Pool heating maintenance: The key to keeping customers happy

by brittney_cutler_2 | December 15, 2021 11:40 am

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By Phil Bach

More than ever, consumers are enjoying their outdoor living spaces longer into the offseason. Pool owners want to maximize their investment by extending their pool season into the late fall and opening their pool in the early spring. Since keeping the water warm is a must during colder months, pool heaters are being turned on for longer periods. As a result, pool owners may experience additional maintenance needs beyond the usual seasonal wear and tear.

Following the trend, pool professionals can benefit from offering regular heater service maintenance to their customers. Giving clients all the facts about how pool heaters work and keeping their equipment running in top shape will ensure they are getting the utility they want out of their pools. By stressing regular maintenance, pool professionals will have the potential to increase their service and sales profits and improve customer loyalty for years to come.

Offering a heater cleaning service

Consumers understand a pool heater is a big-ticket item that requires care and maintenance, much like their family car. Therefore Kathi Belcourt, manager at Aqua-Tech Pools in Winnipeg, recently brought back her heater cleaning program, modelled after the 10-point inspection offered during an oil change.

“Much like adding fries to your burger, we offer pool heater cleaning with your pool opening. We tack on an extra $150 to a service that we don’t otherwise make a lot of money on, and it’s a win-win deal to help prevent heater problems,” Belcourt says. “This inspection also allows us to sell other services in the future.”

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Providing a heat exchanger inspection

Just as the heater cleaning service can be easily added to a pool opening service, a heat exchanger inspection can be added on during pool closing.

“The heat exchanger inspection has been terrific for our service department,” says Belcourt. “By doing this inspection, we are able to tell our clients what the heater looks like on the inside, so we can put together a plan for the spring pool openings.”

Much like the heater cleaning service, Aqua-Tech charges another $150 for the pool heat exchanger inspection and once again takes their cues from the auto industry.

“Like a car tire inspection in which they measure the millimetres of the wear on the tires, we tell the customer about the scale formation and pinholes and explain how lucky they are the heater hasn’t failed,” says Belcourt.

Establishing a heater maintenance program

It is important to establish a pool heater maintenance and service program for your customers. Here are four issues that will need to be addressed in this program.

1. Buildup on the heat exchanger tubes: Heat exchanger tubes buildup with chemical residue and calcium that cause the heater to lower its water flow. If the pool water has a high pH, the water starts scaling, causing calcium to fall out of suspension. The calcium then adheres to the inside of the heater tubes, which lowers heater efficiency and could eventually destroy copper heat exchangers and thermal regulators. Ensuring proper water chemistry balance is the best way to protect against this issue.
2. Low gas pressure: Having low gas pressure can also lead to buildup on the internal parts of the heater, which can block the heat exchanger. To avoid this issue, it is crucial to check gas pressure lines and ensure the installed heater is getting the correct gas pressure per the product manual. It is also important to check that the client is not running a 400,000 British thermal unit (Btu) heater using a gas line meant for a 200,000 Btu unit. If this is the case, the gas line will need to be upgraded to a larger model, so the heater can operate efficiently. The gas meter needs to be properly sized to ensure
   it will supply enough gas to the heater and other gas appliances that may be used on the same meter.
3. Lack of ventilation: Insufficient air supply for proper combustion and ventilation acts as an insulating layer on the exchanger so the heat does not transfer to the water efficiently. The colour of the heater’s flame is a good indicator of whether the unit is receiving enough combustion air to function properly. A clear, blue flame indicates the unit is burning 100 per cent of the gas. If the flame is not getting enough air, it becomes orange and releases carbon that turns to soot and clogs heat exchangers. This is another reason to stress the importance of regular heater maintenance. Service technicians should also take the time to clean out spider webs, leaves, rodent nests, and debris that can gather within the vents and the heater itself, and prevent damaged heater components.
4. Reduced water flow: Water that is moving too fast through the heater will cause condensation. If it is moving too slow, the heater cannot warm the water efficiently, and it might cause the unit to cycle on and off—ultimately, this can damage the heat exchanger. Checking the water flow going into the heater is an essential part of regular maintenance.

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By addressing these four key areas, service professionals will be able to keep pool heaters operating as efficiently as possible. Because pool heaters can be expensive to use, taking the time to explain to clients how the heater works will make it easier to sell them on the importance of a maintenance program. Additionally, educating pool owners on heater operation and efficiency lays the groundwork for eventually upgrading to a more efficient pool heater in the future.

Explaining pool heater operation

Some pool professionals forget the importance of explaining how heaters work. However, even a basic description of the water heater mechanism will lead to an explanation of a pool heater maintenance program, or the need to eventually upgrade to a high-efficiency pool heater to enjoy the energy savings benefits.

It is important to explain the pump circulates the water, which is drawn from the pool, then passes through the filter and into the heater. Next, the heater’s combustion chamber ignites the gas, heating the copper tube arranged above the burner tray. As the water passes through, the heat from these copper tubes is conducted to the water, increasing the water temperature. The water then returns to the pool and recirculates for consistent heating. This simple process provides quick, controlled heating of the pool water. Explaining how a pool heater operates will lay the groundwork for understanding the efficiency rating of the heater.

Explaining heater efficiency

It is especially important to explain the heater’s original efficiency rating does not remain the same throughout its operating life. Unfortunately, most heaters lose efficiency over time, just from basic operation. As a result, if the client is looking to spend less money to obtain warmer water, they will need to get a newer, higher-efficiency heater.

Heater efficiency can be easily explained by providing an illustrative example to the pool owner.  For instance, if the heater is 82 per cent efficient, for every dollar spent on gas, 82 cents go into heating the pool water. The remaining 18 cents go up the vent pipe or into the atmosphere. The customer will likely appreciate that their existing pool heater has been maintained at its highest efficiency rating over the past few years. But, eventually, no amount of maintenance will be able to outweigh the benefits of a newer, higher-efficiency pool heater. This is where it becomes crucial to explain the benefits of an upgrade. Some manufacturers of high-efficiency heaters now offer warranties for as long as three years.

Maintaining long-term client relationships

Pool professionals are realizing this is the year to promote heater service and maintenance programs to keep clients happy.

“Pool professionals are in a long-game business,” says Belcourt. “We know we are going to sell them a new pool, then we’ll sell them new filters, then we’ll sell them a new pump, a new heater, and a new liner, and they’ll come back to us again when they buy a new house and want a new pool.”

Maintaining positive relationships fosters customer loyalty. Heater maintenance and service is a tool to help increase customer loyalty, while also generating short service revenue and long-term product revenue.

Phil Bach is the senior sales manager for Pentair in eastern and central Canada. He has been working in the pool industry since 1978, starting as a pool service technician. Bach joined SwimQuip in 1988 and stayed with the company as it became Sta-Rite and then Pentair. He can be reached via email at phil.bach@pentair.com

Source URL: https://www.poolspamarketing.com/trade/features/pool-heating-maintenance-the-key-to-keeping-customers-happy/

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