Should I Replace Teledyne Laars EPC 325 Heater with Newer, More Efficient Model?

[poolman4000]

I currently have a Teledyne Laars EPC 325 (Model No. EPCII325BN) pool heater which could possibly be from the 70's or 80's. It works fine and heats both my pool and spa; however, it's very inefficient. Heating the spa is quick and okay, but heating the pool costs a small fortune. My pool is about 21k gallons. This heater is a tank and just keeps running (they don't make things like they use to). I've lived in the house for 6 years and it's worked pretty much flawlessly. My question here is if it's worth it to upgrade to a newer model in hopes that it doesn't cost $300-$500 in gas cost to heat my pool ONE time in November (I live in Southern California and those are legit costs I pay to run this heater for about 2 days which is what it takes to heat my pool in the colder months). Or do I just say "if it ain't broke, then don't fix it"? I've also thought about going electric as well, but even with solar, I still end up with a hefty bill at the end of the year, and that's without an electric pool heater (gotta love California!!).

 

[Bperry]

I currently have a Teledyne Laars EPC 325 (Model No. EPCII325BN) pool heater which could possibly be from the 70's or 80's. It works fine and heats both my pool and spa; however, it's very inefficient. Heating the spa is quick and okay, but heating the pool costs a small fortune. My pool is about 21k gallons. This heater is a tank and just keeps running (they don't make things like they use to). I've lived in the house for 6 years and it's worked pretty much flawlessly. My question here is if it's worth it to upgrade to a newer model in hopes that it doesn't cost $300-$500 in gas cost to heat my pool ONE time in November (I live in Southern California and those are legit costs I pay to run this heater for about 2 days which is what it takes to heat my pool in the colder months). Or do I just say "if it ain't broke, then don't fix it"? I've also thought about going electric as well, but even with solar, I still end up with a hefty bill at the end of the year, and that's without an electric pool heater (gotta love California!!).

Newer pool heaters do tend to be more efficient but all that doesn’t matter so much as all the heat is lost from the 21k gallons of water sitting out in the open. I’m not sure there will be much of a difference.

You’de get better bang for your buck will a bubble wrap pool cover to keep what heat is in there.