Pool heater brands, compared
Six brands own most of this market. They differ less in what they build than in what they are willing to publish, and that turns out to be the useful way to tell them apart.
Quick picks
One representative model per brand, to give each a live price and a buy path. The brand analysis below is what this page is actually for.
| # | Product | Best for | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Hayward — the broadest range Hayward HeatPro Pool Heat Pump Gas, propane and heat pumps across every size, and the brand most likely to state saltwater compatibility outright. | Lowest running cost per degree when you want real temperature control | |
| 2 |  Raypak — the one that publishes construction Raypak Digital Natural Gas Pool Heater Names the exchanger, the tube sheet and the headers on its listings, which almost nobody else does. | Heating fast and occasionally, rather than holding a temperature | |
| 3 |  Pentair — the one that publishes efficiency Pentair MasterTemp 400 Natural Gas Pool Heater The only brand here that prints a thermal efficiency percentage on a retail listing. | A full-size pool heated on demand, when you want the largest gas class | |
| 4 |  AquaCal — the one that publishes a COP AquaCal HeatWave SuperQuiet SQ160R Pool Heat Pump 5.7, and unusually it comes with the test condition attached. Heat pumps only. | A full-size pool where the titanium exchanger, app control and warranty are worth paying for | |
| 5 |  FibroPool — the small-pool specialist FibroPool FH255 55,000 BTU Pool Heat Pump One thing, done at one size: above-ground and small inground heat pumps with a stated COP. | A smaller pool where a full-size heat pump is more machine than the water needs | |
| 6 |  The purchase that precedes all six Sun2Solar 1600 Series Ultimate Blue Solar Cover No brand of heater beats not losing the heat in the first place. | An inground pool you cover most nights, every season |
#ad We earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the ranking. How this site is funded. Prices last checked October 17, 2026.
What a brand actually tells you here
Pool heaters are built from a short list of the same components: a burner or a compressor, a heat exchanger in one of three metals, a control board, and a cabinet. Brand differences in the hardware are real but modest. What differs sharply — and what you can check before buying rather than after — is how much each manufacturer is willing to put in writing.
That is the axis this page ranks on, because it is the only one a buyer can verify. A brand that publishes its heat exchanger material, its thermal efficiency and its COP with test conditions has given you three things to hold it to. A brand that publishes a BTU number and adjectives has given you one.
The six brands, and who owns whom
| Brand | Builds | Publishes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hayward | Gas, propane and heat pumps, full size range | Exchanger material, saltwater compatibility, coastal corrosion claims. No COP, no efficiency percentage. | The default shortlist entry at almost any size |
| Pentair | Gas, propane and heat pumps (MasterTemp, UltraTemp) | A thermal efficiency percentage — 82% on the MasterTemp 125. The only brand here that does on a retail listing. | Anyone who wants an efficiency figure from a gas heater |
| Raypak | Gas and propane heaters, plus the 8450 heat pump | Construction detail: exchanger metal, tube sheet, headers, connections. No efficiency figure. | Buyers who care what the machine is made of |
| Jandy | Gas heaters and heat pumps, sold largely through dealers | Little at retail — Jandy's catalog is a dealer channel rather than a shopping cart, so we have no live listing to cite. | People buying through a pool professional |
| AquaCal | Heat pumps only | A COP of 5.7 with the AHRI test condition stated. Almost unique in this category. | Heat pump buyers who want a published efficiency figure |
| FibroPool | Small heat pumps only | A COP of 5.92 and the pool sizes it is rated for, in gallons and in pool dimensions. | Above-ground and small inground pools |
Read the 'publishes' column as what we could verify on a current retail listing on 2026-09-20, not as the limit of what each company documents internally.
Two brand-level notes added since: our FibroPool FH255 review covers the one product here with a stated Limited Lifetime warranty, and the inverter comparison covers an import brand that publishes enough to verify its own efficiency claim — which none of the six brands below does.
The specification the category will not publish
Of the six brands above, two publish an efficiency figure of any kind. Pentair prints 82% thermal efficiency on the MasterTemp 125. AquaCal publishes a COP of 5.7 with its test condition, and FibroPool publishes 5.92 without one. Hayward, Raypak and Jandy publish neither on the listings we read.
