Troubleshooting Heat Pump Devices When They Stop Working





When troubleshooting heat pump devices for a swimming pool, ultimately troubleshooting the device will depend upon the device purchased. The first thing that a pool owner should do is turn to the manufacturer’s guide for troubleshooting heat pump advice. Often times a complete manual is supplied with the heat pump purchased that will have troubleshooting heat pump tips offered. If the homeowner goes through the manual and works through the troubleshooting tips and is still experiencing problems, it may be necessary to either contact the manufacturer or to contact a professional for further information about the heat pump in question.

There are some general tips for troubleshooting heat pumps that a pool owner can benefit from knowing however. General tips for troubleshooting heat pumps should, of course, be a secondary source of information for the pool owner, as the manual and expert advice are often more product oriented, centered, and accurate. If the pool owner is left in doubt about general troubleshooting tips, it is better to make a call to a professional than to run the risk of damaging the heat pump. With that said; here are some general tips for troubleshooting heat pumps for pools.

First, pool heat pumps sometimes create condensation. Since this condensation can soak the earth surrounding an in ground pump, some homeowner’s make the mistake of believing that the in ground pump has developed a leak and that it requires repair. Typically, pumps that are installed in the ground can sometimes generate as much as eight gallons or more of condensation for every hour that the pump is on and this will make the earth above ground seem saturated. There are special test strips that a pool owner can used to assess whether the saturated earth is due to intense condensation processes or if the saturated earth is due to a sudden leak development in the in ground pump. Since pool waters contain quite a bit of chlorine, if the pump is actually leaking the pool owner can use strips to see if chlorine is in the saturated soil. A lack of chlorine is an indication of condensation processes; the presence of the chemical is highly suggestive of a developed leak.

Another useful tip to remember is that a lack of power to the pump is not always indicative of a problem. Today’s in ground heat pumps are manufactured in such a way that they are fully automated: these devices will turn on and off when water temperatures drop below desired temp or reach the desired temp established by the pool owner with the digital controls. If the pump is off via automated processes, it may simply mean that the pool has reached the correct temperature. It is also worthy to note that these same devices have a safety shut off if the system becomes clogged; this is so the internal workings of the pump will not burn out. If the pool owner discovers that the pump fails to operate and will not turn on, he or she should first check the source of power supplying the device, and then check to see if a clog is present.