PENTAIR MASTERTEMP 400 POOL/SPA HEATER AFS AIR FLOW SWITCH ERROR LIGHT REPAIR

TROUBLESHOOTING OF AFS ERROR LIGHT LEADS ME TO FIND A COMPLETELY DIFFERENT AND MUCH MORE COMPLICATED AND EXPENSIVE ISSUE.
DON'T ASSUME YOU HAVE A DEFECTIVE AFS (AIR FLOW SWITCH) IF YOU HAVE AFS ERROR LIGHT. IT IS A VERY SIMPLE COMPONENT OF THE HEATER, SO THERE IS NOT REALLY MUCH THAT CAN GO WRONG WITH IT. JUST TEST ITS FUNCTIONALITY FIRST BEFORE ORDERING ONE. YOU WILL MOST LIKELY SAVE YOURSELF ABOUT $100 BY NOT REPLACING A TYPICALLY NON-DEFECTIVE PART.
MY HEAT COILS REPLACEMENT VIDEO: • Pentair Mastertemp 400...

[@AustinWicht]

Oh man, that’s an intense amount of troubleshooting. I’ve been there before but am glad someone took the time to make a video on it for others. Once there’s water in the heat exchanger combustion pot is when I buy a new 5 year warranty heater since it takes multiple hours/way too much work to replace those copper coils.

[@geb724]

This is the best instructional video I have ever seen. Extremely well done!

[@MrFboccia]

Thank you thank you! I know understand how to keep my heater working. Just changed the stack sensor and ignitor and all is well. Keep them coming.

[@americansamiam]

Thank you for the great video. You explained everything clearly. What I really appreciate also is you were honest about the o ring replacments - we have all been there cutting corners and have learned to do the right thing and replace parts while you have it open! Appreciate all your efforts!

[@daskrak6979]

Excellent and very informative video, thank you! I manage a property with 4 Mastertemp 400 heaters and I hate them. The old black capsule style ones seemed to be much better quality and last longer. These are not lasting us more than a couple of years, although it's due to being on the Florida coast. My main problem is the control boards get corrosion on them extremely fast and need replacing. I'm now replacing them all with Raypak heaters with the easily replaceable "ProTek Shield" anode to battle corrosion and they just seem far superior in my experience thus far. Thanks again for taking the time to do this!

[@bharned3]

New pool owner here. Great video - Thanks so much. I learned a lot here. Rats got the ignitor wires so I have to have it replaced. I could probably do it myself after watching this, but will let the professional take it this time.

[@pvt-pilot]

No way. It's 2 screws and has a plug in connection. Just buy a new one and make it happen. 2 minute fix.... Don't be scared mate!

[@jimshealingwaters3994]

I’ve been at this for 30 years as a service professional and had not run across this same exact issue until today. Talked to 2 different Pentair CS reps and they didn’t even mention this as a possibility nor the techniques used to test the AFS. Pathetic! You are the man! Many thanks

[@pvt-pilot]

Wow, thanks. I'm just a novice Pentair owner that gained some knowledge about this unit from personally experiencing repeat failures of various parts. Your comment makes me so happy to have taken the time to video my trouble shooting ideas. No manual will tell you to do what I did. I was just winging it that day. Glad it helped you. Cheers!

[@whitemok]

That was an extremely hard video to post. Thanks for taking the time to troubleshoot and video. I'm subscribing to this guy

[@matt22blaster]

God bless you for making this video. Subscribed! I had the same thing happen with a Hayward heater. Spent a full day trouble shooting everything, of course the heat exchanger was the last thing I got to. Water started spurting out when I got the first screw out.

[@omnimatt420]

Very helpful I'm on my way to check it out now thank you for taking the time to record everything

[@robmatson1575]

Thanks for your excellent, detailed trouble-shooting approach! I had the same AFS diode illuminated and same heater symptoms (blower comes on, heater doesn't fire, SERVICE HEATER light on). Upon opening, I found a dead rat (and nesting material) within the heater enclosure, and this not being the first such occurrence, I knew it was the likely culprit. But I didn't immediately see any chewed wires. Your video showed me where the AFS leads were located, and tracing those back to the control board quickly revealed a two-inch section of heavily chewed insulation on one of them -- and questionable continuity through the chew zone. Snipped out the bad section, stripped the wire ends, rejoined and soldered, and voila! AFS light out, heater back to firing! (Pentair really should have 1/4" wire mesh covering all their plastic housing vent slots: this is the second time a rat has made its home inside and chewed through wires.)

