AHRI on flood damaged pool heaters

Water Heating Systems

Whether your pool water heater is gas, or electric heat pump, if it was exposed to flood water, the unit should be replaced. A new pool water heater is a relatively small investment.

In a gas pool heater unit, valves and controls will corrode. In an electric heat pump unit, the thermostat and controls will corrode. In both types, the insulation surrounding the unit will be contaminated and will be nearly impossible to disinfect. Additionally, the insulation would take a long time to dry, leading to corrosion of the tank from the outside.

Even if water heater components have been cleaned and the unit seems to operate properly, important safety parts (sensors, valves, switches) will corrode in the future and fail, not working properly and can cause serious injury, death, or property damage from scalding, fire, or other failures. Both gas and electric water heaters have a pressure relief valve that can corrode and stick after being exposed to flood water, as well as safety shutoff devices. Failure to any of these items can be catastrophic.