For pool owners who refuse to let chilly weather dictate their swim schedule, a dependable pool heater is a must-have. It’s not just about warmth—it’s about extending the joy of swimming into cooler evenings and off-season months. With a wide range of heaters on the market, finding the right fit requires a closer look at what each model offers. In this review, we’ll dive into the heater’s various model options, key features, cost, and overall experience of the RayPak Digital pool heater, helping you decide if it’s the right option for keeping your pool the perfect temperature.
What is a RayPak Digital Pool Heater
The RayPak or Rheem Digital heater is one of the most common residential pool heaters available. These RayPak heaters are best known for their simple design, easy troubleshooting, and fast and powerful heating ability. The heater is available in 200K, 266K, 333K, and 399K BTU models for both natural gas and propane. The heat exchangers are available in copper or a cupronickel (CuNi) alloy. This heater requires natural gas/propane and a 120/240V hookup.
Features
- Energy Efficiency: 82% thermal efficiency rating and low NOx (exhaust) emissions
- Cupronickel Heat Exchanger: Better salt water and corrosion resistance
- Simple, Large and Open Design: Easy to troubleshoot and work on (Dimensions: 20 to 29 x 28 x 40 inches, Weight: 187 to 249 lbs)
- Fast and Powerful Heating: Heats your pool quickly
- Automation-Ready: This heater is compatible with automation systems
- Parts & Labour Warranty: 2 years
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Fast and Powerful Heating
- Simple Design: Easy troubleshooting and part replacement
- Open Design: Lots of room to work on and fix issues with the heater
- Excellent Customer Service
- ProTek Shield: Offers additional corrosion protection
- 2 Heat Exchanger Material Options: Copper and CuNi
Cons
- Very Large and Heavy
- No Variable Install Options: Tops not reversible, and no extra in/outlet ports
- Smaller Heat Exchanger Warranty
Experience
The RayPak Digital pool heaters are one of the most popular options on the market. The heater offers some of the fastest and most powerful heating, quickly bringing your pool to its desired temperature. The design of this heater is nice, but it is the largest heater available, almost double the size of heaters from other manufacturers. For installing this heater, the top isn’t reversible, so the inlet and outlet ports can only be on the right side of the heater, and there is no extra inlet/outlet port, giving fewer options on how you can plumb the heater. On the inside of the heater, it’s very simple and open, making it easy to find and fix any issues. RayPak/Rheem offers an okay parts/manufacturers warranty of 2 years. They also have an excellent and reliable customer service team, making them easy to deal with if you have any issues.
Now, over the last few years, this heater has had a couple of very serious problems. The first issue that this style of heater had was that it had some bad transformers inside that could fail. This would also cause many of the other electrical components inside to fail and need to be replaced early in the heater’s lifecycle. Luckily, recently made models of these heaters have not had these problems. The other issue affects many of the more recently made heaters. Often, these heaters have some leaking where the header meets the heat exchanger. This issue can be more common with saltwater pools. The leaking can then cause the right side of the burner tray to rust. The leaking can also cause the pilot light to fail, and if the burner tray is rusted out enough, you may not be able to install a new pilot. This can be an expensive repair if you have to replace the burner tray, so much so, you might have to consider a new heater if it’s older.
Pricing
RayPak/Rheem sells its products through dealers, so the price can vary depending on location, availability, and model. In general, the cost can range from 3250 to 4500 USD. In addition to the heater’s cost, you’ll also need to pay for installation. Installation usually costs around 500 USD. This cost may be higher if new gas or electric lines need to be run to your pool equipment.
- Heater Cost: 3250 – 4500 USD
- Installation Cost: 500 USD
Alternatives
Other than Raypak/Rheem’s Digital heater, there are 3 other models that offer comparable heater options. Them being the Jandy JXi heaters, the Hayward Universal H-Series, and the Raypak/Rheem’s AVIA heater.
The Jandy JXi heaters are a comparable option; the JXi heaters are much smaller than the Raypak Digital heater models, they have a similar thermal efficiency, and the JXi has a 1-year parts/manufacturer’s warranty but a 5-year warranty on the heat exchanger. One thing that sets the JXi apart from the Digital heaters and other heaters is its 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. A drawback of his heater is that it’s much more complex than the RayPak, making it harder to troubleshoot and fix issues.
Read More: Jandy JXi Heater Review
The Hayward H-Series heaters are another very comparable option. They are still much smaller than the RayPaks but slightly bigger than the JXi. They have a similar thermal efficiency and have a three-year manufacturer’s warranty. The H-series heaters also have more size options, like 150 and 500 BTUs for smaller and larger pools. This heater is more complex than the RayPak Digital heaters, but not as much as the Jandy JXi.
Read More: Hayward Universal H-Series Pool Heater Review
Raypak/Rheem offers another comparable option to their Digital heaters called the AVIA. The AVIA is smaller than the Digital heaters but still bigger than the other brands. This heater offers various options for the material of the heat exchanger, which can help protect against corrosion. The inside of the AVIA heater is more complicated than the Digital heaters and is more similar to the Jandy and the Hayward models. This heater is a newer model, and I have yet to see any of the issues that the Digital heaters have had.
Conclusion
The RayPak Digital Pool Heater stands out as a high-performance option for pool owners who prioritize fast heating, straightforward maintenance, and great customer service. However, its bulky size, limited plumbing flexibility, and recent leaking issues need to be considered. It’s a great match for pool owners who want reliable heat and don’t mind a bit of bulk in exchange for simplicity and speed. If you’ve got the space and want a heater that gets the job done without overcomplicating things, the RayPak Digital is a good choice. But if you’re working with a tighter setup, have a saltwater pool, or want more advanced features and flexibility, it’s worth exploring alternatives like the Jandy JXi or Hayward H-Series. In the end, it’s all about what fits with your pool and your priorities.