[@pvt-pilot]

Fantastic!

[@jh4193]

great video and thanks for making it. I have a service light and I think it's the afs so you've given me a lot of things to try

[@MILKMANDELIVERIES]

Great video for us novices! We appreciate your time!

[@pvt-pilot]

Thanks, but don't get me wrong. I'm a novice too! I just like to tinker with things until I figure out how they work. Now I know enough about this heater to make a speech or two. I'm happy to hear you got something out of it. That's what makes it all worth it to me. Cheers!

[@alejandrogonzalez9705]

Great Video, thanks for the detailed explanation of the troubleshooting process

[@mehmetusluoglu3192]

I tell you this! It is an amazing video with lots of things learned. Thank you so much!!!!

[@TestViewers]

Although I appreciate this very detailed video, I caution others about removing the fan blower casing. He mentions that it was difficult to get back on- that’s an understatement. I wish he would share what he did to get it back on. We removed ours and had about the same distance to peak in... We pushed it back into place and 2 issues occurred - 1 there is a rubber gasket that sits in a channel that kept falling out of place, after focusing on fixing that for an hour we ran into issue 2- much bigger problem- the 7 holes to screw in bolts refuse to line up!! It’s seems impossible for them not to align when we only titled cover back about an inch. We’ve tried everything except removing the union to detach the gas pipe. We can get a couple holes aligned in different sections at a time with a lot of strained effort of titling & pulling the mounted side at the same time as the cover but then other areas won’t align. Still haven’t found any tips or videos on remounted cover only removing it. So we have a fan disassembled and going have to call a professional.

[@tommyjensen6]

Great video. I appreciate the good solid info and explanations.

[@NJMEnterprises]

Great video! Thorough and I learned a lot. Very helpful. Thank you for the work and well done.

[@pvt-pilot]

You're welcome mate! Good luck on your repair. Be stubborn and persistent and you'll get it done. Don't give up!

[@jbullock47]

Thank you so much for the clear explanation.

[@chrisyourpoolman8458]

Yes I learned a lot, keep doing this type of videos

[@ZFMusicTheEmperor]

Great video. I learned a lot in 30 min, well done

[@splashman63]

I work on these heaters all the time and it is almost always the one I use for a replacement. You still have a problem yu need to correct I went through your videos so I could see your equipment and saw what has caused a couple of your heaters failures. There is no check valve at your chlorine feeder. With out a check valve when your pump is off the tabs continue to dissolve making the water very corrosive all the way back to the heater. Notice how all the tube ends are eaten away on one side thats the side closest to the feeder. If you don't install a check valve you will continue to have temp sensors, bypass and another set of tubes fail. There a special type of check valve to be used Pentair R172288 Corrosion Resistant Check Valve Best of luck and I'm sure your videos have help a lot of people

[@chengkhang2804]

@Bobby b it's a tab feeder...no on or off. only thing keeping it from back flowing is the cheap little check valve in the elbow of the tab feeder

[@AquaTech225]

Bobby b they should always be wired only when the pump runs. A actual chlorinator. Unless the builder an electrician is idiots. But this is a tablet feeder totally different

[@FlyfishNH]

Be aware that an airflow error may have absolutely nothing to do with airflow in any way. Mine showed an air flow error light and ‘service heater’ light. But nothing turned on at all. No blower. The machine can’t even sense an air flow error unless the blower is running because there’s no suction at the intake to activate the air flow switch until the blower actually turns on. So it didn’t make sense to me. Ultimately, the red wire to the blower motor was disconnected from its connection at the board. Reconnecting that solved all problems. All the info in this amazing video helped me trouble shoot it!

[@Abortiz12]

Thanks for that video. It was very informative.

[@DanburyConnecticut]

holy crap i did not realize you can just take the cover off like that the back of my unit is like 4" away from the house and i thought i had to take off gas/water plumbing to move the entire unit. This is a life changer.

