Question:
I have a 25 year old a.o. smith 225,000 btu pool heater that needs repair.
I have replaced the pilot generater several times over the years but this
time the problem is more serious. A repairman wants 400 dollars to repair
the unit. I assume he is replacing the gas valve controller. My
question...Being so old does it make any sense to repair this thing....isn't
the heat exchanger going to wear out soon requiring a huge investment. My
poolman says it is a good old unit because the exchanger is cooper. I
remember repairing a leaking copper heat exchanger on a jacuzzi heater.
That tells me their life is not infinite. Also, what about efficency?. The
tubes are probably all junked up providing poor thermal transfer. Any
thoughts?
Answer:
My thought would be, it's time to replace it. Any gas appliance thats 25 years
old certainly is less efficient than a new replacement. And there's always a
solar alternative,which might work out best,depending on how much sun you
yard/area of the country gets per day.
