New gas heater for spa

[richardkwall]

I'm in So Calif and have a 20 yr old in ground salt pool/spa. Equipment is Pentair pool pilot/soft touch and a 400k MiniMax NT heater.
Would like to replace the gas heater with something smaller since I only heat the 500 gal spa.
Looks like a Pentair 125k heater is about $1500 and 250k about $2400.
What would be a less expensive (but reliable) option for a 125k or 250k gas heater that can work with my pool pilot/soft touch connection?

Thx

 

[ajw22]

Welcome to TFP.

I don't think Pentair makes a pool pilot. Is this what you have....

Pool Pilot® Total Control System Archives - AutoPilot Website

Pool Pilot® Total Control System (Scroll down to choose your level of control) The most accurate and reliable way to maintain perfectly balanced pool and spa water. No other salt chlorine system comes packed with features like the AutoPilot® Total Control System. Maintaining your pool has never...

autopilot.com

The 150K heater will take three times as long to heat your spa as your current 400K heater.

The 250K heater will take about twice as long to heat your spa as your current 400K heater.

You need to decide if the one time cost difference is worth the wait times for the spa to heat up.

Any of those heaters will work with the same connection as your MiniMax heater.

 

[richardkwall]

Welcome to TFP.

I don;t think Pentair makes a pool pilot. Is this what you have....

Pool Pilot® Total Control System Archives - AutoPilot Website

Pool Pilot® Total Control System (Scroll down to choose your level of control) The most accurate and reliable way to maintain perfectly balanced pool and spa water. No other salt chlorine system comes packed with features like the AutoPilot® Total Control System. Maintaining your pool has never...

autopilot.com

The 150K heater will take three times as long to heat your spa as your current 400K heater.

The 250K heater will take about twice as long to heat your spa as your current 400K heater.

You need to decide if the one time cost difference is worth the wait times for the spa to heat up.

Any of those heaters will work with the same connection as your MiniMax heater.

Thanks for ur reply.
If I stay with another 400k heater, do you recommend a less expensive (but reliable) heater other than Pentair's $3,000 (400k) heater?
I got a friend who works for Zodiac pools and he said family pricing is around $2100 for a 400k, but I don't know how good or bad Zodiac heaters are.
Thx.

 

[ajw22]

You can consider a Raypak 406A heater.

A Jandy (Zodiac) heater is ok. Jandy is not very DIY friendly or dealing with owner maintenance.

 

[Jarhead916]

Raypak H400FDN

Isn't that a Hayward model #?

 

[ajw22]

Isn't that a Hayward model #?

Yeah, good catch. I meant 406A. Must have been replying to too many Hayward heater threads that day.