how to fix gas pool heater?

Question

I have an in the ground pool and the heater doesnt come on, perhaps a dead spider in the gas line blocking the gas.

Answer 1

Gas fired pool heaters have an interlock on them to insure that the burner does not ignite when there is no water flowing through the heater. This is usually done with a flow switch, but it can be done by sensing when the power is turned on to the pump. In either case, there will be some type of contact closer that will tell your heater that it is okay to turn on.

My experience has been that flow switches are the least reliable. I woul investigate that first.

Answer 2

Posting the heater make will help here. There are a multitude of possible causes and some are manufacturer specific.
The first thing I'd be checking, if this heater is a standing pilot light, is if the pilot is lit. If not, well that's an issue. If it lights but doesn't stay lit, then it's a thermoucouple. If it's lit but won't engage the burners it can be a faulty pressure switch or corroded contact. If it's lit and won't fire it can also be a hi limit switch is toast (Teledyne Laars in all likelyhood), I can go on and on as that's only a few of the possibilities. The same goes for electronic ignition heaters.
Post back with if this is a standing pilot and if the pilot is lit or electronic ignition and what manufacturer it is, be it Hayward, Teledyne Laars or Raypak and I can point you in the right direction. There's just too much to write with so little information. Also post as to if you have the pump on a timer, as it could also be the wiring on the fireman switch inside the timer itself.

Answer 3

Hope this helps!