Propane Pool Heater Confusion

[ukchris]

I live in New Hampshire, 20x40 inground pool and I think we've settled on putting in a propane heater, partly due to practicality (easier to have tanks than run a circuit) plus guidance that it will be better overall int his climate.

Now the confusion.... I have been recommended 300k, 350k and 400k units, all Hayward, I'm leaning towards the 400k as there seems to be little difference in price, sort of.

Online (Amazon) the 300, 350 and 400 are within $200 of each other, all around $2,100 give or take. I called a local pool place who are listed as a reseller on the Hayward site and was quoted $3,700 plus $400 to have it delivered 4 miles away.

I've read a lot of articles about freedom to purchase online harming brick and mortar and while I'd much prefer to shop local I don't know how I can justify paying 60% more. I'm told (by store owners) that the warranty can be dicey with online yet I've read that a "qualified installer" is key yet there's little definition to what that means. I don't seem to be able to find anyone that will just do it all so I believe this is what I need to do.... I'd welcome confirmation, critique or advice.

1. Buy the heater. Get it in position and have a plumber pipe it into the exit pipe on my filter.

2. Have the propane folks come out, drop a tank (has to be 10' away), dig a trench two feet deep to run the supply to the heater and connect it.

I'm can't seem to get a clear answer on what the electrical requirements are, I have the supply for the filter/pump (a Hayward) and a GFCI outlet, the Hayward web site says the heater supports bot 110 and 240 but no clarity on whether I can "plug it in" or have to have it hard wired or, more importantly, the load - whether it needs a dedicated circuit running from the main panel or not.

I'd appreciate advice, most specifically on the electrical but I'd welcome comments on any aspect of the plan if you're willing.

Thanks again for the great forum!

Chris.

 

[slickrock22]

I did something very similar for my natural gas heater and all new equipment. I ordered it from Sunplay and then hired the local pool guy to install all of it for 900 bucks. He brought in an electrician. Because I had it installed it was still warranted by Pentair. Great way to go in my book as long as you are aware of any potential code gotchas in your community.

 

[ps0303]

Do yourself a favor and do NOT get a Hayward. Go for a Raypak.

As for the electric connection, you can tie the heater to the pump timer clock. That way it can't be turned on unless the pump is running.

Warranty is an issue when you buy online. Some places might give you 6 months of the original warranty if you buy online no matter who installs it.

 

[ajw22]

How many gallons in your 20x40 IG pool? 200K/300K/400K depends on how much temperature rise per hour you want from the heater. Someplace here I recently read on the formula for heat rise per hour. I believe it was (Heater BTU*.8)/(Pool Gallons *8.3). For my 35,000 gallon pool with a 400,000 BTU heater that gives 1.1 degree/hour. That is about what I get from my heater.

Next depends on how hot you want to get your pool. I like 86 degrees. It is hard to keep a pool that warm in the Northeast when you get cold nights. After a cold night the pool may lose 5 to 10 degrees unless you keep the pool heat on 24 hours a day. At 1 degree/hour it can take a few hours for the pool to get back up to temp in the morning.

No doubt a pool cover could help retain pool heat at night but I don't have one.

I have a Pentair Mastertemp 400K NG heater. Electrical requirement is just 120V AC hard wired, not plug in, for the igniter, fan, and controls.

How do you intend to manage the pool heater? Do you have an automated control system?

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While folks here recommend against Hayward you will find their installation manuals here https://www.hayward-pool.com/shop/en/pools/manuals to answer your electrical and plumbing installation questions.

 

[ukchris]

Great feedback and questions, thank you. I'm not sure on volume, it's 20x40, 7' deep or so at the deep end, I got it to around 40,000 gallons. After never getting above about 72 last year I think we'll shoot for around 82 initially and see how we go. I'm still curious as to how often we swim and determining where the balance is between heating it when we need it (or several hours before) vs. maintaining the temperature.

I have a solar cover but I'm intrigued by the alcohol based "liquid covers" - would welcome advice for/against.

My filter/pump does not have a timer (currently) - should I be looking in to control systems rather than relying on wandering out and switching stuff on and off?

 

[ajw22]

My filter/pump does not have a timer (currently) - should I be looking in to control systems rather than relying on wandering out and switching stuff on and off?

I turn the heater temp down when we get a cold spell of a few days, or when it is raining, or when we go away for a while. Also maintaining a high pool temp while the air temp is low will cause more evaporation and water loss from the pool.

So actively managing pool temp and heater run based on the weather will save you lots of gas and water. Having the pool heater controls in a convenient indoor location is nice to have.

 

[ps0303]

Yes get a simple Intermatic clock and run the pump on a schedule every day.

 

[ukchris]

Do yourself a favor and do NOT get a Hayward. Go for a Raypak.

Do you consider Raypak to be better quality? Better price? Service/support?

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Yes get a simple Intermatic clock and run the pump on a schedule every day.

While they look simple enough I suppose I need to figure out if my pump/filter is 110 or 220 first - is a Hayward DE Filter typically 110?

 

[ajw22]

While they look simple enough I suppose I need to figure out if my pump/filter is 110 or 220 first - is a Hayward DE Filter typically 110?

Filters are not electrical powered. They just use water flow from the pump.