[@maksgames9490]

Best video. Thank you.

[@Cath5712]

Amazing video. thank you

[@swimking101]

Thanks for the great video.

[@freshdirty27]

If you pull out the last bolt on the manifold it will drain out by itself in the heater will work if it is in fact leaking from the heat exchanger

[@dmcgauley]

That was exhausting; you have much patience

[@flamyparada3582]

Great video!

[@construccionesplomegasreal2813]

Excelente su ayuda

[@flyby4by]

Build a heater bypass just in case you have heater issues in the future so you can continue to run your pump while it's down for service

[@MobileHomeFactory]

This Video shows a lot of good information. Now is time to work on my heater and look at the fault lights

[@JoseFlores-lc3qx]

Hi yes I’m trying to fix my sisters uture spa it’s a 400 I just change the wire harness because of major rodent damage at the top of the heater where it gives you the reading the reading board and we took the old board from the old top and put it on the new top of the year And the PS light comes on End it doesn’t wanna turn on

[@gabrieltanase8532]

Very informative

[@debbiejones573]

Mine will heat up perfectly in the am. But, from 6 pm and later the red lights come on and it says service heater and it won’t heat the spa… any ideas what this means? I don’t have it in a timer

[@jaypatel-vp4kn]

i have same issue showing a AFS red light & motor its self too hot so anyone can help what is wrong ?

[@lukepoolservice]

customer needs a new heater...

[@rickhuntling7338]

Time for a new heater😎

[@5thGenNativeTexan]

Great video. Did you do a video on the replacement of the coils? I have exactly the same unit, same error, and I walked through all of your video, only to come to the very end and see that my combustion chamber was completely filled with water as yours was. Additionally, I had not run the unit in a while, and at first the blower wouldn't spin, but I was able to reach into the inlet and spin the turbine, which was stuck at first but then freed up. However, the motor, while seeming to run at full RPMs, sounds pretty ragged. So now I'm faced with replacing the coil set (about $840 for the 400 unit) and the blower assembly, about $570 (doesn't seem you can get just the motor). So I'm looking at a bit over $1,400 worth of parts. An entirely new unit runs about $2,000, so I'm on the fence of going to the hassle of replacing the coils and blower, not knowing what's going to die next (the unit is a 2011), or just get an entirely new unit with a warranty. In any case, you're video was an absolute godsend to helping troubleshoot the AFS ! Thanks!

[@pvt-pilot]

I did record my coil replacement but haven't yet done the editing and post it. If I had it to do again, I would not replace anything once the coils blow out. Since you have a blower issue too, yours is a no brainer. One thing after another keeps breaking. I have now replaced the thermistor, the HLS, stack flue sensor 3 times, manifold bypass valve, heat coil assembly and still get service heater light a couple of times each week without any error codes on the panel nor lights on the back of the board. Trust me, don't bother. Get a new unit and enjoy the warranty period while it lasts.

[@5thGenNativeTexan]

@@pvt-pilot Many thanks for the info! Yes, after giving it some more thought, I'm going with an entirely new unit (identical model). Relatively plug and play swap out with the old one, and I get a new warranty.

[@pvt-pilot]

@@5thGenNativeTexan MY HEAT COILS REPLACEMENT VIDEO: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGHMlH6gmaiSpac

[@marinramirez]

Thanks !

[@construccionesplomegasreal2813]

A donde le puedo enviar un vídeo del equipo... Deja ver c13

[@wagdymoussa8902]

How about if it’s a new heater and it keep saying ERR AFS , I tried to blow in the air tube as you said , but still wouldn’t start ! Sound like the heater is trying but the ignition wouldn’t start and says same ERR Please if you have any answer let me know !

