The consensus we've sort of reached here is that the Hayward Universal series is preferable, for several reasons:
+ It seems to be pretty reliable
+ It's salt-compatible at no extra expense
+ It's powered draft, which means it's not affected by wind and is a bit more efficient.
+ It's very compact
The positive consensus was not very strong; the strong agreement was that you should NOT get a StaRite heater.
If you go through the Amazon reviews on heaters, a number of the negative reviews result from people not getting the sizing right, or not understanding the venting and gas supply requirements. That's not a buyer error, that has nothing to do with Hayward (or any other maker), other than suggesting that they might want to do more to educate consumers.
I've installed a number of these, and they have performed well. I will caution that salt-compatible is not salt-proof on the Hayward or any other heater. It's hard to get a metal with good conductivity (for heat exchange) and good corrosion resistance. High levels of salt WILL accelerate corrosion on these heaters, too. I had to replace a 4 year old continuous duty (365 days/year) heater just this spring. Because it is on a heavily used outdoor kiddie pool that leaks, salt levels are erratic and often high.
There is complaint that I've seen several times: sometimes when these heaters are installed outdoors, water leaks through the panel and into the controls, resulting in pricey repairs. The heaters I've installed are indoors, but if I installed one outdoors, I'd cut a piece of stainless or galvanized sheet to lay over the front edge of the heater and protect the panel.
The Hayward Universal models are all marketed for in-ground pools, but the 150 or 250 will work just as well on most AG pools.
Natural gas models:
- Hayward H300FDN Universal H-Series Low Nox 300,000-BTU Natural Gas Pool Heater
- Hayward H250FDN Universal H-Series Low Nox 250,000-BTU Natural Gas Pool Heater
- Hayward H200FDN Universal H-Series Low Nox 200,000-BTU Natural Gas Pool Heater
- Hayward H150FDN Universal H-Series Low Nox 150,000-BTU Natural Gas Pool Heater
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