This is not a scandal — there is no legal requirement to print it, and a COP quoted at a summer test condition tells you less than it appears to. But it does mean that for most of this market the running cost you will pay is not derivable from anything the manufacturer states. Our efficiency comparison works from category assumptions for exactly that reason, and says so.
How to use brand as a filter
- Decide the technology first, not the brand. Gas against heat pump against solar is a bigger decision than Hayward against Pentair, and it comes first. Our which pool heater to buy page settles it.
- Then filter on what has to be true. Salt pool? You need a stated exchanger material, which narrows it fast — see heaters for saltwater pools. Propane? Check the brand sells an LP version rather than assuming a conversion.
- Then take whichever of the survivors is available. At this point the brands are close enough that stock, price on the day and who can service it locally are better tiebreakers than badge loyalty.
The thing brand does genuinely buy
Parts. A Hayward, Pentair or Raypak heater installed today will have control boards, gas valves and ignitors available in ten years, because the installed base is enormous and the distribution is national. An import-brand heat pump at a third of the price may not, and that is the real risk rather than the build quality. Our page on how long pool heaters last works through what actually fails and what it costs to put right.
Every pick, in detail
What each one publishes, what is good and bad about it, and — the section this category usually omits — what we could not judge without owning one.
Hayward HeatPro Pool Heat Pump
If you are heating a pool with electricity, this is the shape of machine to do it with. A heat pump moves heat instead of making it, and at the assumptions we publish it delivers a million BTU into the water for about a fifth of what an electric resistance heater costs to deliver the same. It is slower than gas and it fades as the air gets colder, which is exactly when you want it — that trade is the whole decision.
Best for Lowest running cost per degree when you want real temperature control
| Type | Air-source heat pumpThe manufacturer publishes no retrievable specification sheet; figure is as listed at retail. | Retail listing |
|---|---|---|
| Rating convention | Rated by BTU/hr OUTPUTThis is the trap in the category. Gas heaters are rated by fuel INPUT, heat pumps by heat OUTPUT. A 140,000 BTU heat pump and a 140,000 BTU gas heater do not deliver the same heat. | Published standard |
| Cost per million BTU delivered | About $10.75 at our published assumptionsUS average residential electricity at 18.34 cents/kWh (EIA, June 2026) and an assumed COP of 5.0. Both are substitutable on our running-cost calculator. | Our arithmetic |
- Cheapest running cost per delivered BTU of any controllable heater
- No gas line, no combustion, no flue
- Holds a set temperature rather than depending on the weather
- Slow — expect most of a day to move a full-size pool ten degrees
- Efficiency falls with air temperature, so it is weakest in the shoulder season
- High purchase price against a gas heater of comparable output
- The COP this specific unit achieves at your conditions
- Compressor and control-board longevity
- Noise at the distance your deck actually sits from it
These need a unit in hand across a season. We do not have one, so we do not have an opinion worth printing on them.
#ad We earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the ranking. How this site is funded. Prices last checked October 17, 2026.
Raypak Digital Natural Gas Pool Heater
The right answer when speed matters more than running cost — a weekend pool you want warm on Friday afternoon rather than one you hold at temperature all season. At the assumptions we publish, gas costs roughly two and a half times what a heat pump costs per delivered BTU, and it will get there in a fifth of the time. Buy the speed if you need the speed.
Best for Heating fast and occasionally, rather than holding a temperature
| Type | Natural gas or propane fired, digital controlThe manufacturer publishes no retrievable specification sheet; figure is as listed at retail. | Retail listing |
|---|---|---|
| Rating convention | Rated by BTU/hr INPUTA 400,000 BTU gas heater burns 400,000 BTU an hour and delivers roughly 82% of it. Do not compare that number directly against a heat pump's output rating. | Published standard |
| Cost per million BTU delivered | About $28.36 at our published assumptionsUS average residential natural gas at $24.09/Mcf (EIA, June 2026) and an assumed 82% thermal efficiency. | Our arithmetic |
- Fast — hours rather than most of a day on a full-size pool
- Works the same in cold air, unlike a heat pump
- Lower purchase price than a heat pump of equivalent real output
- Roughly two and a half times a heat pump's cost per delivered BTU
- Needs a gas line sized for it, which is often the real cost
- Propane instead of natural gas raises the running cost by about a quarter again
- The efficiency this specific unit achieves in service
- Heat exchanger life against your water chemistry
- Whether your existing gas supply can feed it without an upgrade
These need a unit in hand across a season. We do not have one, so we do not have an opinion worth printing on them.