[@pvt-pilot]

Pull out one of the 2 bottom bolts from your manifold to make sure it is not full of water. Next, put a meter on your AFS to make sure when you blow in the input that it gives 0 ohm short. Next, short the leads to see if the AFS error LED light turns off on the back side of the control board. It should. If it does turn off when you short the AFS, then check the igniter. Make sure it is not broken or open. You can use a meter for that too. It should not be 0 ohms, otherwise it is defective. Next, check for any other error lights on the back side of the control board. There are 6 error LEDs if I remember correctly. Also, do you hear a click when it is calling for heating? This is your gas valve opening. No click, no chance. Lastly, there is a small chance of a defective fenwal or ICM (ignition control module). You can open the gray box to the left of the fan motor and observe the LED status and read the labels inside to see what the LEDs mean, but there isn't anything inside to adjust. Maybe just a fuse in there that could be bad, but otherwise not serviceable.

[@manresaelectric]

hey buddy..i had a service call today on this exact unit..i gotta replace the circuit board but i cant find the item online..anychance you know where to order it? thank you!

[@pvt-pilot]

I always get my parts on either eBay or Amazon. Try this: rover.ebay.com/rover/0/0/0?mpre=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ebay.com%2Fulk%2Fitm%2F183851023385

[@yokomb]

Have you ever had the blower seize up on you? I can manually turn the blower motor to "kick start" it and for 1 or 2 cycles it will be able to run but eventually the seizes up. Replacing the whole blower part looks costly but not sure I have any better options. I suppose it could look at the heat exchange coils while I am at it to see if I am better off replacing the whole unit or not. The heater is already ~8yrs old. Any thoughts are appreciated.

[@pvt-pilot]

No sir, my blower motor is still original. It was locked up about 5 years ago, just humming, and I was able to spin it while it was humming and got it going. I haven't had any trouble beyond that one day. Given the age of your unit, I would recommend getting a preowned motor on eBay for about $150-$200 to get you to the end of life of most of the other components. There are currently at least 2 available at that price range...or you could go new for $350-$400 all day on eBay. Also, good call on the heating coils. Remove the manifold (13mm bolts) starting with the bolts on the bottom first and hope that no water pours out of the threated bolt holes. Each bolt hole tunnels all the way to the inside of the tub. If water comes out of any of the bolt holes, it will be a good time to replace the entire heater because you have problems beyond just the blower motor. If no water pours out, inspect the copper tubing of the heat exchanger coils that mates to the manifold. If they look like mine did in the video, (thin/missing), then you dont have long before the coils will fail, resulting in filling the tub. The walls of the copper tubes should be about as thick as a penny, not paper thin. Hope this helps!

[@yokomb]

@@pvt-pilot Thanks so much for all the detail. Mine is Natural gas so as far as I can tell I need the 0253 version of the blower where as the 0254 is for propane. I am not sure how much of a difference that really makes in the blower. I am going to try to see if I can get the blower to spin better (not heat up) with some lubricant and hope for best. I will look at coils though before ordering new blower. Though was thinking even replacing coils and blower would be ~1k vs 2k+ of new.. Or do you think I'll just continue to run into more replacing parts? Sorry just ask because it seems like you have done quite a bit your self. Thanks again!

[@pvt-pilot]

@@yokomb Was it worth it for me? Well...I have replaced thermistor, HLS, manifold bypass valve, stack flue sensor and heat exchange coils. That's all. All due to poor water chemistry. So I am sitting at $750 - $800 total. Nothing has failed for me yet that pool water doesn't touch. So my remaining good parts that come to mind are: Contol Board, membrane keypad, Igniter, Flame Arrestor, Ignition Control Module, Air Flow Switch, Blower Motor w/fan, Elec Gas Valve, wiring harnesses and big tub. So, I think you would be way ahead financially if you replace the broken parts you have at hand. I would recommend buying all 5 of the sensors in a pack together for $99 on Amazon when the first one goes out rather than individually on ebay like I did. (Slightly cheaper that way and they will start dropping one at a time at the most inconvenient times) I chose to spend my time rather than money and learned a lot along the way and a little knowledge is very handy to have as a pool owner...sometimes more valuable than that questionable "5 year warranty" with a bunch of fine print exclusions. Hit me back anytime if you have further questions. Cheers!

[@mm1387]

Your video is the most comprehensive one, I know it is hard to cover all areas of the problems so I like to get help from you. I have the same heater, recently water got into the can and I removed the coils and repaired the leak, putted back everything together and now I'm getting service heater light on and nothing is working! I checked most of the switches and they seem OK! however power goes to igniter measured only 93VAC which seem too low! but power to unit is 240VAC.Any suggestion?

