Pentair is one of the best known manufacturers of pool equipment in the United States. They have built an enviable reputation for quality and reliability with products that range from pumps to filters, heaters and a variety of other products like lights and pool cleaners. Given the distribution network that Pentair has, it’s no surprise that the pool heaters manufactured by the company are among the best selling in the United States.
The question is – with so many other competing companies in the pool heating market are the Pentair products worth the money. We take a look at one of their flagship lineups – the Pentair 400 Pool Heater series.
The Pentair MasterTemp 400 series comes in four different model types, each different in terms of robustness and suitability for installation in various different sizes and types of pools.
The Pentair 460736 is the standard model in the series and comes with a copper heat exchange unit. The Pentair 460805 is a heavy duty unit with a copper-nickel exchanger that has been manufactured to be used in harsh environments such as applications with high water flow rates. The final model in the lineup, the Pentair 460775 is manufactured with superior components and is designed for continuous running use.
This series of natural gas powered pool heaters has received praise from both installers and users due to the reliability of the models and the energy efficient operation.
Many customers have also praised the fact that the units are extremely user friendly. The digital display with its easy programmability and rotating display has been singled out as one of the reasons that many domestic pool owners like these heaters. They also have a reputation for extremely quiet operation – a fact that provides Pentair with a competitive advantage as the loudness of operation has been one of the factors that influences much buying behavior when it comes to pool heaters according to Carl D. Cochran’s pool + hot tub resource site.
The Pentair 460805 heavy duty model has been singled out for particular praise due to the copper-nickel alloys used for some of the components. This material is very popular for marine applications and that should give a good idea of just how much emphasis Pentair places on reliability. This model may be pricier than others in the line-up but it’s worth the money.
Overall the entire Mastertemp 400 series provides excellent value for money and should certainly be on the radar of anyone who is considering the installation of a natural gas powered pool heater.