One of the greatest inventions, as far as a pool owner is concerned, is the pool heater. Yes, a pool cover can generate some heat, but unless the water temperature is about 80 degrees, swimming is postponed.

When the pool heater is not working properly, there appear to be only two things to do. (1) Call a repair man and be prepared to spend at least $100, or (2) Google your problem, and hope that someone with the same problem has found his answer — and that you might do the same.

So this morning I was Googling. I read about 5 possible solutions to my heater’s problem of firing up for a while, and then, after a few minutes, the firing stops, and only cool water flows into the pool.

Which solution to try first? — that was a no-brainer. Three of the solutions required some knowledge of the electrical circuitry of the heater. That left two solutions to try.

First I put my hand over the water return to try to raise the water pressure from the heater. The heater fired up. I waited with bated breath to see if the heater would stay ignited. It seemed like it was working! I would go into the house, set my timer to 5 minutes, and then go out to the heater and check it. Nope. The heater was not working. On to try No. 2.

This time I unscrewed the gas connection to the heater and let some gas escape into the air. Then I screwed the connection back on again. The heater fired up. Same scenario — I went back to set my timer. Nope again. The heater stopped firing.

What now? I remember reading one guy’s online comment: Take a screwdriver and knock it against the big tube through which the water passes. Oh, well. Why not? I did the knocking. The heater fired. I went inside for 5 minutes. Nope again.

Next, on my own, without the benefit of Googling, I decided that the metal contacts of the connectors might be dirty. I went outside, removed and reattached the connectors. Voila! Smoke! Now that my heater is not working at all, it’s off to the YMCA to swim. Have a great day!

Mr. Ebsen may be contacted at robertebsen@hotmail.com