[@pvt-pilot]

I had that problem too. Fortunately, my next door neighbor has a sta-rite unit which has the exact same parts as my unit. I used his parts one at a time to check to see which part made mine work again. It was the stack flue sensor that was the culprit, but did not throw an E05 nor the SFS light on the control board. If it is not fully open, it wont throw the hard codes. This was just a $21 replacement part. Let me make a recommendation though. If you can, get the kit that has all of the sensors on Amazon for $99. When one goes, the dominos are bound to start falling. I dont know if the heavy moisture from the water in the heat exchanger damaged the stack flue sensor or what...I doubt it, but that was my problem after I replaced the coil assembly and got a service heater light. I wish I would have just bought a new unit hind sight.

[@debpaskall3061]

@@pvt-pilot The issues of burning sensors, safeties, and holes in the exchanger is chemical. Get the PH and parts per million right and the unit can and will last. The life of the heater is directly affected by water chemistry.

[@pvt-pilot]

@@debpaskall3061 Agreed 100%, I am not very good at maintaining good water chemistry and it shows in my equipment. The answer to algae isn't to just dump unmeasured shock, algaecide, acid, etc at random. It makes my skin itch, water stink, and tears up my equipment. I have got my equipment in pretty good shape now. I think I'll hire a pool company from now on for water chemistry. Thanks for the reply!

[@construccionesplomegasreal2813]

BENDIGO... Gracias

[@Susan-ng8vr]

Receiving E05 error and all roads led to replace stack flu sensor. So I replaced it and still getting the error. Checked thermistor and confirmed new stack flu sensor was ok. Is the board bad and should that be replaced?

[@pvt-pilot]

I bought new stack flue sensor 3 times before I got one that worked. Control board is very picky about the calibrated resistance it detects over the leads. Have you put a volt/ohm meter on the leads and tested to see if you have resistance both ways? (Toward circuit board from end of disconnected stack flue leads, then reconnect stack flue sensor and disconnect the white modular connector and test the stack flue pins at the white connector for resistance. Put a heat gun or hair dryer on the stack flue sensor and see if you get a resistance change)

[@paulabrilla5531]

Hi, have you encountered a problem with the MasterTemp 400 where the heat keeps cycling on & off. The "Heat" starts blinking calling for heat, then It will light steadily only for about 5-10 seconds then "Heat" will turn off, the temperature reading starts counting up (mine to 124 degrees) then counts down when it reaches about 81 "Service System" light comes on. Counts down to 75 stays there for a while then "Service Heater" comes on for just a second and then the "Heats" blinks again calling heat and cycles. No error codes on front & no indicator lights on the back of the panel. So far, I replaced the Thermal Regulator, Manifold Bypass Valve, Thermistor & Igniter. I still have the same problem & it's frustrating. There are times I hear banging noise, but most of the time it just cycles. Pressure valve on my filter reads 20-25psi. My pump runs at 3250 rpm (85gpm). I was contemplating about the control board, but I don't want to buy an expensive part & end up having the same problem. Any advise will be appreciated.

[@pvt-pilot]

When mine had those exact symptoms, it was a corroded thermal regulator. kzbin.info/www/bejne/aXa1nnh-nZ19Z9U

[@cpsadp99]

I have water coming out of the air intake. Do you think one of the seal o-rings went bad and now flooded the chamber and water work the way out of the air intake?

[@pvt-pilot]

Yes sir, that is exactly what happened. You have leaking coils. Watch my other video to see how to replace them. I hear they aren't $600 to the door anymore...more like $1100-$1200. At that price, you might consider just buying a whole new heater with warranty. Good luck

[@cpsadp99]

@@pvt-pilot thanks. Is just what I thought. Coils alone are $800

[@pvt-pilot]

@@cpsadp99 OK, when I did it, heaters were $2400 and the coils were $600. Now, heaters are easily over $3k these days, and coils are $800? So, you're still talking about 1/4 the cost of a new heater. I would still buy the coil replacement kit if I were you. It should come with new insulation pads and O-rings. It really wasn't hard doing it the way I did it. Took about 4 hours including scrubbing the nasty tub insides and my heater still works fine today and I made that video years ago. Well worth it.

