to repair the heater? If you're handy, it is possible to install a replacement heat exchanger if all the other parts are in good working order. The heat exchanger for my H250 (for example) is only about half what a replacement H250 would cost.


The first thing you need to do is get the copper out of your water and off the pool walls. There's a good write-up here http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?7923-Stain-removal-via-ascorbic-acid-treatment

I'll bow out of instructing you on how to best deal with lots of copper in the water beyond this link. One of the other contributors or mods can probably provide more useful help in that area than I can.

[PoolDoc]

I have a Laars Pool/Spa heater that is leaking water and has possibly turned the water in my pool blue and stained the pool walls blue.

Could the heater be damaged due to poorly maintained chemical balance

Almost certainly, due to low pH. This may be pool wide, or you may have been running chlorine tabs (acid!) in the skimmer, and also using a timer, which results in a low pH / high chlorine 'hot shot' hitting the heater, ever time the pump kicks on, after being off for a few hours.

Raise your pH with borax to above 7.4; do NOT use skimmer tabs IF you use a timer.

To fix the stains, you'll need a K2006 test kit (see link to test kit page in blue signature block).

Try to avoid 'shocking' the pool, which can result in ALL the copper remaining in your pool water suddenly taking up residence as even more stains. Reading this thread will explain more: http://www.poolforum.com/pf2/showthread.php?7923-Stain-removal-via-ascorbic-acid-treatment

BUT, don't start on that treatment process, till you've gotten a handle on testing and managing basic pool chemistry YOURSELF.

[Bsqrd]

Thanks for the info. I was paying a Pool Service to maintain the pool and think they have dropped the ball which will result in me paying a large sum to replace the heater. I will be looking for another service. Very frustrating.

[PoolDoc]

Sorry.

Pool services aren't a bad idea, if they fit your budget -- but learning to test your own pool is essential. Too many in the pool biz are either predatory (mostly, pool chem mfgs) or ignorant (everybody else).

Buy a K2006 . . . and LEARN TO USE IT before you hire your pool service. Then, check your pool monthly.