You balanced the water. You bought the fancy cover. You even told your neighbors you “take great care of the pool.” Cute.
And yet here we are. Your heater groans like a dying animal, sputters, and quits. Want to know why? Because you never cleaned it. Or anything else.
Let’s talk about the other things you’re screwing up while thinking you’re “on top of it.”
You Never Flushed Out Debris
Heaters don’t like leaves, twigs, or mystery sludge blocking their lines. You figured the skimmer basket catches it all. It doesn’t. Debris clogs the heater, cuts flow, and overheats everything.
Fix: Check and clear out heater lines every month. If you don’t know how, hire someone who does.
You Ignore Water Chemistry
“Oh, I test once in a while.” Sure you do. Meanwhile, acidic water has been slowly chewing through your heater’s parts. Scale builds up. Metal corrodes. You clap when the pH is “okay” near the return jet but forget the rest of the pool exists.
Fix: Test and balance at least twice a week. And test in more than one spot.
You Don’t Run the Pump Enough
You ran the pump for five hours yesterday and called it good. But without enough circulation, heat doesn’t spread, chemicals don’t move, and water sits stagnant. That’s bad news for a heater trying to keep up.
Fix: Run the pump at least 8–12 hours during the season. More if it’s hot or you’re shocking.
You Never Check the Filter
Your heater relies on water flow, and your filthy, ignored filter is suffocating it. Low flow equals high stress equals dead heater. But go ahead and keep pretending the filter magically cleans itself.
Fix: Clean cartridges every 2–4 weeks. Backwash sand or DE when the pressure gauge says so.
You Think a Heater is Set-and-Forget
You turn it on in spring and expect it to work perfectly after six months of being ignored. It’s not magic. It’s a machine that needs care.
Fix: Schedule a professional inspection before and after each season.
Your “Stop Ruining Your Heater” Checklist
Ready to stop wrecking your expensive heater? Start here:
- Flush out debris from heater lines monthly
- Test and balance water twice a week, in multiple spots
- Run pump at least 8–12 hours daily
- Clean or backwash filter regularly
- Get the heater inspected at least once a year
Your pool heater didn’t betray you. You betrayed it. Stop blaming the weather or “bad luck” and start giving it the care it deserves.
Because nothing ruins a summer like cold water and bad excuses.
