Return Header had rusted and there was a pin hole leak.

Written on 2/18/2023 by Guest

Accessed the area of concern by taking 6 screws out of the left side of the heater. Took pictures and made sure the part was correct prior to ordering. Be sure to order replacement gaskets. Next waited until the part arrived which was about 4 days. Upon receipt of the parts I verified both ordered parts were correct. A cold front was coming in so I needed to get the part on because I don’t winterize my pool. Instead I have a freeze sensor to kick the pool pump on when temperatures are low. Six bolts and nuts connect the header to the heater coil. Utilized socket wrench with extender. Upon getting those loosened I ran into trouble but figured it out rather quickly. The header was somewhat “molded” to the coil. After careful inspection I utilized a set of channel locks to grab the rusted header. Then I pulled straight outward and the header released from the coil. After that, there are two sensors on the top of the header and I loosened those for the rusted header. There is also a freeze plug that needs taken off of the old header. Be sure to keep all parts separate to where these won’t get lost. I temporarily lost the freeze plug but eventually found that piece. Then use a small flathead screwdriver to loosen and clean the old gaskets from the coil. Once everything is clean put the new gaskets on the coil and utilized gasket paste to keep the gaskets from deteriorating. Place the header on afterwards and reconnect with the six nuts. Attach the sensors and freeze plug as they were on the old header. Taking pictures before disconnecting is helpful. Test to ensure no no leaks. Replace the panel.

Were these instructions helpful?