Rules in Hot Water

California has always been on the leading edge of change and innovation. The changes made today will make a difference in how things like pool and spa heating is designed, installed and serviced tomorrow, says Huntington Beach service veteran Robert H. Foutz Jr..

By Robert H. Foutz Jr.

I live in California—the land of beaches, movies stars and scores of independent swimming pool and spa service technicians, like me. As I’ve explained in my previous two articles covering many of my experiences and professional observations, working a service route sometimes mean adapting to big changes, both within our industry and society at large.  

Many of these changes have meant that countless contractors and repair techs need to learn how to install new products and then repair them when they break down years later. Some of those new rules have had major impacts on our businesses, some for the better and others just the opposite.

Here’s a look at some of these changes, and the effect they’ve had on swimming pool service technicians in California, and elsewhere.

Pilot Lights Out

One of these changes was to appliances with pilot lights that continuously burn in stoves, furnaces, and swimming pool heaters. 

These new appliances will save gas and put less toxins into the air. Which is a good thing, but it does mean that people like me had to learn how to install these new appliances, understand how they work, and how to fix them.

Now, pool heaters in California were not actually standing pilot heaters, they were millivolt heaters; there is a difference, but not much. (And it’s not worth wasting time on here.)  Whether your appliance was standing pilot or millivolt they both have a pilot flame that burns continuously, 24/7, 365.

Millivolt pool heaters use a small gas flame (the pilot light). The heat from the pilot light generates a small electrical current, (less than 1 volt) that is used to keep the gas valve open and supply gas for the pilot.

You needed go to Radio Shack for a volt meter that could measure voltage that low. When the customer said the pool heater wasn’t working, the first thing I did was backwash the filter to make sure there was enough water flowing through the heater, and the second thing was to check that there was at least 500 millivolts at the pilot generator. If not, you would light the pilot. Backwashing and pilot lighting solved the problem about 75% of the time.

And because swimming pools and pool heaters are outside in the wind, rain, and inclement weather, I relit a lot of pilots every year. I always had lighters and long stick matches in my truck. For a guy who doesn’t smoke, I amassed a large collection of cigarette lighters.

Change From the Start

I started in the swimming pool business in 1985; the year all new swimming pool heaters were to be pilotless. The story goes that the state of California gave a pool heater company called Teledyne Laars $1,000,000 and one year to invent the pilot-less ignition pool heater. The catch was they then had to share the technology with all the other heater companies in California.

The good news for the pool tech was that all the heaters were basically the same, so if you knew how to fix the brown heater you could fix the green heater and the blue one too.

So there I was, 23 years old, I didn’t know the difference between a swimming pool and a big hole in the ground. I had only been in business for about three weeks, trying to learn everything I could about swimming pools. I went to a four-hour swimming pool heater class at the Western Pool and Spa Show that year, because I knew absolutely nothing about how swimming pool heaters worked.

The first two hours were how millivolt heaters worked and how to fix them. The class was not very full because everyone (but me) already knew who to fix millivolt heaters. The second two hours were how the new Intermittent Ignition Pilot worked and how to fix them. That class was standing room only, because like me nobody knew how to fix the new heaters.

The new heater had this little box called the Intermittent Ignition Device (IID) that pretty much controlled the heater. We all called it “the brain.”

We were told the intermittent pilot light is an electric system that was better than the millivolt heater, as it saved gas and the environment. We didn’t have global warming back then, but the government and others, like me, didn‘t like wasting gas.

A Good Solution

Instead of a flame that kept burning all the time, the intermittent ignition device only lights the pilot when needed. The thermostat told the IID (or brain) that the water was cold and need heating, the IID sent electricity to spark light the pilot. Once lit, the IID went through the safety switches and (pressure switch, hi-limit switches, etc.) and if they were all good, the gas valve opened and the main burners lit and you had warm water.

After a few years I got really good at fixing the IID heater. My dad was my business partner back then and he never learned to fix pool heaters. But I did teach him how to troubleshoot an IID heater. If the heater would not light, the first thing I had him do was backwash the filter, as mentioned above, to ensure proper flow through the system, thus preventing from catching on fire. If it still didn’t light, then he would open front panel and listen. If he heard nothing, it was probably the IID, if he heard the click, click, click sound of the IID trying to light the pilot, but something was holding it back. This wasn’t foolproof but it gave me an idea of what was wrong and what parts to buy before I got there.

Another thing I had to learn about IID heaters was they needed electricity to power the spark, which added another function to installing the heater. I learned how to run wire and conduit from the load side of the time clock to the heater and make sure you had the right voltage. If you ran 110 volts to a 220-volt heater, nothing happened; the heater would not light. Run 220 volts into a 110-volt heater and things lit up, but not in good way.

Low-NOx Heaters

If you’ve never heard of a Low NOx pool heater, you’re in the majority, they are only used (mandated) in parts of Southern California, and Texas, while in Utah, they are required for all commercial heating, but not residential.  

