Pool Heater Maintenance if you Live in Arizona.
You can preserve your expensive pool heater by performing a very simple annual maintenance and it can even extend its lifespan for another 5-10 years. Pool heater maintenance in Arizona sounds counter-intuitive, but its more common than you think for Arizona.
To help you maintain that perfect pool water, we’ve created a definitive guide on everything you need to know about owning and operating a pool in Arizona.
From that guide, we have created this quick and easy reference article for on pool heater maintenance if you live in Arizona.
We recommend pool heater maintenance once per year in Arizona.
- Clean It: Once of the easiest things to do to keep your heater healthy in Arizona, is to clear out any debris build-up. Sweep out the dirt, dust, cobwebs, grass, etc. and ensure nothing is blocking any drain holes on the side of the heater, the top is clear, and it has plenty of ventilation as intended.
- Clean the Coils: Turn off the breaker so there is no power to the heater and use a hose to wash the coils out. Coils lose effectiveness if there is any debris build-up slowing down the airflow.
- Check the Fan Blades: Hose off the Fan Blades and use a rag to wipe the edges on the blades. Check for any lose blades and have them tightened if needed.
- Check the Wiring: Make sure the wiring looks clean and not worn out. You don’t want any frayed wires, and if you find anything out of whack, you should call an electrician.
- Check the Refrigeration Line: The black foam insulation that you see on the pipe can degrade over time, so each year, you will want to replace this insulation, which you can buy from any basic home store in your area.
Everyday Arizona Pool Heater Maintenance
Now, that you have the annual maintenance battle plan for your pool heater, you need to read this part very carefully. If you don’t set yourself up for everyday maintenance, your annual maintenance won’t matter.
The #1 Enemy of your Pool Heater is Calcium Hardness
So, pay attention to this next part…
Calcium Hardness Affects Pool Heater Maintenance
Everyone in Arizona pretty much knows that Arizona has a hard water problem.
For reference, any water measured with over 3.5 grains of calcium and magnesium bicarbonates per gallon is deemed “hard water.”
We recommend having calcium hardness between 150-400 ppm
That being said, some cities have hard water that borders at the top of the recommended range right from the start, so be aware of your city water hardness levels to better prepare yourself on how to handle things.
To give you some reference points, we have measured hardness variations across multiple cities, and you can see below that they are all so very different:
To give you some reference points, we have measured hardness variations across multiple cities, and you can see below that they are all so very different:
| City | Grains/ Gallon | Hardness (PPM) |
| Apache Junction | 13.6 | 232 |
| Avondale | 22.2 | 379 |
| Cave Creek | 13.5 | 231.1 |
| Chandler | 16.5 | 282.5 |
| El Mirage | 7 | 119.8 |
| Gilbert | 11.5 | 197 |
| Glendale | 15.8 | 271 |
| Goodyear | 24 | 410.9 |
| Litchfield Park | 11.1 | 190 |
| Mesa | 15.5 | 265.4 |
| Paradise Valley | 16 | 273.9 |
| Peoria | 10 | 171.2 |
| Phoenix | 14.1 | 241.5 |
| Queen Creek | 11.5 | 196.9 |
| Scottsdale | 19.2 | 328 |
| Surprise | 3.9 | 66.1 |
| Tempe | 13.9 | 238 |
| Tolleson | 8.5 | 144.5 |
| Tucson | 13.3 | 228 |
| Yuma | 20.2 | 345 |
* Those are yearly averages.
Calcium will build up over time and start messing with your pool chemistry.
Calcium also reacts with hot weather, something we have plenty of in Arizona, and tends to create an ugly ring around your pool tiles called, “scale” if it builds up over time.
Luckily, it’s not an immediate issue that you have to worry about. It is a long-term process which means every 2-3 years, you will need to drain and refill your pool water to remove those total dissolved solids.
Why do Arizona Pool Heaters Form Calcium Scale?
Calcium scale tends to form in the hottest water first… and secondly, it will tend to form where the water has the least amount of circulation.
Typically, this will be inside saltwater chlorine generators (salt cells), or heat exchangers, or the top of your water line.
In Arizona, it’s hot most of the year, so you will most likely always see the water line scale.
If your water chemistry is balanced, it will help reduce the formation of scale.
Remove Scale from the Inside of your Pool Heater in Arizona
Scaling is an especially problematic for Arizona pools with heaters because the scale will build up quickly as it moves through the heater’s plumbing. Over time, the calcium in the heater’s plumbing will build up and cause the heater to fail.
Pro Tip…
Run your pool pump 30 minutes after the heater turns off to flush it out and avoid scale formation.
This very simple adjustment to your flow timing on your heater will significantly affect lifespan so please be sure to follow our recommendation and get the most out of your pool heater.
Conclusion
Anyways, we hope this guide was useful. We have been maintaining pools in Arizona for some time now with our Smart Chemistry technology and found that the above recommendations for pool heater maintenance should keep you on the right track.