Pool/Spa Heaters - MiniMax vs Sta-Rite

[jmce1587]

Has anyone had any experience with a Minimax Low Nox 400,000 btu heater vs. a Sta-Rite 400k btu heater? Both are manufactured by Pentair. My builder originally indicated the Minimax but installed the Sta-Rite product. Is one better than the other?

thanks
jmce1587

[waste]

jmce1587, welcome to the forum!!
Can't say much about the minimax, as there aren't too many of them around here. However, for the last 6 years most of the heaters I've had to 'play with' are the Sta-Rite maxitherms (squat, round, black) - so I can tell you lots about them, if you'd like.
A little history on the Sta-Rite units:
1)~ 5 yrs ago they changed the manifold on the heaters due to premature failing -AFAIK the new ones are holding up fine (which is to say that we haven't had to replace any for any reason other than large objects -like trees- falling on the system)
2)Last year, they changed from a copper heat exchanger to a nickel coated copper exchanger -- they also changed the wiring inside the unit to accomidate 120 or 240v though they still were shipping some of the old ones as of Sept (no biggie to a pool owner, but having to carry a supply of 2 different (and not interchangeable) wire harnesses on an already overloaded serice van is a major PITA)
3)This past year, Pentair bought Sta-Rite - no major changes
4)At some point in the past (~4 -5 yrs?) they changed the 'stack flue sensor' to a 'stack flue switch' - not something you'll need to care about

Ok, what's this got to do with you? Probably nothing I just wanted to tell you about the improvements made to the heater you got. Aside from water issues (low pH water will destroy the heat exchanger, thermostat, thermosistor, AGS switch and high limit switch - this is almost ALWAYS due to the unchecked use of tri-chlor pucks! - so do as CarlD says and 'spend 2-5 min/ day to stay ahead of your water') the biggest problem is that mice like to nest in the unit - they will chew the casings off of the wires and pee where it shorts out the control board. For this reason, we now bring all the heaters inside for the winter (remember the wire harness problem? - mice are the reason it comes into play), though the little b*stards will get in over the temperate months as well.
It's a good unit, but keep the pH in the proper range (7.2 - 7.8) and keep the critters out of it!!!

Again, welcome to the forum - if I can be of further help or offer some clarification, never hesitate to ask! - Waste

ps. if you went with the 'puck feeder', do as Aylad suggested