ps0303

You have a lot going on here. The pic showing the hole in the side of the pool, I would guess it's the line for a dedicated vacuum port. Now the question is where is the other end. It's probably one of those capped off pipes you showed in the picture. The easiest way to determine would be to cut one of the caps off, or drill a hole in one, and blow some air into it. Hopefully you will see some air bubble come out on that hol ein the side of the pool. If so, that is your vacuum line. Yes your plumbing is a mess and has seen lots of changes do to all of the couplers I see. To clean it up would be a task but can be done. You jsut have to verify and label all of the pipes so when you start making changes you don't forget whats what. There should be some sort of a button, switch, or something by the spa for the bubbler. Is there any type of controll unit by the equipment?

Usually this issue is a sign that the check vavle for the spa is not closing when the pump shuts off. This is a pretty common thing. However, you should have to be adding water as the water from the spa should be flowing back into the pool and then when the pump turns on, the water should fill back inot the spa to the correct level. Also, do you have an automatic valves that are controlled by a remote/control system? Possible that the spa valve isn't closed all the way also allowing water to leak back into the pool when the pump is off. Since the spa sits up higher than the poo, when the pump shuts off, the water is going to seek it's own level. So the spa leaks water back into the pool from the jets in the spa due to the check valve not closing. So look for a check valve, usually above ground, somewhere on the return side of the plumbing for your pool.

Stuff gets down around the knob and then it just freezes up. You could try to blow it out with a can of compressed air but I would say replace the gas valve and problem is solved.

If you had removed the top of the heater where the display is at, while the pump is running and the heater is turned on, and turned it over, there are LEDS with abreviations next to each one and they relate to various parts on the heater safety circuit. The eluminated LED would most likley tell you what is wrong. For example, if the "PS" LED is lit, then it's probably the pressure switch.

If you are worried about the thin heat exchangers, all manufacuturers are cheap, then I would suggest purchasing a Hayward heater as they come standard with cupro-nickle heat exchanger or just purchase the upgrade to a cupro-nickle heat exchange that most manufactureres offer. However, this is not necessary if you manage your pool chemicals properly. Not only are you ruining a heater with bad chemistry, but you can also be ruining other equipment as well as your pool surface. So get your chemicals under control first and keep it that way. As for heaters and which one is better, they all have their issues. I always look at the units with the least cost of ownership. Down the road as time goes on, when the heater breaks what will it cost me to fix it. Which unit(s) has the least amount of parts that could possibly break down. While Pentair is a great name and a decent heater, it does have a blower motor that if it rusts out, could cost $800 to replace depending on who does the job. Also, even though I mentioned it, the Hayward unit has expensive parts as well. It has the blower motor and TWO circuit boards. The Rheem/Raypak, doesn't have the blower motor and only one circuit board. If you are concerned about the heat exchanger, they do offer a cupro-nickle option for about an extra $200. However, keep in mind that if you don't manage your pools chemcials, no matter what you purchase for a unit and what type of heat exchanger it has, it will fail.

When you have a CE error, 99% of the time it's both circuit boards in the heater. Usually one takes out the other. Repairing is not a viable option as it may appear to be only one resister but it could be more than that. Plus if you did repair it, or so you thought, and you plugged it back in, you could blow another componenet in the heater like the ignightor, maybe even the gas valve. Don't risk it. Replace both boards.

A simple homeowner test would be to remove the Aqualink control from the picture. You don't mention which model of heater you have so I will assume it's a model that you can put into remote mode to be controlled via the aqualink. Take it out of remote mode, look thru manual on how to do, then try and control the heater manually. See what happens then. Come back and let us know.

What types of items are you looking for?

If you think you are going to heat your spa up late at night with a heat pump, think again. If you think you can extend your swim time, meaning a few extra months, with a heat pump when it's cold out, think again. Gas is the better of the two if you have a spa.

I'm finally getting around to replacing this valve. This is an older pool and valve feeds the pool returns and it appears that several of the returns are on the bottom of the pool. Now if I cut this valve out won't the pressure of the water force water out of the two pipes that this valve is connected to? So how do I go about replacing this valve and gluing a new one in place without water gushing out? Maybe I'm wrong in my thinking.

$138!?!?!? Wow they sure got a good thing going. I've never heard of annual maintenance on a pool heater. I have seen lots of issues with the Raypak heaters. I worked on two units this week that were just over a year old and both needed new refractories and one a new burner tray. These units should never of needed this work so early on in life.

If you have no idea as to why something is where it is as far as equipment, get an expert in there. You might think you have no issues with just removing something but you could be causing a potential health risk to you or other users of your pool. Sometimes valves are put in place to restrict water flow for a reason or some other reason. Yes removing them allows great flow but you could very well have caused another issue. Call in an expert before you do anything else and surely before you or anyone gets in that pool to use it. DO NOT risk your life or anyone elses by trying to be frugal and work on something you know nothing about.

PRS is the pressure switch. Make sure you have good water flow to and through the unit. Do you have any valves that may be shut off or reduce water flow to the unit? Maybe your filter is dirty or you have some other obstruction impeding the flow of water causing the sensor not to allow the unit to fire. If all of this is good then the next question is if the pressure sensor is faulty. You could jump it out and see if the unit will fire.

Hayward or Rheem.

Is there a difference between these two check valve brands? Are the spring loaded flappers universal on these or do you have to make sure to get the correct one based upon the maker?

Yes it has seen its better days. It's a three way, broken and leaks so it will be replaced with a new three way. Thanks for the info folks.

Thanks WB. About an hour after posting this I found buried in the weeds the original valve that used to be there. It's packed full of leaves so that's probably why they put this stupid thing in. They one they cut out was newer. Crazy people.

Has anyone seen something like this and if so, what the heck is it?

The heater has already been bypassed. I'm not sure yet on the thickness of the finish.

PoolGuyNJ, Why would you choose this option over a Jack's Magic or similar product that doesn't require a drain and a sanding?

I have a pool with a spa and because of a bad heater that is only used for the spa, plumbed that way, the spa has become stained from the copper in the heater, I suspect. I plan to test the stain with a vitamin C tablet and if that shows positive, is Jacks Pink stuff the best for removing this stain issue? And if so, since the stain is just in the spa, what is the best way to clean it? Thanks for your feedback.

Have you inspected the cell itself to see if it needs cleaning? Assuming the cell is not new as you don't say so in your message.

What model do you have, T-3, T-5, T-9, or T-15? The voltage reading shouldn't be any higher then 26 and your amp reading is not correct unless you have a T-3 and meant to write 1.3. .13 is not a good reading for any of the models.

Either you have an obstruction in your skimmer basket or maybe the valve for the skimmer is closed all the way.

You need to get an experienced pool tech out to your place and they can make sure that the correct thing is done to your pool. No offense but you obviously are not ready yet to handle the pool on your own and need someone experienced to teach you the correct way to work your pool. You wouldn't keep messing around with your car if you had accidentally put diesel fuel in it instead of regular gas. So why do it with your pool? It's just a big of an investment as a car. Pay the price now so you do not break anything else. You won't regret it.