[@cpsadp99]

@@pvt-pilot I will try to open it and see if more parts got damage.

[@mromero548]

Great video. My heater won’t turn on at all. Go to Spa mode and the R code pops up briefly but I can’t get the heat to come on. I don’t have a service heater light coming on either. Same heater as this one I believe.

[@pvt-pilot]

What is the number that is displayed after your R-# is displayed? That number will be the temperature that your heater thinks the water is. If that number is higher than the temp you are trying to heat up to, then it won't turn on because it already thinks the water is hot. Might be a thermistor issue, please see my thermistor replacement video if that is the case. kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJmZY3qOptB-iqM

[@mromero548]

PVT-PILOT I will have to double check but I thought it said R-19. Thanks for the reply.

[@mromero548]

PVT-PILOT maybe I just misunderstood your answer. I will have to check and get back to you.

[@pvt-pilot]

@@mromero548 Sure, I'll try to help if I can based on my own experiences. Mine shows 3 things on boot up: First is "128" Followed by second thing "R-8" (I have revision 8 software on my control board. I have heard others tell me that theirs says R-12...yours might be different) Third thing to display is thermister temp in degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure that third displayed number is close to ambient temp. If it reads stupidly hot when the water is actually cold, the heater will not fire because the control board is waiting for the temp to drop below programmed heat target...kinda like a thermostat. This behavior would merit a thermistor replacement.

[@mromero548]

PVT-PILOT mine boots first 128. Then r13. Then blank.

[@construccionesplomegasreal2813]

Me encuentro reparación de una igual, pero aún no logro

[@patricknevin7304]

Great video ,water will rust out components and it will add up quickly $ . Not my favorite heater to work on 😅 . I would have opted for new heater myself. I have rebuilt many Raypaks no problem . But they don’t make them to last these days . Thanks for your time 😊

[@AquaTech225]

Wow some bad water chemistry took a toll on that heater exchanger for sure. Hopefully you replaced that

[@willware4490]

I think I have the EXACT same issue. Have you replaced your coil yet? If so can you share where you purchased and what else I need to buy. I see your screen name is PVT-PILOT. I’m a commercial Pilot and rebuilding a 1947 Stinson 108

[@pvt-pilot]

I did replace the coils. They were on ebay for $598 to the door. It came with the white insulation pads too. The replacement part number is 77707-0234 Tube Sheet Coil Assembly. It took about 3-4 hours to replace because of how extra time required to thoroughly clean all of the mess in the tub. The corrosion of the coils is due to my inability to maintain proper chemistry. So, if you have leaking coils, you may want to check the physical condition your sensors and key items that are exposed to your water: Thermistor HLS Pressure Switch Thermal regulator Manifold Bypass Valve Also check the AGS and Stack Flue Sensor. If a bunch of these items are bad, it may be a better option to replace the whole heater and have new warranty. By the way, my local recycling yard gave me $62 for my old leaky coils because they are copper and weigh a lot, so dont just throw it in the trash.

[@willware4490]

PVT-PILOT Any chance you did a video of that process? Thank you

[@pvt-pilot]

@@willware4490 MY HEAT COILS REPLACEMENT VIDEO: kzbin.info/www/bejne/bGHMlH6gmaiSpac

[@pulodogato3888]

Afs Led 4 ?

[@MONICAHUERTASFLEISCH]

Hi , i have afs light on the blower does not work, afs sensor looks ok any suggestion to fix this problem

[@pvt-pilot]

The blower moves the air that closes the AFS which will turn off your AFS light. So your AFS is definitely doing its job. Fix/replace the blower to clear the AFS. I had to hand spin my blower a few years ago to get it started after sitting for too long. It was kinda locked up. But once it was rolling, it stayed working for many more years. I still haven't replaced my original motor.

[@MONICAHUERTASFLEISCH]

@@pvt-pilot it could be an electrical problem ? Im going to check for corroded pins them will do as you say.. thanks a lot

[@loucuevas3867]

I’m a 50 year experience aircraft mechanic, and I too want to thank you for this video. I learned a lot.

