How We Rate Pool Heaters
The FBP Heater Rating scores every heater out of 5 on what actually saves you money and headaches in South Florida. Here's what we grade and what each part is worth.
- 5 things graded
- 21 of 31 models rated
- Updated Oct 14, 2026
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How the Rating Works
Five things get a grade, and each counts for a set share of the score. Warranty and repair labor count the most, because that's the part that decides who pays when a heater breaks.
| What we grade | Weight | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| 1. Warranty and free repair labor | 35% | Does the company pay for both the parts and the repair worker if the heater breaks? |
| 2. Salt and rust proofing (the inside metal) | 25% | What metal is inside the heater, and will salt water or pool chemicals eat holes in it? |
| 3. Monthly energy bills (efficiency) | 15% | How much electricity or gas does it use to heat your pool? |
| 4. Fast Florida repairs and parts | 15% | Is the factory in Florida, and can parts be had in days instead of weeks? |
| 5. Smart controls and a tough outside box | 10% | Can you control it from your phone, and will the outside box hold up to Florida sun, rain and salt air? |
| Total score | 100% | Best possible score: 5.0 / 5.0 |
The Five Things We Look For
In plain English, with the models that show each one.
1. Warranty and free repair labor35%
- Paying for the repair tech matters most. Plenty of warranties promise free parts and still leave you paying for the person who fixes it. Heaters that cover both parts and on-site labor, like Built Right (5 years of parts and on-site labor) and AquaCal (3 years of parts and labor), score highest.
- The no-labor penalty. Some models publish parts coverage only. The Jandy JXi gas heaters cover parts for 1 year and the VersaTemp heat pumps for 2, with no labor coverage published. If something breaks early, the repair visit is on you, and these models lose big points.
- Long guarantees on the core. A 10-year or limited-lifetime guarantee on the main heating tube, like AquaCal, Moov, Raypak and the Hayward HeatPro, earns bonus points here.
2. Salt and rust proofing (the inside metal)25%
- Titanium is the best. It's used in every heat pump we compare and in the Pentair ETi gas heater. Titanium is effectively immune to pool chemistry, including salt.
- Cupro-nickel is the middle tier. A tough copper-nickel mix used in gas heaters like the Hayward H-Series and Pentair MasterTemp HD. It holds up to pool chemicals much better than plain copper. NiTek, the nickel alloy on the Raypak AVIA HD, sits in the same middle band.
- Plain copper is the bottom tier. Copper is the least forgiving of low pH, high chlorine and salt, and when the water drifts it can pit and leak. Plain-copper heaters lose points unless something protects the metal, like the built-in bypass on the Jandy JXi with VersaFlo.
3. Monthly energy bills (efficiency)15%
- Heat pumps (electric). We look at how much heat you get for each unit of electricity, called COP. Models rated 6.0 or higher, like the GulfStream HE Series and the Built Right BR135XW, deliver the most heat for the lowest electric bill.
- Gas heaters. Most gas heaters turn 82 to 84% of the gas you buy into pool heat; the rest leaves through the exhaust. The Pentair ETi 400 turns 96% of it into heat, which earns the highest gas efficiency score, although it typically costs more up front.
4. Fast Florida repairs and parts15%
- Florida factories win. AquaCal (St. Petersburg), Built Right (Punta Gorda) and GulfStream (North Fort Myers) build their heaters in Florida, which keeps the factory and its parts close to your pool when something breaks in winter.
- Easy-to-find parts. Big pro-channel brands like Hayward, Pentair, Jandy and Raypak tend to be on the shelf at local pool supply stores, so they score well here. Newer brands with a smaller installed base, like Moov, score a little lower.
5. Smart controls and a tough outside box10%
- Easy on your pool pump. When the heater isn't heating, water shouldn't have to push through it. Built-in bypass valves, like Jandy's VersaFlo, let water flow past the heater and take strain off the pump.
- Phone controls. Models with built-in Wi-Fi, like AquaCal, Raypak and Moov, earn extra points because you can turn the heat up from your phone without buying add-on boxes.
- A rust-proof outside box. Florida sun and salt air are hard on painted metal. Composite and polymer cabinets, like the ones on AquaCal, Built Right, GulfStream and Pentair UltraTemp models, score higher because they won't rust on your equipment pad.