#ad We earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the ranking. How this site is funded. Prices last checked October 17, 2026.
Pentair MasterTemp 400 Natural Gas Pool Heater
The third name in every gas-heater comparison, and the one the listings describe as the quiet one. It is a 400,000 BTU/hr input heater, low-NOx certified, which puts it in the same class as the biggest Raypak — and therefore in the same speed bracket: hours rather than a day. Pentair does not state a thermal efficiency percentage in the listings we read, so we run it at the 82% we assume for gas generally.
Best for A full-size pool heated on demand, when you want the largest gas class
| Rated input | 400,000 BTU/hrGas convention: fuel burned per hour, not heat delivered. Delivered heat is this figure times the thermal efficiency. | Retail listing |
|---|---|---|
| Emissions | Low NOx certified | Retail listing |
| Thermal efficiency | Not stated as a percentage in the listings we readThe listings say best-in-class efficiency without a number. We run it at 82%, the assumption we use for every gas heater on the site, and would revise it if Pentair published a figure we could cite. | Retail listing |
| Cost per million BTU delivered | About $28.36 at 82% efficiencyUS average residential natural gas at $24.09/Mcf (EIA, June 2026). | Our arithmetic |
- Largest common residential gas class, so the fastest heat-up on this site
- Low NOx certified, so it is permitted in the air districts that require it
- Described across listings as noticeably quieter than the older gas designs
- Roughly two and a half times a heat pump's cost per delivered BTU
- 400,000 BTU/hr demands a gas supply most houses were not piped for
- No thermal efficiency percentage in the listings, so the efficiency claim is unverifiable
- Real delivered efficiency in service
- Heat exchanger life against your water chemistry
- Whether your gas meter and line can feed it without an upgrade
These need a unit in hand across a season. We do not have one, so we do not have an opinion worth printing on them.
#ad We earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the ranking. How this site is funded. Prices last checked October 17, 2026.
AquaCal HeatWave SuperQuiet SQ160R Pool Heat Pump
The heat pump for a buyer who wants a titanium heat exchanger, app control and a long exchanger warranty, and is willing to pay more per BTU to get them. At 128,000 BTU/hr it delivers less heat than the Hayward and Raypak units this site already ranks, and it is not the cheaper of the three, so it does not win on heat per dollar. What it does have is the one number the category usually hides: a published COP, at a stated test condition.
Best for A full-size pool where the titanium exchanger, app control and warranty are worth paying for
| Rated output | 128,000 BTU/hrHeat-pump convention: OUTPUT into the water. Not comparable with a gas heater's input rating. | Retail listing |
|---|---|---|
| Published COP | 5.7 at 80°F air / 80°F water / 80% humidityThe conditions are the point. That is the AHRI standard rating, and 80°F air is a summer afternoon — a heat pump's COP falls as the air cools, so this figure says very little about the shoulder season most people buy one for. AquaCal's own technical packet publishes no COP at all. | Retail listing |
| Heat exchanger | ThermoLink titaniumTitanium is the corrosion-resistant option and matters most on salt pools. | Retail listing |
| Water flow required | 30 to 70 GPMA real constraint at both ends: some single-speed pumps push more than 70 GPM, and a variable-speed pump run low for filtration can fall under 30. | Retail listing |
| Electrical | 208-230V single phase, 43.3 minimum circuit ampacityA dedicated circuit sized by an electrician, not a spare breaker. | Retail listing |
| Control | Digital panel with PoolSync WiFi | Retail listing |
| Cost per million BTU delivered | About $9.43 at the published COP of 5.7US average residential electricity at 18.34 cents/kWh (EIA, June 2026) divided by 5.7. At the more conservative COP of 5.0 we assume across the site it is about $10.75 — and at real shoulder-season air temperatures it will be worse than either. | Our arithmetic |
- Publishes a COP and the conditions it was measured at, which most of this category does not
- Titanium heat exchanger and a corrosion-resistant cabinet
- PoolSync WiFi control is included rather than an add-on
- Fewer BTU per hour than the Hayward HeatPro and Raypak 8450, at a higher price than the Raypak
- About 13 hours to lift 20,000 gallons ten degrees — slower than both of those
- Retail pages disagree on the warranty term, and on whether this model cools as well as heats
- The COP it reaches at 50°F air, which is the number that would actually decide a shoulder-season purchase
- Compressor and control-board life
- Noise, despite the SuperQuiet name — no decibel figure is published
These need a unit in hand across a season. We do not have one, so we do not have an opinion worth printing on them.
