Gas Heater Recommendation... please

[scottturner]

I've been told that the Sta Rite Max-E-Therm is one of the best ones out on the market. Supposed to be one of the most efficient ones out there. For your size pool, it looks like you'll need a 400K BTU heater. I've got a 355K BTU heater on a 20K pool, and I'm going to put the 400K on it.

Michal

How are you figuring heater sizing. I have seen charts that have a pretty wide variance. I currently have pool with roughly 650 sqr ft surface area and 26,000 gallons. I am in Michigan and use a solar cover, I want to use the heater to just extend the pool season on each end a little bit. Your numbers look high from some of the charts that I have seen, but don't get me wrong, I am not saying you are incorrect. My quest is to just find out the most accurate size and not overbuy. Thanks for the help.

[mwsmith2]

Well, the price difference between a 350K btu and 400K btu is negligible. Most folks down here have that size range on their pools, and we're down in Houston, TX area. I'm not sure if it's possible for you to "overbuy" on a heater up there in Michigan!

Michael

[JWB]

A friend of mine recommended his Pentair MiniMax 400k. Any thoughts on that product?

[rmeden]

I have a MiniMax 400k BTU in a pool I had put in last year.

Not as efficient as I'd like.. (not sure if anything is). When running, the exhaust is *very* hot.... heat I'd rather be putting into the water! It's hot even when the water is at 70 degrees. (I can understand it hot when the spa is warm). I've even thought of putting a coil loop over the exhaust!

I'm also on my 3rd control board... Keep getting fan speed errors (E04).... I'm not sure how reliable it will be.

[Katy-Texas]

I also have a Pentair Minimax model HTR 400 NT TSI NH installed in spring 2005, ie less than 1 year old, so far it's failed 3 times with error message E04 on LED screen which may be same problem as JWB's.

Not happy with this unit, rest of Pentair kit works great.

[JWB]

Thanks for the info... sorry you've had problems

[pj1016]

I have a Pentair MiniMax 400k that is almost a year old...no problems here.

pj

[Katy-Texas]

Update, darn Pentair Minimax 400 failed again for 5th time in 1 year with same E04 error message, so as well as phoning pool builder I emailed Pentair with my problem. They phoned me 5 days later and said E04 can be many things and very sorry for problem and can they send a specialist repair guy that they use here in Houston.

Guy came out found fan setting wrong and that only 1.25" of gas pressure not 2.25" recommended. Fingers crossed that problem will go away.

Talked with repair guy and he says:
1) He repairs lots of different brands
2) Pentair is slightly better than Hayward
3) Sorry but all units will fail with time, normally electrically
4) Newer units are not as good as older units as more electronics as required for low NOx emmissions.

FYI, when pool installed, electrician recommended I put rain gutter down side of house where kit is to reduce rain run off dumping on equipment and extend it's life, seemed reasonable so did that.