{"id":6751,"date":"2022-04-11T19:19:35","date_gmt":"2022-04-11T19:19:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/?p=6751"},"modified":"2023-10-08T14:53:04","modified_gmt":"2023-10-08T14:53:04","slug":"hayward-vs-pentair-pool-and-spa-heaters","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/hayward-vs-pentair-pool-and-spa-heaters\/","title":{"rendered":"Hayward vs. Pentair Pool and Spa Heaters"},"content":{"rendered":"

Nothing beats the hot muggy summer air than going for a quick dip in your backyard pool, but if you\u2019re an avid swimmer whose body and muscles yearn to touch water all year long, the only surefire you can do is by getting a pool heater.<\/p>\n

\"Hayward
Hayward W3H150FDN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Here, we\u2019re going to take a look at two highly popular pool and spa heater models, namely, the Hayward W3H150FDN<\/u><\/a><\/strong> and the Pentair 460792<\/u><\/a><\/strong>. Both are natural gas pool and spa heaters that offer different heating capacities. Read our comparison of the Hayward vs. Pentair to see which of the two you should get to keep your pool\u2019s water at a comfortably warm temp.<\/p>\n
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BTU Rating<\/h3>\n

Hayward<\/strong>
\nBefore settling on a particular pool and spa heater model, assure how large or small a unit you need in terms of BTUs. The Hayward is rated at 150,000 BTUs and should be more than capable of bringing the average 20 x 40-foot in-ground pool\u2019s temperature up by 15\u00b0 throughout the entire year.<\/p>\n

Pentair<\/strong>
\nThe Pentair is slightly larger than the Hayward, BTU-wise. It\u2019s a 175,000-BTU beast that can raise the temperature of your in-ground pool after only a couple of hours of waiting. The 25,000-BTU disparity between the two can mean a lot, especially if you have a pool with a larger surface area and live in colder climates.<\/p>\n

\"Pentair
Pentair 460792<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Conclusion:<\/strong> Determining whether you can get by with the 150,000-BTU Hayward or need 175,000 BTUs from the Pentair depends on some factors, including where you live in the world, how cold\/hot it gets, and how much quickly wind passes by your pool. Nevertheless, Pentair\u2019s higher BTU rating guarantees more efficient heating in pools and spas, though admittedly by a very narrow margin.<\/p>\n

Size<\/h3>\n

Hayward<\/strong>
\nNext, you\u2019ll want to see how much floor space you can dedicate to your pool and spa heater. Most gas pool heaters leave quite a large footprint, but finding a spot for it nearby your pool shouldn\u2019t be too much trouble. The Hayward measures in at 31 x 29 x 31 cubic inches. That\u2019s pretty compact considering its quick-heating performance.<\/p>\n

Pentair<\/strong>
\nSurprisingly, the Pentair is the more space-efficient model, though, once again, by a negligible amount. The dimensions of the Pentair are 36 x 30 x 25 cubic inches and sit comfortably near in-ground pools to limit how much gas and water piping you need.<\/p>\n

Conclusion:<\/strong> Finding a spot to place the Hayward or Pentair isn\u2019t causing too much headache, especially since they\u2019re both extremely compact by pool heater standards. If you want to get technical about it, the Pentair leaves a tinier footprint and is just as easy to install and therefore, the \u201cbetter\u201d of the two.<\/p>\n

Cupronickel Heat Exchanger<\/h3>\n

Cupronickel heat exchangers have a thermal efficiency of between 82 and 84%, meaning that the majority of work output is going into heating your pool or spa. Cupronickel is also very anti-corrosive and will help with heating saltwater pools.<\/p>\n

\"Hayward
Hayward W3H150FDN<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Low NOx Emission<\/h3>\n

A Low NOx label ensures that the pool and spa heater meets or surpasses quality standards. Low NOx is also more efficient than traditional pool heaters and will bring your pool\u2019s water up to the desired temperature quickly.<\/p>\n

Durability<\/h3>\n

How you treat the Hayward and Pentair will play a significant role in the heaters\u2019 longevity, but in a general sense, both of these units should work for more than five years with minor maintenance issues here and there. In addition, neither of these two uses sheet metal so there\u2019s no risk of rusting.<\/p>\n

Intuitive Controls<\/h3>\n

The digital control panel on both the Hayward and Pentair allows you to set up the desired temperature of your pool or spa (spa going as high as 104\u00b0). Setting up the machine is pretty straightforward, even if you\u2019ve never owned a gas pool heater before. <\/p>\n

\"Pentair
Pentair 460792<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Still, you should read all of the paperwork before directing a gas line into either of these bad boys.<\/p>\n

Temperature Accuracy<\/h3>\n

The one thing most customers rave about is the accuracy of each of these machines\u2019 thermostats. They both offer real-time readouts of current water temp with a tiny 1 to 2\u00b0 deviation. <\/p>\n

Considering how much water flows through these pool and spa heaters every minute, the tiny error is more than tolerable. <\/p>\n

\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/2WVxWmI\"<\/p>\n

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Hayward vs. Pentair Pool and Spa Heaters: Which Should I Get?<\/h2>\n

As you can see from our review, the Hayward W3H150FDN<\/u><\/a><\/strong> and the Pentair 460792<\/u><\/a><\/strong> are very similar to one another. The only significant differences between the two are a) their maximum heat output (BTU) and b) their physical size. After you\u2019ve determined whether your pool would benefit more from 150,000 or 175,000 BTUs, your decision is practically already made.<\/p>\n

\"Pentair<\/p>\n

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Nothing beats the hot muggy summer air than going for a quick dip in your backyard pool, but if you\u2019re an avid swimmer whose body and muscles yearn to touch water all year long, the only surefire you can do is by getting a pool heater. Here, we\u2019re going to take a look at two … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[35],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6751"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=6751"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6751\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":13642,"href":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6751\/revisions\/13642"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=6751"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=6751"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.smarthomesforliving.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=6751"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}