Replacing my old Raypak P-R185 heater

[Pabman]

My pool and spa are about 18000 Gal and my old Raypak P-R185 has come to the end of its life. I am looking to replace it with a
Raypak Digital Low NOx 266,000 BTU pool heater natural gas Product ID: P-R267A-EN-C.
Does anyone know if this is compatible ? or should I be looking at a different size of heater.
Thanks

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum!
I suspect that heater will work fine. Raypak is known to be the best residential pool heater. For just a pool a smaller heater should be fine.
I suggest you read ABC's of Pool Water Chemistry and consider reviewing the entire Pool School eBook

 

[Pool Clown]

The two major things to check when you up size the heater are the size and length of the existing gas line, and, if applicable, the venting size. If the gas line is not large enough, or if the run is too long, it cannot supply enough volume of fuel (gas) for the heater and you could have sooting problems.
If your existing gas line is:
1", The length of the run (distance between the meter and the heater) should not exceed 50 feet.
1 1/4" should not exceed 210 feet.
1 1/2" should not exceed 445 feet.
These distances are for natural gas. Propane will give you farther distances. These numbers were taken from Raypak's I/O manual for the 266K heater. I encourage you to check the website and do your homework especially if you intend to install the heater yourself. If you aren't, i would still encourage you to do research, so when your installer is installing your new heater, you are better educated about what he is installing.