[@user-ef9hz4oc1v]

Can I use a mastertemp 400 in place of a mastertemp 250?

[@pvt-pilot]

Yes, it will heat the water quicker at 400,000 BTU as opposed to 250,000 BTU heater

[@atomicdetailsoc]

i cant get any lights to show up on my membrane . controller board. i may have a dead fuse? rats chewed my wire..these things are so stressfull when you don't understand how they work.

[@pvt-pilot]

The membrane board is not a powered component. It only has a clear window, which enables you to see the control board. That said, the contol board is powered through the large wiring harness. Rats likely chewed the power leads leaving you dead. Easy fix though. Splice up some 16 gauge wire to reestablish continuity on each chewed wire. No 2 sets of colored wires are identical colors and polarity doesn't matter on any of the sensors, so you really can't screw it up. Just don't short anything out. Make sure you do the repairs with the breaker to the pool equipment turned off, or better yet, unplug the wiring harness and take it indoors to do the repairs more comfortably.

[@peterphelps7969]

I always pull the bottom bolt out of the manifold out and if water runs out you know that the heat exchanger is compromised.

[@pvt-pilot]

Yep, that's great advice. Thanks

[@peterphelps7969]

@@pvt-pilot I own a pool and spa store in Asheville North Carolina. That was some very good diagnostics and very good information I'm going to share it with my service Technicians.Thanks

[@frankwiddifield7520]

As a repair tech charging $120/hr, I'll stick a wire down the exhaust and if theres moisture on it, time to replace heater. Just too much in labor to repair.

[@pvt-pilot]

Wow, I'm in the wrong business (respectfully sir). I wish I made that much...but at that hourly rate, I would agree with you. It would not be cost effective and repairs like this aren't for everybody. However, as a stubborn DIY guy, I had about 1hr-1.5hrs worth of actual troubleshooting labor (much of it in this video) and around 4 hours for the coil change out due to all of the wire brushing/cleaning I did. So, in all I spent less than 6hrs isolating, ordering and eventually replacing bad coils. I am out $600 for this repair and another $150 in sensors and manifold bypass valve, and I'm still cooking water so far so good this season. So, I would say it was worth my time to avoid a $2200 new heater and probably a full hour or so of labor I would have to spend anyway to replace it. Next time, I'll just unscrew one of the bottom bolts of the manifold and if any water pours out, well...no further troubleshooting necessary and I know the drill. Thanks for watching and posting the idea about the using a wire to check for water. Good idea too 👍🎯

[@jedcarson3769]

I'm a Pentair Partner and I charge $125/hr. This heater is shot. These heaters constantly need new parts so fixing it was a waste of money. Not to mention that's not the diagnostic flow chart at all.

[@bombimartinez834]

You shouldve checked your fenwal. I went thru this last week at a job. Before you checked all this stuff you should checked the ignitor control board aka the fenwal.

[@pvt-pilot]

I should have pulled one of the bottom screws of the manifold to see if water poured out. That would have been a great short cut. What does the fenwal do? It has a red LED inside it, but I don't know it's purpose in life or what sensors it talks to or how it functions. Thanks!

[@construccionesplomegasreal2813]

Por favor como puedo oír en español?

[@julmont7517]

What is it when the blower doesn’t stop,even when turned off only turns off when unplugged and will not heat

[@pvt-pilot]

Well, I think the blower gets its marching orders from the control board. So, I would first start with checking for corrosion on the wiring harness that connects to the control board. Make sure that no wires are getting shorted via corrosion that could tell the blower to go, go, go. If all is well with the wiring, I would consider replacing the control board. Do you have any error codes or illuminated error lights on the back side of the control board?

[@BLUESGUITAROCKER]

Mine turns on with heater light flashing . Heater fires then goes off . AAFS ERROR

[@secomeco724]

Good job but if I was in this situation I will just replace the whole heater it cost about $2500 is good for another 5 to 7 years working with no problem

[@pvt-pilot]

True, but what fun is that? 😁

[@secomeco724]

PVT-PILOT 🤪🤪😂😂💃💃

[@Litehds]

That’s my dilemma now. Mine is 13yrs old and visible rust areas. Might need to fork over that cash and be done with it. Awesome video .