What It Is, and Isn't
The FBP Heater Rating is our opinion as a Florida pool contractor, not a lab test or a survey. We install and service these brands, so read it as an installer's view, and check the facts behind it.
The facts are the manufacturers'. Warranty terms, exchanger metals and efficiency figures come straight from their documents, linked on every model page with the date we last checked them.
The service and design categories reflect what we see installing and servicing these heaters. Manufacturers change their terms, and when they do, the score can change with them.
21 of 31 models are rated so far. A model marked pending hasn't been through the rating yet. A model with the same warranty, exchanger, efficiency, service and controls as a rated sibling, like the propane version of a rated natural gas heater, carries the sibling's score.
Want to see where the numbers come from? How we compile and verify the data.
Every Heater, by Rating
| Rating | Model | Parts | Labor | Heat exchanger | Efficiency |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4.7 | Built Right XW Series BR135XW | 5 yr | 5 yr | Titanium | COP 6.0 |
| 4.6 | AquaCal HeatWave SuperQuiet SQ140R | 3 yr | 3 yr | Titanium | COP 5.7 |
| 4.5 | Thermeau Prestige TH125 | 5 yr | 5 yr | Titanium | COP 5.5 |
| 4.4 | Pentair ETi 400 | 3 yr | 3 yr | Titanium | 96% |
| 4.4 | GulfStream HE150-RA | 7 yr | 2 yr | Titanium | COP 6.0 |
| 4.4 | GulfStream HE150-TA | 7 yr | 2 yr | Titanium | COP 6.0 |
| 4.4 | GulfStream HE125-RA | 7 yr | 2 yr | Titanium | COP 6.0 |
| 4.4 | GulfStream HE125-TA | 7 yr | 2 yr | Titanium | COP 6.0 |
| 4.4 | GulfStream HE110-RA | 7 yr | 2 yr | Titanium | COP 6.1 |
| 4.3 | Hayward Universal H-Series H400FDN | 3 yr | 1 yr | Cupro-nickel | 84% |
| 4.3 | Hayward Universal H-Series H400FDP | 3 yr | 1 yr | Cupro-nickel | 84% |
| 4.3 | Hayward Universal H-Series H250FDN | 3 yr | 1 yr | Cupro-nickel | 84% |
| 4.3 | Hayward Universal H-Series H250FDP | 3 yr | 1 yr | Cupro-nickel | 84% |
| 4.3 | Moov Inverter MI900 | 5 yr | 3 yr | Titanium | n/p |
| 4.2 | Raypak Crosswind V 8550 | 7 yr | 2 yr | Titanium | COP 5.8 |
| 3.7 | Jandy JXiQ400NK | 1 yr | None published | Copper | 84% |
| 3.6 | Jandy JXi400NK with VersaFlo | 1 yr | None published | Copper | 84% |
| 3.6 | Jandy VersaTemp JRT4001R | 2 yr | None published | Titanium | COP 5.9 |
| 3.5 | Jandy VersaTemp JRT3000R | 2 yr | None published | Titanium | COP 5.8 |
| 3.3 | Jandy JXi400N | 1 yr | None published | Copper | 84% |
| 3.2 | Jandy JXi260N | 1 yr | None published | Copper | 84% |
| Pending | Pentair MasterTemp 400 NG | 2 yr | 2 yr | Copper | 84% |
| Pending | Pentair MasterTemp 400HD | 2 yr | 2 yr | Cupro-nickel | 82% |
| Pending | Raypak AVIA 404A | 3 yr | 3 yr | Copper | 84% |
| Pending | Raypak AVIA HD 404A with NiTek | 3 yr | 3 yr | NiTek nickel alloy | 84% |
| Pending | Raypak AVIA 264A | 3 yr | 3 yr | Copper | 84% |
| Pending | Pentair MasterTemp 250 NG | 2 yr | 2 yr | Copper | 84% |
| Pending | Pentair MasterTemp 250HD | 2 yr | 2 yr | Cupro-nickel | 82% |
| Pending | Pentair UltraTemp 140 H/C | 2 yr | 2 yr | Titanium | COP 5.6 |
| Pending | Hayward HeatPro MCHX HP21405T | 5 yr | 2 yr | Titanium | COP 5.7 |
| Pending | Hayward HeatPro MCHX HP31405T | 5 yr | 2 yr | Titanium | COP 5.7 |
Want help picking the right one?
A rating is a starting point. We size the heater to your pool on site and give you one written price.