Pentair vs Hayward vs Jandy

[MoohaTN]

I am planning for future warmer days as Nashville is currently in the middle of a cold snap, as is much of the country. Our home has a ~30k gallon, salt water, liner pool with no water features. It has a non working gas heater that I want to replace and while I'm at it, I might as well update the whole pad. Currently we have a single speed Pentair pump, Pentair Intellichlor generator, and Pentair sand filter. I'd like to update all these with vs pump, cartridge filter, and add a level automation so I can control the heater from my phone. We previously had an all Hayward system w/o automation and was happy but that was by default.

All 3 manufactures seem to have good representation in the area. So which manufacture has the best product/package for long term use and ease of use? I've searched the forum and haven't found a thread yet that clearly address the pro and cons of each. Probably just missed it.

I appreciate all the expert advise and opinions in advance.

 

[JJ_Tex]

Pentair seems to be the most popular on this forum, and I'm happy with mine.

But, your question is akin to asking a bunch of car guys if they prefer Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge... you are going to get lots of opinions and I'm not sure there is a clear cut answer. Good luck.

 

[mknauss]

Welcome to the forum.

As you have a Pentair Intellichlor, the only automation that will control that SWCG is a Pentair system. I believe you can get away with an Intellitouch as you are not actuating any valves. But check that.

 

[Dirk]

Like Marty, I would have suggested Pentair based solely on the IntelliChlor. If that is on its last legs, then that becomes less of a factor.

Your first step is building your wish list. What exactly you want your system to be able to do. Which it seems you've mostly done. Then you figure out which of the big three offer solutions for accomplishing your list. That might likely be all three.

So then you might compare warranties. If you're planning on doing the work yourself, warranties will be a factor. Pentair will only give you 60 days. I believe Jandy will say zero. Not sure about Hayward. If you plan on a pro install, then Pentair offers a bundle warranty (if you buy at least three certain things) which ups the warranty to three years, not only on the three items, but on everything you buy at the same time on the same invoice. And that's pretty sweet. I don't know what the other big two offer in the regard.

Then you can look at bundles. Once you have your wish list, you can determine what components you'll need. Pentair offers bundles that satisfy a lot of typical scenarios: automation controllers with SWGs with actuator valves. They have several bundles like that. So that could affect the price. Again, I only know of Pentair bundles, and not if the other two offer them. So that's something to study.

And of course, price (with warranties and bundles factored in). Quality-wise, I don't think you'll find swaying opinions here. As JJ pointed out, it's a "Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge" thing. All three are highly competitive and have quality products. Each brand has its clunkers, but in general I don't believe one brand stands out in terms of quality or longevity. Though many here will tell you that Pentair's IntelliFlo pump series is the gold standard of pool pumps. If that sways you, then your automation and SWG brands need to match the pump brand, so you'll be off and running with Pentair.

If you peek at my signature, you'll see where I lean, but that was sort of decided for me, before I knew much about pools. I certainly don't regret owning Pentair. Except for the wrong controller model, I'm mostly happy with the brand.

 

[Newdude]

Hey Mooha and Welcome. Your pool size makes the decision easier. With 30k gallons you’ll want a 60k unit SWG which is either Pentair or Circupool. With automation you’ll want it to all ‘talk’ to each other which leaves Pentair if you want full control. The Circupool will still work but you’ll have to adjust that manually and not from your phone.

 

[HermanTX]

Most of my friends and mine favor Jandy and Pentair equipment. As others have said - since you have a certain size pool and need large SWCG then Pentair is probably your best choice. Good Luck.

 

[MoohaTN]

Pentair seems to be the most popular on this forum, and I'm happy with mine.

But, your question is akin to asking a bunch of car guys if they prefer Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge... you are going to get lots of opinions and I'm not sure there is a clear cut answer. Good luck.

Thank you. I’ve read that analogy on here before and I’m the odd person who loves his F-150 but also bought a Yukon.

 

[MoohaTN]

Like Marty, I would have suggested Pentair based solely on the IntelliChlor. If that is on its last legs, then that becomes less of a factor.

