Gas heater with better components or more BTUs

[Sws]

Hi Everyone,

Just looking for some opinions. I'm trying to decide between a Pentair Mastertemp 250 HD or Mastertemp 300.

The 250 HD has the cupro nickel heat exchanger vs copper in the 300.

Pool is 11k gallons, 15x24 semi inground and I maintain my own chemistry.

It came with a copper ionizer from the dealer as it's sanitizer so there is some salt in it, but I maintain it as a chlorine pool per the TFP method.

What's the general consensus? More BTUs, or cupro nickel heat exchanger? Either model is overkill for the pool size.

 

[PoolStored]

More BTUs. We typically recommend against paying extra for cupronickel because it lowers the efficiency of the heater, costs more (obviously) and really won't last any longer. Pool water balance and chemistry is the biggest determinant of heat exchanger life and in almost all cases the exchanger gets compromised because the pool water is allowed to become too corrosive or too scaling. In some instances the flow rate through the heater can be too high leading to damage, but that is rare. Avoid low pH and keep the flow on the low end of the manual recommended flow rate to reduce erosion.

I would remove the copper ionizer.

Copper in Pool Water - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

 

[Sws]

More BTUs. We typically recommend against paying extra for cupronickel because it lowers the efficiency of the heater, costs more (obviously) and really won't last any longer. Pool water balance and chemistry is the biggest determinant of heat exchanger life and in almost all cases the exchanger gets compromised because the pool water is allowed to become too corrosive or too scaling. In some instances the flow rate through the heater can be too high leading to damage, but that is rare. Avoid low pH and keep the flow on the low end of the manual recommended flow rate to reduce erosion.

I would remove the copper ionizer.

Copper in Pool Water - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com

Thank you,

I think the flow rate is ok. It's a 57gpm pump and the 300k is 30 min and 120 max. Think a bypass is necessary or a waste? I only plan to run it for a few hours on the mornings that I plan to go in. My family doesn't care about pool temp but I hate going in when it's under 85. Lol

The place that I got the pool from calla for .9ppm of copper but I've been maintaining .5. I'll toss the ionizer when I hardpipe everything doing the pool heater.

I'm currently around 200ppm of Calcium but started using cal hypo and liquid chlorine. I expect it to creep up next year.

My PH is usually around 7.5-7.7. I got pretty good at maintaining it. I spent about a year on TFP before my first post.

 

[PoolStored]

Think a bypass is necessary or a waste?

Bypass the heater...

Heater Bypass - Further Reading

www.troublefreepool.com