what size heater and what is best brand??

[jilspool]

I have a 20k in ground pool with an attached in ground spa (with 3 jets). We have solar panels on roof and use them in spring and fall. Otherwise in summer our pool and spa stay around 80 degrees and don't use solar unless we have a cool spell. We have a very old gas heater (30 years) and would like to replace it with new model that is more energy efficient to just heat up spa on those rare occasions we want to use it.

A pool service is recommending Pentair Master Temp 300,000 Btu. Leslies recommended Hayward 250,000 Btu. Both are priced at around $1900 before installation.

What size heater is best for an in ground spa (attached to pool)?

Which is better brand Pentair or Hayward?

We live in mild climate. Our spa is normally about 80 degrees in summer. I can use solar on roof to get it up to 90 in summer. In winter it probably is about 40-50 degrees.

 

[learthur]

It all depends on how many gallons of water are in your spa and how fast you want to heat it up.

I have a 600 gallon attached spa and heat it about 1 degree per minute with a 400,000 btu NG heater.

As far as brands go, many people like the Stay-Rite Max-E-Therm. There are other good brands too.

Gas heaters usually heat faster than electric which is nice for spa use.