[@JoseFReyes-xs1hz]

Raypak heaters are so much better, easy to fix, easy to work on.

[@construccionesplomegasreal2813]

Favor ayuda...

[@toddg9956]

Is everything so rusty because you have a salt water pool? thanks

[@pvt-pilot]

Not salt. I have chlorine. However, I did not balance my chemicals correctly for years. Also, I live on lakefront property and it is always hot and humid here. That might have a little to do with it, but mainly just the chemistry. I stopped using droppers and use the clorox dip strips exclusively now. I find it much easier, faster and accurate.

[@toddg9956]

@@pvt-pilot thank you for your reply.

[@peterphelps7969]

Sometimes it is best for the client long term to sell them a new heater. I bet that is a salt pool as well.

[@pvt-pilot]

It is a chlorine pool with a DE filter, but alway over chlorinated and high muriatic acid concentration. I am not a pool parts/service guy and I'm terrible at chemistry, just a stubborn DIY guy that decided to mess around with heater repairs and share the joyous experience. I agree with you though, much of me wishes I just bought a new heater years ago. Each season promises new headaches lately.

[@peterphelps7969]

@@pvt-pilot LOL, I know the type of client just throws chlorine and acid in once a week. Oh, just caught the DYI, sorry🥴

[@rickrolled2691]

how old was your unit?

[@pvt-pilot]

2008. Still rockin'

[@zsharp1772]

You in TX? I could use your help with mine :D

[@pvt-pilot]

Ha! Yes actually I am. Houston area. Hope the videos helped.

[@zsharp1772]

Bummer I’m up by Denton. The video is helpful, I’m just having a different issue. I opened up the fan and it’s clear and I filmed down the exhaust and it’s dry. Mine fires up and runs for a second then shakes and rattles like there’s a load of rocks in it. Then stalls and then tries to repeat the cycle but I turn it off before then. I’ll have to locate someone here this is beyond my expertise.

[@pvt-pilot]

@@zsharp1772 I had "rocks" bouncing around in my manifold years ago. I always said it sounded like ice cubes in a blender. Anyway, check out my MANIFOLD BYPASS VALVE REPLACEMENT video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/q57ZdZWYnsx3nqM

[@zsharp1772]

@@pvt-pilot thank you sir! I just watched it and ordered the part I appreciate the help!

[@pvt-pilot]

@@zsharp1772 Already ordered it? Wow. Did you open the manifold and confirm the same problem? If not, I got some ocean front property in Arizona for sale 😁

[@theofficialsirwilliam]

great video.. but dang.. JUST REPLACE THE DANG HEATER.. looks like its on its last leg

[@pvt-pilot]

Well, I replaced the heat exchanger coils 4 years ago for $600 when I did these videos, and it's still working. So, I'm glad I did it, but I wouldn't do it on this unit again. It's really old now.

[@davefeely2101]

The firebox insulation will be ruined . The exchanger is gone. It needs a complete overhaul.

[@pvt-pilot]

Correct, correct and correct. See my other video for coil replacement if you are interested.

[@nowthatsfunny1]

Just buy you a new jandy JXI heater.

[@pvt-pilot]

With all of the trouble I have had with my Pentair MasterTemp 400, that is not a bad suggestions at all. Thanks

[@rhettblackwell7628]

Those JXIs look nice, especially with the versa flow kit. Master temp and max e therm are still great heaters though.

[@construccionesplomegasreal2813]

Hellooooooo

[@construccionesplomegasreal2813]

Pleaseeeeeeeee

[@construccionesplomegasreal2813]

Thea si the = equip

[@freshdirty27]

Homeowners and do-it-yourselfers be careful your house will blow up if you don't know what you're doing... If you want to put yourself in your family's life at risk by all means go I had otherwise there's a reason why we have training for these things...

[@JoseFlores-lc3qx]

Cold u please give me a hand I wold really appreciate it If u live SoCal How about you come to my house and fix it and will pay you if you’re looking for any work

[@dictumfactum7784]

Buy a new heatet.

[@semiraali6981]

Bretin

[@electroman982]

What a shitty pool heater design and materials !!