Upgraded AquaCal Tropical T115, Heatwave SuperQuiet SQ140R Heat Pump, 114,000 BTU, Heat & Cool, w/Wi-Fi

Just had this unit installed yesterday. Kicked it on at around 5 pm, and as I'm writing this, it is 5:20 am the following morning. Our pool started at 62° and has has already risen to 75°. For some perspective, the air temp was around 75 when we first turned it on, and dropped into the low 60s overnight. Either the other reviewer didnt hook his up right, or is a rep for another heater company trying to draw business away from this unit. You di need to keep in mind that this is an electric heat pump, not a gas heater. You should expect it to take a day or two to reach your desired temperature, and also that the ambient temp matters. The warmer the air, the better the heater works. For us, it was more economical to go with electric than to have a propane tank brought in and constantly have to have it filled. (We dont have gas service coming into the house) also, the operation really couldn't be any easier. If your using it as a standalone heater, it's literally one button to turn heat on, another button to set temp and then you walk away. It turns itself on/off when needed, and if your pool pump is set to a timer, the whole unit turns off as soon as it senses the water flow stop. These other reviews are a joke lol. I will try and update this review after a few months

I have had nothing but issues with this company, AquaCal. We had a new pool installed and bought this heat pump from them. It does not heat the water more than 3 degrees at any time. Even if it is 85 outside, the water will not heat above that. It definitely does nothing when it is below 85. They sent out a service tech that stated heat pumps are not good for pools and it would never do what we were told it would do. I bought a solar blanket and laid it on the pool and ran the heat pump, still nothing. It also was never 'SuperQuiet' as it had a loud squeal to it. They said it was a design issue with the coil and when it sucks air between where it was welded together. They replaced the unit, the second unit still does not heat the pool, although it doesn't have a squeal. I have asked for a refund, but they will not provide one. They say it is operational since the pressure reads okay. The fact is, it does not heat the water in the pool no matter what you do. Bad company, bad design, horrible product.

We had an new Aquacal heat pump install on Feb 2109. However, last December the control panel couldn't be adjusted and the pump wouldn't turn on. I called the guy who installed this, and he said it was very likely the panel itself. Unfortunately he said, Aquacal would need to repair this not him given it was a warranty part. He then contacted Aquacal who then call me. Just to check this likely warranty issue Aquacal said would be $125 PLUS $75 for each 1/2hr of labor to actual fix it the pump. And oh btw, we can't tell you when we can fix this, but we'll probably let you know in 10-15 business days ( 3 weeks). Long story longer, after nearly a month the Aquacal tech finally showed up, swapped out the panel and was on his way 15 mins after arriving. The charge.. $200 for the warranty fix. Lesson of this...know the warranties of big ticket items like this ahead of time. If the parts and labor warranties are not the same, AND you MUST use the manufactures service for warranty claims, find out what they're currently charging for repairs and compare this to your other choices before buying

Just installed this a few weeks ago. Not sure what is going on with the other reviewers, but thought I'd clear a few things up on it.CONS: For 3k (I got it 3k shipped with a little haggling) I expected a more sturdy unit. It comes via freight (and it's heavy) so plan accordingly to get that pallet/unit to it's final location. The shipping was fine and the sturdy. The unit itself, however, has a thin plastic base and lifting one corner really flexes everything. So much so that the screws holding the plastic base on will likely break through the plastic slots they are in. Not sure why a simple support frame couldn't have been placed inside. I get that it would weigh more, but this thing seriously feels like a $500 hunk of junk.No cover included. Again, for 3k, throw in a cover.Honestly, so far, that's the only complaint I have. I can't speak to reliability as I've only had it hooked up a few weeks, but it's been outside for a month or two...just waiting for me to stop being lazy.PRO's: hookup (plumbing) is easy. There's a 2" inlet union and a 2" outlet union (labeled). pretty simple. Use pvc to whatever plumbing you already have and you're good. Obviously will likely take a trip to the hardware store for some pieces, but I basically no nothing on plumbing hookup and figured it out.The unit flows 70GPM whether running or not. You can either have it off and still run your pump, have it on/temp set low so it still flows w/o heating, or add a bypass in the plumbing to remove it from the water flow. I don't have a bypass (but will add one eventually).Unit isn't actually loud at all. Not sure of the db rating, but ours is outside and fan running is very quiet, and when the heater kicks on, there is the initial noise of that starting, but once running it's fine.Unit is VERY easy to program. Granted, I only have it running to a pool (~19,000gallons) but even if it were going to be hooked to a pool & spa, the modes are straight forward. Power to the unit>unlock the keypad (a simple finger swipe)>set desired temp. the end. No idea where the complications come in on this part. I set to 80 and once the water runs through the unit for a few minutes, the unit either kicks on to heat or doesn't, depending on the water temp it registers. I mean, basic stuff.Unit actually heats water. I live in Southern WI. We had a warm summer, so thankfully didn't need it much. But now we will start running it more and covering the pool at night. Does it take a few hours to go from 77 to 80? Yes; it's heating 19k gallons and flowing 70GPM. Plan your heating accordingly, based on volume, flow, desired temp. How / if the pool retains the heat is up to you. The water coming through the return jet is bath water warm, so to say the unit doesn't heat is wrong (unless it's defective or your hookup is defective).Neither PRO or CON: Customer service. First off, the CS isn't bad. But you will may get different information depending on who you talk to. I called them a few times just to make sure I was hooking it up right and they were very helpful in dealing with my questions and my general lack of knowledge on basically everything. I can't say how warranty service or repair service is at this time.Electrical hookup requires electrician. Not a big surprise on this, but don't expect to just buy this and plug it into the wall and you're done. You need a dedicated breaker/hookup etc. I had an electrician install a dedicated panel/breaker for the unit and bond it to the pump. Thankfully, he's a family member and an actual electrician, so cost was very cheap. If you don't have access to that, account for the cost of hiring an electrician in your budget.Summary: Unit works well and is easy to program. However, it feels pretty cheaply made (the outside/housing; the internals seem well done) and doesn't come with a cover. Hook up is easy but you'll need an electrician to run the power.I'll update if anything changes.

We've had for 3 years. Minor issues taken care of swiftly by Aquacal. I am shocked by some of the other reviews. This is not like a gas heater. It is cheap to run and extends our swim season by several months. I have no regrets.

Way too difficult to program

Works well. It does the job and is quieter than my last unit. For the money it was a good deal. Because of the design it takes up less room than my old Rheem.