Your first step is building your wish list. What exactly you want your system to be able to do. Which it seems you've mostly done. Then you figure out which of the big three offer solutions for accomplishing your list. That might likely be all three.

So then you might compare warranties. If you're planning on doing the work yourself, warranties will be a factor. Pentair will only give you 60 days. I believe Jandy will say zero. Not sure about Hayward. If you plan on a pro install, then Pentair offers a bundle warranty (if you buy at least three certain things) which ups the warranty to three years, not only on the three items, but on everything you buy at the same time on the same invoice. And that's pretty sweet. I don't know what the other big two offer in the regard.

Then you can look at bundles. Once you have your wish list, you can determine what components you'll need. Pentair offers bundles that satisfy a lot of typical scenarios: automation controllers with SWGs with actuator valves. They have several bundles like that. So that could affect the price. Again, I only know of Pentair bundles, and not if the other two offer them. So that's something to study.

And of course, price (with warranties and bundles factored in). Quality-wise, I don't think you'll find swaying opinions here. As JJ pointed out, it's a "Ford vs Chevy vs Dodge" thing. All three are highly competitive and have quality products. Each brand has its clunkers, but in general I don't believe one brand stands out in terms of quality or longevity. Though many here will tell you that Pentair's IntelliFlo pump series is the gold standard of pool pumps. If that sways you, then your automation and SWG brands need to match the pump brand, so you'll be off and running with Pentair.

If you peek at my signature, you'll see where I lean, but that was sort of decided for me, before I knew much about pools. I certainly don't regret owning Pentair. Except for the wrong controller model, I'm mostly happy with the brand.

Thank you so much. This has been the most helpful. I believe the INTC is close to being on its last leg and don’t want to let drive my decision making solely.

I will be looking into the warranty bundles. On our last pool I did a majority of the work but for this job I’m planning on hiring a professional since it includes installing a gas heater.

 

[Dirk]

You can read here about the Pentair warranty bundle:

Pool Product Warranty Information

Pentair delivers smart, sustainable solutions that empower our customers to make the most of life's essential resource. At Pentair, we believe the health of our world depends on reliable access to clean water.

www.pentair.com

 

[Dirk]

If you end up going with Pentair, do consider the controller/SWG bundles. You'll need to do some math. If you already have an IntelliChlor (IC), then you also have its associated transformer. That's not a cheap part. It would likely be mounted on the wall near the pad. You can reuse that transformer, and only buy a new IC cell. Certain Pentair controllers that are sold bundled with an IC will come with the IC transformer mounted inside the controller's chassis. Which makes for a nice clean install.

You don't need two IC transformers. But the IC and IC transformer bundled with the new controller might be cheaper than buying just the IC cell by itself. If you get a new IC with the bundle, you can still use your old IC until it dies, and then swap in the new one (that's an easy DIY task). So you won't lose any money by buying a second IC. It just may or may not make sense to get the SWG bundle when you consider the existing transformer. So you have to do the math. But you also have to consider the value of the aesthetics of cleaning up the "wall-o-boxes," and remember, you also have to consider the warranty. Even though you'll be able to qualify for Pentair's three year warranty by buying three things other than a new SWG, if you do buy the SWG bundle, the new SWG and the new transformer will also get the three-year warranty upgrade. That's somewhat of a wash, because buying just the IC cell on the same invoice will upgrade that part to a three-year warranty, too. So it's really just about the warranty on the transformer (which is not historically a part that poops out).

That's all clear in my head. I hope I explained it well enough!

The controller chassis can also house all the pool pad's circuit breakers, which means you could also eliminate the breaker box you probably already have (another box on the wall). Super clean install.

 

[Dirk]

And here's an even more obscure notion. If you end up with a new IC, have the pro install the new one and put the old one in the box, rather than using up what's left of the old one first. That way, should the new SWG fail, or wear out, you'll have a backup spare with a little life left in it to tide you over until you can fix/replace the new one.