My Hayward pool heater takes forever to kick in now. It used to start up in about a minute, but now it takes over 5 minutes just to try. If I leave and come back, I often find it showing Ignition Failure. I reset it and then wait again. Eventually, it starts up and works fine. I checked the gas valves, and there aren’t any spider webs or blockages. Any idea what else could be going on?
Make sure a certified pool heater pro checks this out. Heaters that “don’t work right” can easily blow up.
It’s probably time to replace your spark igniter.
Also, check your pump flow. If it’s taking forever to get to full flow, your system might not start up right away.
The issue is that it’s a Hayward heater. When you’re fed up with it, just swap it out for a RayPak, also known as Rheem.
@BreaststrokeBuff I agree. As basic as a unit, this is extremely unreliable, pricey, and has a brief trouble-free zone.
@BreaststrokeBuff I’ve only experienced this for the first time in 17 years. Do RayPak and Rheem offer a longer warranty than that?
@Umbrielle Nobody has a warranty that lasts 17 years or longer.
Some things that come to mind are the gas valve, igniter, wiring, control board, or maybe a dirty or corroded heat exchanger.
But like someone else mentioned, don’t try to fix this yourself. A typical pool heater is as powerful as four home furnaces or eight grills. Messing up could cause a serious explosion.
Is the heat pump an electric or gas one?
@Gia It uses Natural Gas