Why Is My Gas Pool Heater Leaking Water?

Gas pool heaters are a major expense on a pool and keeping them in working order is a must. When they don’t work right, it leaves you with a cold pool and not being able to enjoy it. A cold spa is even worse especially if you were looking forward to a good soak only to find out your gas pool heater isn’t working.

When a gas pool heater is leaking water from the inside, that is usually a bad sign that something has failed and quit possibly the heater is not repairable and the only remedy is a replacement. But how did the heater get to the point where it is leaking water. There is one thing that can cause a gas pool heater to leak and that is a breach in the copper heat exchanger. A breached or cracked pool heater heat exchanger, meaning there's a leak or damage, usually requires replacement, as it cannot be repaired.

What Is a Heat Exchanger?

Hayward Gas Pool Heater Heat Exchanger

The heat exchanger is a series of copper tubes inside the heater that transfers heat between the pool water and the heating source. They can either be straight or horseshoe shaped depending on the brand of heater. As the water flows inside the heat exchanger, the gas pool heater combustion chamber is heated by the flame of the unit. In some heaters the combustion chamber is sealed so that the heat is contained inside the unit.

How Does a Gas Pool Heater Heat Exchanger Become Breached?

One of the most common causes of a breached heat exchanger is the improper balancing of the water. When the water is not balanced properly, the water can become acidic and that will eat holes into the heat exchanger. This can happen quickly if the water is very acidic or if it’s slightly acidic it could take a longer time to happen. But once the damage is done, it can’t be reversed and a new heater is usually the only solution.

What Should I Do if My Gas Pool Heater is Leaking?

Gas Tek Services, LLC can assess your heater and provide you with a course of action. Many times the only thing that can be done is to replace the heater. Depending on the age of the heater, a heat exchanger replacement might be an option. The process of replacing the heat exchanger is a lengthy one and usually costly. Because of this, most pool owners opt to just replace the unit.

Give Gas Tek Serices, LLC a call at (813) 335-7491 to schedule an appointment to evaluate your gas pool heater or you can use our contact form by entering in your information and then we will call you to schedule the appointment.