When it comes to maintaining the perfect pool temperature, the right pool heater can significantly enhance your swimming experience, providing you with warm, inviting water regardless of the weather outside. In this review, we’ll take a closer look at the Jandy JXi pool heaters. We’ll look into the various model options, key features, cost, and overall experience of the heater. Let’s dive into the details and find out if a Jandy JXi pool heater is ideal to keep your water at the perfect temperature.
What is a Jandy JXi Pool Heater
The Jandy JXi heater is a residential pool heater that was first introduced in 2010 with many updates throughout the years. The newest versions of the heater are some of the best pool heaters available. The JXi heater is best known for its compact and lightweight design, high energy efficiency, and easy installation. The heater is available in 200K, 260K, and 399K BTU models for both natural gas and propane. The heat exchanger is made of copper, with a cupronickel (CuNi) option available for the 399K BTU models. The heater requires natural gas/propane and a 120/240V hookup.
Features
- Energy Efficiency: 84% thermal efficiency rating and low NOx (exhaust) design.
- Compact & Lightweight Design: The JXi heater is one of the smallest heaters on the market with only the lower BTU models of the Hayward H-Series heaters being smaller. (Dimensions: 26.5 x 35.4 x 22.1 inches (67 x 90 x 56 cm), Weight: 126 lbs (57.2 kg))
- Easy Install: The heater’s header has three ports, providing more installation options. The top can also be easily removed and rotated to install the plumbing on the side needed.
- Versa Plumb System: This system allows water to bypass the heater when it’s not running. This greatly increases the life of the heat exchanger.
- Fully Enclosed Design: Prevents rodents and other critters from getting in and damaging parts of the heater.
- Automation-Ready: This heater is compatible with automation systems to provide more control over the heat of your pool.
- Manufacturer’s/Parts Warranty: 1 year
- Heat Exchanger Warranty: 5 years
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Lightweight
- Small
- Fully Enclosed
- Easy Install
- Versa Plumb System
- 5 Year Heat Exchanger Warranty
Cons
- Tight and Compact Design: Harder to work on.
- More Complex: More components and harder to troubleshoot issues.
- No 500 BTU model
Experience
The Jandy JXi heaters offer a great experience. It has a very good-looking and small design that is easy to install and will work well with most pool equipment setups. The heater is quiet and heats your pool’s water quickly, especially if you get the higher BTU model. The Versa Plumb system is an amazing part of this heater that protects the heat exchanger while the heater is not running. This system works really well and that is why Jandy can offer a 5-year warranty on the heat exchanger. As with any heater parts do stop working, this heater is more complex than most and offers less space to work with, but repair and troubleshooting are very manageable.
Pricing
Jandy sells its products through dealers, so the price can vary depending on location, availability, seller, and model. In general, the cost can range from 3500 to 4500 USD. In addition to the heater’s cost, you’ll also need to pay for installation. Installation usually costs around 500 USD, but this cost may be higher if new gas or electric lines need to be run to your pool equipment.
- Heater Cost: 3500 – 4500 USD
- Installation Cost: 500 USD
Alternatives
Other than Jandy, two other brands offer comparable heater options. Them being Hayward with its H-Series heaters, and Raypak/Rheem’s Digital and AVIA models.
The Hayward H-Series heaters are a great option, they are slightly bigger than the JXi, have the same thermal efficiency and have a three-year manufacturer’s warranty. However, the H-series heaters don’t have as much flexibility when installing, the high BTU models are a lot heavier, and they don’t have a heater bypass, like the JXi.
Raypak/Rheem has two heater options, the Digital heaters and the AVIA heaters. The Digital heaters are extremely large when compared to the JXi, being almost double the volume. Additionally, these heaters have some major issues with leaking at the header. This leaking causes the heater’s burner tray to rust and fall apart and can damage the pilot. The AVIA heaters are a newer model and I have yet to see this leaking problem on these models. The AVIA is still larger than the JXi, but not as big as the Digital heaters. This heater offers various options for the material of the heat exchanger which can help protect against corrosion.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Jandy JXi pool heater stands out as a compact, efficient, and user-friendly choice for maintaining the ideal pool temperature. With its high energy efficiency, easy installation, and the innovative Versa Plumb system, it offers reliable and effective performance. While its compact design may present some challenges for maintenance and repairs, the overall benefits of this heater, including the 5-year heat exchanger warranty and overall design make it one of the best, if not the best heaters on the market. This heater is an excellent choice and will work well with any pool setup.