I am asked every week if it makes sense to repair 15 to 20 year old swimming pool heat pumps. Since I come from a service background it gave me great pleasure to keep pool heating equipment running efficiently for as long as possible if the repair is reasonable. I was thrifty property managers best friend when I could make a long term repair instead of replacing equipment for a reasonable cost. I was never a fan of replacing good running equipment with higher efficiency models as the payback was usually a long time and my customers could hopefully invest their money elsewhere for better returns. When there is a big repair on an old piece of swimming pool heating equipment then I am all for getting the highest efficiency (COP) new models so that they will have the lowest electric bills. Things are a bit different now that old heat pumps made before 2010 use the discontinued Freon 22. If you have a bad Freon leak maybe it is time to get a new heat pump instead of paying for expensive new or reclaimed Freon 22 or paying to convert the heat pump to a newer Freon. You also want service to be easy for mechanics down the road who might not know what was done to the old heat pump. Also some utilities are giving large rebates for new swimming pool heat pumps so that makes the decision harder if money is available for higher efficiency equipment. PSEG on Long Island in New York is giving $600.00 in 2021 for many new heat pumps swaps and installs. You need an authorized contractor to do the job to get the rebate, but I am told it is simple for them to get approved and the contractor even gets $100.00 for their trouble. So if you are thinking of repairing or replacing your heat pump and are not sure what to do just send me an e-mail or text and I will try to help out. Recently I had a guy with an old 17 year old Kopec 650 with a rotary knob thermostat that failed. He put in a new digital board from a new heat pump and now has an upgraded digital heat pump for another few seasons. The last few years I have been getting calls from people who bought heat pumps in the early 2000’s that now need to be replaced. Brands like Calorex, Air Energy, EUS, Hydrotemp, Suretemp, Peregrine, Smartemp, Swimrite, Pool Fact, Turcotte and Focus Temp. The owner of Peregrine was a buddy of mine. He designed some amazing heat pumps. One of his would heat and cool the pool. Heat and cool the house. And also heat the domestic hot water. He was a green kind of guy that was ahead of his time. Many of the old heat pump didn’t use titanium heat exchangers and didn’t last long if the pool chemistry was off. If one did last 18 years then you know the pool owner was on top of their PH and kept the pool chemicals just right. Titanium solved a lot of problems except for them freezing with water in them in the winter. Usually I tell people to keep the filter pump on 24 hours a day if you are going to get a freeze and the pool isn’t yet shut down for the winter. Last season my customers in Texas couldn’t do that because they had a deep freeze and also lost the power to run the water pump. In those cases you have to run out and drain the heat pump ASAP. Most of them had other more pressing problems though like pipes breaking in their walls and the homes getting too cold. So if your heat pump is not running let me know and we can troubleshoot a bit to see it it might be an easy fix.
Have a great season,
Best,
Marcus
I am regularly asked what maintenance needs to be done to swimming pool heat pumps. Most people never do anything until they need a service call. Really pool heaters are just big air conditioners, so many of the same types of service needs to be done to them. It is always a good idea to wash out the insides to get any dirt and leaves that might have slipped past the fan motor and fan blade. Make sure the circuit breaker is off and that you don’t get the water near the electrical components. AquaCal used to have a plastic lid that closed over the fan when the unit turned off to stop debris from getting inside. Seemed like a good idea. Nobody else picked up on it though. Not sure why. The outside coils should be rinsed off of dirt and even salt if you are anywhere near the ocean. An HVAC or electrician should tighten the electrical connections every few years. Maybe oil the fan motor if it isn’t sealed from the factory. Not that much to do. I come from a service background so I like to see it done but I have also seen 15 years old models running without ever being touched. If an HVAC person is checking the unit, maybe check the freon pressure and the temperature difference between the outside air and the air blown out by the fan. Also the water pressure switch should be tested to make sure the heat pump shuts off when the filter pump shuts down. I have people in Florida near some of the best heat pump manufacturers in the world looking to buy heat pumps from other countries. I don’t understand if you have a great manufacturer in your back yard why you would look someplace else. When you have an emergency you want a part or a service person fast. I have seen some quality heat pumps come out of Canada like Thermeau, Nirvana, Waterco, Nautyl. Some that went out of business or were sold that I used to repair like, Turcotte, Focustemp, and Summit. Summit was a reliable heat pump that was bought by Hayward. I had a hand in Hayward buying that company. Titan was another Canadian brand but I didn’t see one in person. Lots of Chinese heat pumps out there now. There is Comfortemp on the web. I saw that they were in the Northeast especially New York State. Fairland, Fibro Pool and Phnix are also Chinese but I don’t have any personal experience with them. Some I don’t know where they are made like XtremepowerUS, Trevinium, Trydent and Distinction. If you are a rep for them please call me and let me know. If you want to know what manufacturers are doing everything right please let me know. Swimming pools should be fun. They should not cause your stress with a repair. I like reliable heaters that I have seen to have the least chance of having any issues years down the road. I try to visit factories to check up on them to confirm that they are busy, organized and the quality of workmanship is impressive. Not traveling much lately though. This Covid has really changed my travel plans. I call lots of manufacturers to see if they seem to care and can answer questions. Stay safe and keep fit in your warm pool. If I can help with a heatpump heater or a chiller if the water gets too hot, please let me know.
Best,
Marcus
