I just got a new pool and spa 30 days ago. Wanted to try the heater for the first time. 400k btu raypak heater. My spa is 8 foot in diameter with 8 jets. The spa is about 80 feet from the heater and the heater is about 35 feet from meter. I had my meter upgraded already. So I’m a little disappointed because I was told my spa could get to 102 in 10 minutes. Well my starting temp was 86 this afternoon and it took almost 30 minutes to get to 102. Is this normal? Or is it possible my heater isn’t working correctly?
Spa Heater Working Correctly?
- Thread starter BobsPool16
- Start date
Bob,
I have a standalone spa, so mine is ready when I am..
Let's see if we can get some of our members with an in-ground spa to chime in.
Just based on what I have read here at TFP, it sounds to me like your spa is working just fine. 10 minutes sounds pretty optimistic to me..
Thanks,
Jim R.
I have a standalone spa, so mine is ready when I am..
Let's see if we can get some of our members with an in-ground spa to chime in.
Just based on what I have read here at TFP, it sounds to me like your spa is working just fine. 10 minutes sounds pretty optimistic to me..
Thanks,
Jim R.
Not knowing the depth of your spa, it's hard to say, but you can do the math and calculate how long it will take to raise your water temperature. One BTU will raise one pound of water 1 degree F. So, you need 8.33 BTU's to raise one gallon of water one degree. If we estimate your spa to be 3' deep that you have approximately 1,127 gallons of water in your spa. So, with a heater at 400k BTU's and a temperature change of 16 degrees and no efficiency loss of any kind you would need 149,665 BTU's which would take your heater .374 hours or 22.45 minutes to produce. When you factor in things like heater efficiency plus heat losses due to under ground plumbing, the spa shell heat soak and heat loss to atmosphere I would say your 30 minute heat time is right on, if not slightly better than expected.