#ad We earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the ranking. How this site is funded. Prices last checked October 17, 2026.
FibroPool FH255 55,000 BTU Pool Heat Pump
The heat pump worth looking at when a full-size one is more machine than the pool needs. FibroPool publishes 55,000 BTU/hr of output and a rated COP of 5.92, which is above the 5.0 we assume for heat pumps generally — so on the pool sizes the manufacturer actually names, the running cost lands below the category figure. The catch is the other side of the same number: 55,000 BTU/hr is not much heat, and on a pool larger than FibroPool lists it will run all day and never catch up.
Best for A smaller pool where a full-size heat pump is more machine than the water needs
| Rated output | 55,000 BTU/hrPublished as OUTPUT, which is the heat-pump convention. It is not comparable with a gas heater's input rating. | Manufacturer |
|---|---|---|
| Pool sizes the manufacturer names | Above-ground up to 21 ft round or 15 x 30 ft oval; inground up to 10,000 gallons | Manufacturer |
| Supply | 240 V | Manufacturer |
| Rated COP | 5.92FibroPool words this as 5.92 times the heat for every dollar of electricity. The conditions it was rated under are not published, and a heat pump's COP falls as the air cools, so read it as a best case rather than a season average. | Manufacturer |
| Cost per million BTU delivered | About $9.08 at the published COPUS average residential electricity at 18.34 cents/kWh (EIA, June 2026) divided by the published COP of 5.92. At the more conservative COP of 5.0 we use across the site it comes out at about $10.75. | Our arithmetic |
- A published COP of 5.92, above the 5.0 we assume for the category
- All electric — no gas line, no flue, no combustion air to arrange
- Sized and priced for pools that a full-size heat pump is wasted on
- 55,000 BTU/hr is modest: about 30 hours to lift 20,000 gallons ten degrees
- Wants a dedicated 240 V circuit, which is an electrician's visit if you do not have one
- Like every heat pump, it fades as the air cools — the shoulder season you bought it for
- The COP this unit reaches at your air temperature and humidity
- Compressor and control-board life, which decides whether a cheaper heat pump is a bargain
- How loud it is at the distance your deck actually sits from it
These need a unit in hand across a season. We do not have one, so we do not have an opinion worth printing on them.
#ad We earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the ranking. How this site is funded. Prices last checked October 17, 2026.
Sun2Solar 1600 Series Ultimate Blue Solar Cover
The cover to buy if you intend to keep using it in five years. 16 mil is the thickest tier the category sells, and thickness on a solar cover buys durability rather than heat — Bob Vila measured every cover in its hands-on group at the same 4 to 5 degrees, from 12-mil clear to 16-mil blue. Pay the extra for the one that survives being dragged over the coping twice a day, not for a temperature difference that did not show up in the only published one-hour test in this category.
Best for An inground pool you cover most nights, every season
| Price shown for | 24 ft roundThis product is sold in several sizes on one listing. The live price and photograph on this page are the ones Amazon returns for this variant; other sizes are priced separately. | Retail listing |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | 16 milThe manufacturer publishes no retrievable specification sheet; figure is as listed at retail. | Retail listing |
| Color | Blue | Retail listing |
| Stated lifespan | 5 to 10 years for the 16-mil tierSwim University's published figure for 16-mil covers generally, not a Sun2Solar warranty statement. | Retail listing |
| Bubble side | Bubbles face the waterCategory-wide instruction, not brand-specific. The bubbles are the insulating layer and they have to touch the water. | Published standard |
4 to 5 degrees F in one hour
Claimed by Bob Vila, measured across all covers in their group. Conditions: One hour under 2pm sun on 89 to 92 degree F days. Source
Their figure was the same for every cover they put on the water. Read our reconciliation of what a one-hour reading actually measures before you plan around this number.
