Hello, fellow adventurers! Welcome back to another installment of "Tim and Wendy's Adventures (and Non)." Today, I have a story that is a bit of a rollercoaster involving my daughter Erin's new pool heater. It’s a tale of anticipation, panic, and relief that I think many of you can relate to, especially if you’ve ever tackled a big home project.
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| Erin's leaking, old Hayward H100ID pool heater |
The Excitement of a New Pool Heater
It all started when we decided it was time to replace Erin's old, leaking Hayward H100ID heater. After some research, we ordered a shiny new Raypak 106,000 BTU pool heater from Pool Supplies Canada. While we waited for it to arrive, I got to work removing the old heater. Underneath it, I found a 2' x 2' patio stone that needed to be leveled to provide a solid base for the new heater.
The Wait and Delivery
As often happens with these kinds of projects, there was a bit of a delay. The delivery was pushed back a week, which felt like an eternity. Finally, on Friday, May 17, Day & Ross Transport brought us the new heater. Everything went smoothly with the installation. In about an hour and a half, I had the new heater hooked up and running. Erin and I were both excited to see it in action.
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| Brand new Raypak 106,000 btu pool heater installed |
The Next Day – Panic Ensues
But our joy was short-lived. The next day, Erin called me in a panic. The new heater was leaking water, and the pool water level had dropped so much that the circulator pump was sucking air. My heart sank. I rushed over, all sorts of worst-case scenarios running through my mind. Had we ruined the new heater already? The thought of it made me sweat bullets.
The Diagnosis
When I arrived, I quickly turned off the heater and pump to prevent any further damage. Upon closer inspection, I discovered the source of the leak: the winter drain plug in the polymer manifold was broken and dangling loose. This must have happened at the factory when they overtightened it, because I hadn’t touched the drain plug at all.
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| The culprit drain plug cracked off, causing a leak. |
The Fix
To fix the problem, I had to disconnect all the work from the day before, which took about an hour. Once I could tip the heater enough to see, I found the remainder of the plug tightly screwed into the manifold. With some careful maneuvering and the right tools, I managed to remove the broken plug. Luckily, I was able to get a new part from the pool store just before it closed for the long weekend.
The Happy Ending
With the new plug installed, we restarted the pump and the heater. To our immense relief, everything was running perfectly. No damage had been done, and the heater was working as it should.
This little adventure was a reminder of how quickly things can go from smooth sailing to full-blown crisis mode. But with a bit of patience, problem-solving, and a trip to the pool store, we managed to get everything back on track.
Stay tuned for more tales from "Tim and Wendy's Adventures (and Non)." Until next time, may your projects be smooth and your pool heaters always function as they should!
Tim
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