Quote Originally Posted by mas985 View Post
Pool heaters, including water heaters, make a sort of poping sound if there is enough sediment build up in the heat exchanger. How long have you had the heater and have you ever had the heat exchanger cleaned? Also, does your pool tend to have high calcium hardness?
We've recently gone through a period where I had a hard time stabilizing alkalinity and PH. I use a cartridge filter and even the cartridge was clogged with "plaque", I had to soak the cartridge in muriatic acid and water to dissolve the build up. When rinsed afterward, a stream of milky white water flowed off the cartridge. This certainly restored the filter performance and flow as well.

This is only the 2nd season with the heater, and even though it's been HOT temperature wise, my kids and wife love and use the heater almost daily, especially at night. So it has gotten considerable use this season.

We've never had the heat exchanger cleaned. I did rinse the unit out when I closed down last season for the winter, and then let it dry, and stored the heater inside throughout the winter. If cleaning the heat exchanger means rinsing it, I can certainly remove the plumbing and clean it out with the garden hose.

Thanks,
Phil