- Thickest tier sold, which is where the durability difference actually is
- Blue absorbs more of the incoming energy at the surface than clear does
- Cuts oversize to your pool shape with household scissors
- Heavy and awkward at 16 mil — a large inground cover is genuinely a two-person job without a reel
- Costs meaningfully more than the 12-mil version for no measured heating advantage
- Whether the seams hold up over five seasons of daily handling
- How the bubble layer survives repeated dragging over rough coping
- Whether the stated lifespan tier holds for this specific product line
These need a unit in hand across a season. We do not have one, so we do not have an opinion worth printing on them.
#ad We earn a commission if you buy through this link, at no extra cost to you. It never changes the ranking. How this site is funded. Prices last checked October 17, 2026.
Questions people actually ask
What is the best pool heater brand?
Which pool heat pump brand is most efficient?
Are Hayward and Pentair the same company?
Is an import-brand pool heat pump worth buying?
- Hayward W3HP21405T HeatPro listing: 140,000 BTU, titanium heat exchanger, 230V, 33.6 x 30.5 x 44 in, 250 lb, stated as compatible with saltwater poolsHayward, as listed at retail · read 2026-09-20
- Pentair EC-462025 MasterTemp 125 listing: 125,000 BTU propane, stated 82% thermal efficiency, 1.5 in plumbing, rated for pools up to 15,000 gallons, 120 lbPentair, as listed at retail · read 2026-09-20
- Raypak PR206AEPC listing: 206,000 BTU propane, microprocessor thermostat, copper fin-tube heat exchanger, stainless steel tube sheet, polymer headers, 2 in CPVC connections, 187 lbRaypak, as listed at retail · read 2026-09-20
- Retail specification page for the AquaCal 160R: COP of 5.7 at the AHRI standard rating of 80°F air / 80°F water / 80% humidity, 128,000 BTU, ThermoLink titanium exchanger, 30/70 GPM, 208-230V single phase at 43.3 minimum circuit ampacity, PoolSync WiFiPoolHeatPumps.com, reproducing AquaCal specifications · read 2026-09-19
- TURBRO Beluga B33V listing: 33,000 BTU full DC inverter, titanium heat exchanger, WiFi, rated for pools to 10,000 gallons, 2-year machine / 5-year compressor warranty, claimed 'COP rating up to 15.8 (AHRI Standard 1160(I-P))', and explicitly not recommended for inflatable poolsTURBRO, as listed at retail · read 2026-09-20
#ad Where a retailer’s listing is cited above as the source of a published specification, that link is an affiliate link, at no extra cost to you. Independent sources and manufacturer documentation are never wrapped and earn nothing. How this site is funded.
Every URL above was fetched and returned content on the date shown. Where a figure is ours rather than somebody else’s, the arithmetic is on the page and on the methodology page. If you find an error in it, we would genuinely like to know.
Read next
FibroPool FH255 review
55,000 BTU for pools to 10,000 gallons, a manufacturer-stated COP of 5.92, a titanium exchanger and a stated Limited Lifetime warranty. Plus the honest limit: it is not much heat.
Inverter pool heat pumps
What an inverter actually changes, why 'COP up to 15' is not a number you can use, and the one maker that publishes enough to let you check its own claim.
Which pool heater to buy
Every type of pool heater ranked on what it costs to deliver a million BTU into the water, how many hours it needs to do it, and what the install actually involves.
Raypak vs Hayward vs Pentair
The three gas-heater brands buyers compare, set side by side on published input, efficiency claims, exchanger material and gas demand — with the honest finding that size class matters more than badge.
Pool heat pumps worth buying
Full-size and small heat pumps ranked on published output, exchanger material and what the manufacturer will actually say about efficiency. With the sizing math for your pool.
How long do pool heaters last?
Lifespan by heater type, the components that actually fail, what the warranties really cover, and how that should change what you buy in the first place.
Pool heaters for saltwater pools
Salt corrodes the one part of a heater you cannot replace cheaply. Titanium against cupro-nickel against copper, and the heaters that state which they use.