Best 400k heater

[robpiat]

I've got a pool / spa. We don't use the heater much but it's important when we need it. My 10-12 year old laars lx is unreliable.

I'm thinking raypak since they are simple and without a lot of the drama. Life expectancy and reliability are more important than efficiency. Gas is cheap in ga, elec expensive so a heat pump is out of the equation

We probably use the heater 10-15 days a year. I've considered building a schedule so it fires for an hour or so once a month to keep the sensors from getting funky. In the last 6 months I've lost two sensors and an igniter. I fix it myself , but the parts are overpriced.

Raypak makes a number of models all within $500 or so of each other. On a sw pool, is the premium warranted?

 

[MarianParoo]

I just replaced my Pentair with a Raypak 406A. Easy peasy. What do you mean by "premium"?

Edit: I bought through the "World" place and they were awesome.

 

[robpiat]

They have the standard , then the Cupro nickel, then the asme model. If I recall correctly , the asme model has a cast iron header

 

[pabeader]

I have a cast iron heater. I would highly recommend against it. I inherited a messed up pool that had gone acid. I now have some iron issues I to deal with.

 

[ps0303]

ASME is really only for a commercial setting where it is required by codes. As for Raypak, good choice. Just FYI, keep in mind that the company as with most can reject any repair under warranty if is not installed by a licensed professional. However, with the number of the units I install on a yearly basis, I hardly ever get a call back from a customer with a new heater. As apposed to other makers, I get lots of calls.

All you need is the normal residential unit. No need to go fancy like buying cupro-nickel heat exchanger unit if you have a salt chlorine generator. To help prolong the life of it I would suggest that if it sits under your homes overhang and you don't have gutters, get them. At least for the area over the equipment. Running it once a month is a good idea all though not really necessary. I deal with "snow birds" that are gone for up to 6 months at a time and they have no issues when they come back to town in the winter.

7-10 years is what manufacturers quote on the life of a unit. However I have seen many 12-14 year old units running. Gutters help.

I hope this helps with your decision.

 

[jrguzmanr]

I replaced my old Hayward 400k ED1 heater (approx. 15 years old) with the Raypak 406A. I used the heater this year more than I ever have before and I can see the savings on my gas bill. Of course this could be because I'm comparing a brand new heater which should be more efficient to an old one, but with that said, I'm happy with it. The only thing that annoys me is that after about 10 min of starting up, I get a bang from the heater, which is the metal expanding, and after it shuts off I get another one because it's cooling down. I've been told, by the installer and here, that this is normal and happens on some of them, not sure why not on all. The one thing I make sure to do everytime I work with the heater is to make sure that the flap that covers the controls is completely closed to prevent rain from getting there. It seems, from what I've read, that the board tends to fail.

 

[gary300]

I got a new Raypac 407A installed in May, and it is flawless so far (low Nox - cali requirement). I do keep mine covered when not in use just to keep it shinny and keep leaves and palm tree pod drippings from going into the heater. Happy so far! BTW, it replaced a Raypak 2100 that lasted 22 years so I am sold on Raypak.