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Sta-rite Pool Heater Problem


Steve Mead

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I have a 10 year old Sta-Rite 400k BTU heater. Recently it started shutting off before it reaches the programmed temperature. It will fire up fine, run for a couple minutes, the burner shutes down and the heater act as though it has reached temperature and starts to shut down. It then fires up again and repeates the process. It eventually reaches the programmed temperature (a long process with all the shut downs) and shuts down as normal. There are no error codes. I'm thinking it's the control board. Any other possibilities?

Thanks

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The thermostatic by-pass has failed

Remove the by-pass here.

101_4839.jpg

use a screwdriver and remove like so. Be careful as when the plug reaches the end of the threads, the spring will take over and snap the assembly out with a little force, so keep the fingers clear.

101_4846.jpg

This is what should come out.

101_4840.jpg

What you are looking for is any corrosion or erosion at the brass bulb. Could be rust or a kind of teal color and a crack that proves the bulb had been compromised. Replace the assembly as a whole (thats how it's sold). And you are good to go.

101_4848.jpg

Forgive the dog hair, these pics were taken in my shop , which doubles as the dog house... or is it the other way around?

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Thanks very much Pool Clown, I'll give that a try.

The thermostatic by-pass has failed

Remove the by-pass here.

101_4839.jpg

use a screwdriver and remove like so. Be careful as when the plug reaches the end of the threads, the spring will take over and snap the assembly out with a little force, so keep the fingers clear.

101_4846.jpg

This is what should come out.

101_4840.jpg

What you are looking for is any corrosion or erosion at the brass bulb. Could be rust or a kind of teal color and a crack that proves the bulb had been compromised. Replace the assembly as a whole (thats how it's sold). And you are good to go.

101_4848.jpg

Forgive the dog hair, these pics were taken in the dog house, Which doubles as my shop.. or is it the other way around?

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  • 7 months later...
  • 2 years later...

I had the same problem last year and changed the by pass valve, it was corroded, and that solved the problem. When I went to turn it on again this year, the same problem occurs. I checked the by pass and it looks fine. Tested it in a pot of boiling water and it opens and closes fine. I put it back in and still have the same problem. Any suggestions?

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Temperature doesn't seem to be an issue. I'll check that tomorrow. I was told in the past that you could check the flue temperature by holding down to buttons on the control panel, but I can't remember which ones they were. I was thinking of taking the flue stack sensor from my working one and swap it and see what happens.

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Today I went back and took the covers off and started it up. After running for five minutes the entire unit shut down and the AFS led on the back of the control panel was on. The diagnostic led on the ignition module flashes repeatedly one time indicating air flow fault. A few things I noticed was a bunch of yellow insulation around the bottom and by the gas module. I also noticed a few bite marks on a couple of wires, nothing broken. I noticed this a month ago and cleaned most of the insulation out. I did leave behind a poison rat pellet that is gone. Everything seems to point to the blower unit. Any ideas? Oh, I did not swap out the stack sensor.

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Rats could have chewed on the air flow switch hoses, check those, also make sure they are connected well( don't slip off easily). They are the clear ones. Otherwise could be the blower if it is not putting out enough air flow. Hard to tell if you don't have a good known air flow to compare it to.

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Look closely at the motors' windings. you might even want to bend down and smell them. If they smell or look burned, then it is the blower. They should be a shiny copper color all the way around. You can have a burnt phase in the motor and it will still turn on. It just wont spin as fast. If you ever noticed the blower before, and remember how it sounded when it started up, then you may be able to tell now if it sounds differently when it comes on. When the blower is burnt, it spins up a bit slower, but if you never noticed it, you probably wouldn't be able to tell.

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I did not see any pictures in your first post on this topic. Are you referring to the bolts that hold the water inlet/output manifold. I see in the diagram that there are four insulation blankets. Like I said, there was quite a bit of chewed up insulation around the outer part of the heat exchanger. I'm thinking instead of taking the blower off, just removing the one piece metal elbow/combustion chamber cover assembly. I'm wondering if there may be a nest or torn up insulation in there that is restricting air flow form the fan to the flue stack.

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That will tell if you have a hole in the exchanger. If you do, the box could be full of water up near the outlet of the blower. the blower pushing air into a full box of water will not allow the proper flow of air through the blower to keep the airflow switch closed. It is a stretch, but something to check/rule out and only takes two min.

I think at this point its the blower, or the switch. Unfortunately, I've replaced more blowers than air switches.

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  • 2 weeks later...

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