Pool heater sizing recommendation (Raypak or Hayward)

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jgbedford
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Posts: 1
Joined: Sat 10 Apr, 2021 10:10
My Pool: 18' x 36' rectangle roman end with 8' deep end.
Chlorine

Pool heater sizing recommendation (Raypak or Hayward)

Postby jgbedford » Sat 10 Apr, 2021 10:26

Good afternoon,

Just moved to a new house. Home has a rough in for a heater (I assume it failed at some point and was just removed).
There is a gas line, and elecrticity already at the site where I am going to install a new heater.

I am just having a concrete pad poured so that the heater and pool equipment (sand filter and pump) have a proper base.

Right now, the area is enclosed with a fence and an open pergola top. When I rebuild the walls after the pad cures, I was thinking of enclosing the space to protect my equipment (I am in Canada, so the stuff will get covered in snow, and the equipment gets direct sunlight all afternoon.

My pool is an 18' x 36' rectangle with roman ends and I beleive an 8' deep end. The pool is a chlorine pool with a Hayward auto-chlorinator.

Two questions today:

1. Sizing - I was told that 250,000-266,000 BTU is the appropriate size heater for my pool. Can a pool heater be up-sized? Is there a benefit as it will heat the pool faster? Is there an efficiency point where it is burning significantly more gas to get to a 300,000-350,000 BTU heater, that the cost of gas outweighs the benefit of the extra degree an hour or heating benefit? I beleive my gas pipe is sized and will support up to 350,000 BTU. Is there a benefit to go to a larger BTU heater, or does it completely defeat efficiency? Bigger heater = runs less = uses less gas? Thoughts?

2. Brand - I am looking at the two units - one from Hayward and the other from Raypak. The Hayward is the H250FDN and the Raypak is the P-R-266 (unless I decide to upsize the unit). I am pretty good with pool chemistry and my pool is Chlorine. The Hayward is smaller and has cupernickel bits inside, but has a slightly more expensive vent kit. Is it worth a few extra hundred dollars for cupernickel? Or will the Raypak suit and service my needs for years to come? Is one easier to service? Does reliability come into play for the longevity/lifetime of the heater?

Any suggestions or thoughts on sizing and brand would be most appreciated.

Thank you!


Jason


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