NOx is nitrogen oxide, a toxic gas that is produced when fuel burns at high temperatures in things like pool heaters, furnaces, or boilers. NOx is harmful as it contributes to ground level ozone, which forms smog and causes respiratory issues and can damage ecosystems. Because of its environmental impact, NOx is regulated by the EPA.

Swimming pool heaters were polluting the air with NOx and needed to be redesigned. In 2002 they came up with the low-NOx heater.

A low-NOx heater basically works the same as other heaters, with one big difference: it had a fan, or blower, that helps reduce nitrogen oxide. These heaters works by controlling the air-to-fuel mixture. They use a sealed combustion system with a fan-assisted combustion air intake. This controlled combustion lowers the temperature so the NOx gases aren’t produced, resulting in significantly lower emissions than standard pool heaters and helping them meet strict environmental regulations. 

There are three main parts for this process:

• Controlled Air-Fuel Mixture: The heater’s gas valve and fan work together to maintain a precisely controlled, clean-burning air-fuel mixture.

• Fan-Assisted Combustion: A fan pulls cool, outside air into the combustion chamber. 

• Sealed Burners: The air and gas are mixed and delivered to sealed burners, preventing the re-circulation of hot exhaust gases.

Like switching from millivolt to IID, switching to low-NOx took time, and but we all learned how to fix them.

Solar and Heat Pumps

On January 1, 2026 California did away with all gas-powered swimming pool heaters on new construction only. So, if you’re going to build a new pool you will have to install a solar water heater system or a heat pump.

Existing pools and gas heaters are exempt, so you can replace an old gas heater with a new gas heater.

Just like with IID and low-NOx, I know nothing about heat pumps, but unlike those heaters, I should be retired before I have to learn how to fix them.  

Pumps and Motors

Heaters aren’t the only category of pool equipment that’s impacted by innovation and new regulations.

The basic function of pool pumps and motors hasn’t changed: an electric motor spins an impeller, and centrifugal force pushes water through the circulation system.

Pool pumps, when I started, were all brass, they were not as efficient at moving water as the plastic pumps we use now. As the industry moved to plastic pumps there was a lot of talk about downsizing your circulation pump. The general rule was to downsize your pump by one half. So, if you were replacing a two-horsepower brass pump you would install a one-horsepower plastic pump. The manufacturers put out “sizing guide” booklets to help you install the right size pump for your pool.

The reason for this is the manufacturing: plastic pumps are cheaper to manufacture and they had tighter tolerances, so they could make impellers that could move more water than brass impeller. All plastic pumps used closed-face impellers, (brass pumps had open-face impellers) and could move water with less horsepower.

All motors work the same way: electrical energy is converted into mechanical energy. Electricity comes from the time clock to the motor; there is an interaction between magnets and magnetic fields and some kind of magic happens and the motor spins around.

Variable-Speed Demon

We don’t use single-speed motors in California anymore because we are required to use variable-speed motors. A variable-speed motor has the ability to change speeds. A single-speed one-horsepower motor will run at one hp all day every day; a variable-speed motor can be programmed to stay at one speed or change speeds several times a day. 

As stated above, I know very little about how motors work, and I know even less about how a variable-speed motor work. I do know this much: variable speed motors use a different kind of magnet to run the motor. A variable-speed motor works by using an advanced permanent magnet motor and a variable frequency drive (VFD) to adjust its operating speed.

Although I’m not entire sure how that works, I do know that a variable-speed motor uses about 30% less electricity than a single-speed motor, so even if you set it to run at the same speed all day like a single speed motor, you will save electricity. If you program it to run at several different speed during the day, you will save even more electricity.

In residential applications, what I see the most is the systems runs at full speed for two hours in the morning, so the cleaner can do its job, then half-speed for two hours to finish filtering the water, then a quarter-speed for two more hours. I really don’t know why they run their motors at quarter speed, it does nothing, there is not enough water flow for the skimmer to do its job, but the manufacturers say it “polishes” the water and leaves beautiful and shiny blue and makes the customer happy.

I realized, there are many people in the industry who would disagree, but I really don’t see the need for variable-speed motors on a commercial pool, like for condos or apartment pools. In those applications, I want my pumps running at full speed all day long. And into the night, I don’t want my pumps slowing down to half speed and not being able to move enough water through my heaters and chlorine feeders in the middle of a hot summer afternoon.

What I do to save my commercial customers money and electricity is to run my pumps full speed in the spring and summer, when I need the full speed to keep the pool water clean, warm, and chlorinated. Then in the fall and winter months I either run the pump at half speed or just shorten the run time. Instead of running them for 18 to 20 hour a day, set them to run at 10 or 12 hours a day. The results are about the same.

I have always tried to live my life by the KISS rule that is “Keep It Simple Stupid,” but sometimes it’s hard, especially in a world where the rules and regulations don’t always stay the same.

Robert Foutz Jr.and his father Robert Foutz Sr started the Purity Pool Service in 1985.  Over the last 40 years, his mom, his wife and all daughters have worked the business with him. He is looking to retire and go fishing in a year or two.

Photo by S. Birkelbach | Shutterstock.