Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

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mr ww

were you in the air force?

Postby mr ww » Wed 30 Sep, 2009 08:42

Mary Hughes wrote:Thank you!

I never answer these forums but I just had to after the experience that I had. As an unaware consumer I naively searched the Internet for a pool heater after my pool was built. I had no idea there were so many! I narrowed it down to a few including the AquaCal and the Gulfstream. Now, my husband is very consumer savvy. He began to research the origin and production of these products. I couldn't believe what he found:

1.) Gulfstream has only been made for a few years. AquaCal over 30 years.
2.) Gulfstream is made in a garage somewhere in South Florida. AquaCal has an entire production plant in St. Petersburg, FL.
3.) Gulfstream is not independently rated. I didn't know what that meant either- in a nutshell they can put whatever BTU rating they want on their brochure! Isn't that illegal? AquaCal's heaters are independently tested and that is the rating t hat they put on their brochures.
4.) This is the one that put me over the edge: When you need service for your Gulfstream you get some subcontracted Air Conditioning technician that services your unit. The more he has to come back the more money he makes from you. AquaCal dispatches their own AquaCal techs to service your unit and with the parts and labor warranty it's at no cost to you.

Never did I think I would end up such an advocate of a product but it really surprised and enlightened me to find out that I came so close to making an expensive mistake!

Hope this is helpful,

Mary Hughes


THE FACTS

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby THE FACTS » Wed 04 Nov, 2009 20:33

The truth is in the testing. http://www.ahridirectory.org/ahridirect ... earch.aspx.

When I bought my pool heater I went to the AHRI website to compare the the BTU output and performance rating (efficiency) of the units. NEVER buy a heatpump without an AHRI Certification, those are the ONLY ratings you can trust. I compared the GS-1000 with two of Aqua-Cal units, the SQ110 and SQ120. The salesman who came out for Aqua-cal tried to tell me the SQ110 is a comparable unit, after doing my research I found this was not true. The SQ-110 only has 93000 BTU's with a 5.7 COP, The GS1000 has 104,000 BTU's and a 5.8 COP. The Gulfstream is providing 11,000 more BTU's an hour and is doing it more efficiently. The Gulfstream wins that comparison. The SQ-120 has 103,000 BTU's and 5.5 COP. This unit compared in BTU rating but is 6% less efficient and much more expensive. Don't be fooled in thinking the SQ110 is comparable because it is obviously not.

Gulfstream comes with a 5 year warranty. The company does have an in house service department I know this because I had some questions about the heater and was able to talk with the owner who actually manages the service department. After speaking with him and knowing that he had over 25 years of pool heating experience I knew that Gulfstream would be the best choice. Call the Aqua-cal service number and ask to talk with owner and see what happens. It is obvious that some of the comments made above were made by an Aqua-cal heat pump provider, because those statements are not true. TRUST me I did my research.
SVROPA1231

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby SVROPA1231 » Tue 17 Nov, 2009 12:32

I had a Gulfstream heat pump installed at my home 3 years ago and all I can say is LOUD. The unit was installed in my backyard by my pump & filter which is next to my back patio.

While it heated my pool to the temperature that we wanted, we had to have the "Manufacturer" ( a guy in an old Toyota ) out maybe a half a dozen times since the installation as it was SO LOUD while it ran that we had a hard time enjoying our pool and it disturbed our neighbors. I finally called in a non-manufacturer's service company (who showed up in a marked truck ) and they explained that the noise was made worse by the sound "bouncing off" of the house next to mine.

They told me about the Aquacal SuperQuiet unit. I traded my Gulfstream in on consignment for a unit that is practically silent! I had the Gulfstream removed and an AquaCal put in and I can't even begin to tell you the difference it made! That was four months ago and the operating expenses have been almost identical. It is even QUIETER than my pool pump!

The only problem now is unloading my 3 year old Gulfstream. I was hoping for $ 2000, 50% of what I paid but it looks like I will have to settle for
$ 500.00 as this is the best offer I can find.

Mrs. Svropa
Roger C

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby Roger C » Mon 12 Apr, 2010 13:48

Well, the post about it being loud was the only one that made me a little nervous. The other posts by people who appear to be employees of the other company are either very biased or out and out liars. I'm happy to say I had my GS unit installed today and it is far quieter than my previous unit (Swimright). 5 Year warranty and no service charge to come out and fix or service the unit.

Roger
Tman

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby Tman » Wed 15 Sep, 2010 13:51

Roger C wrote:Well, the post about it being loud was the only one that made me a little nervous. The other posts by people who appear to be employees of the other company are either very biased or out and out liars. I'm happy to say I had my GS unit installed today and it is far quieter than my previous unit (Swimright). 5 Year warranty and no service charge to come out and fix or service the unit.

Roger


Like I said earlier, as a State certified pool and spa contractor, I sell and install both for my customers.
six of one or half a dozen of the other, I don't care which one you buy, after shopping price per BTU and the warranty.

Which would you buy? There is a lot of nonsense in some of these posts!
glal2

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby glal2 » Mon 16 Jan, 2012 20:35

We have had a Gulfstream pool heater for about four years--don't have exact model number in front of me, but we purchased it because it supposedly was the only pool heater with a five-year warranty that actually included service. So far, we've had the entire unit replaced once under warranty when it failed to function shortly after it was installed. We recently had yet another problem with the thermostat and requested service, but were told that a 10 degree temperature gap--which is what we had--is normal, and even though we were still under warranty, if a service person came and found that our 10 degree thermostat gap did not represent an actual malfunction, we'd have to pay for the service call. Thus, we didn't schedule service, and have lived with uncomfortable water temperature for a good chunk of this winter. Weeks later--this morning, to be exact, the thermostat failed to turn on the pool heater at all! We called for service--under warranty--and are still awaiting a call to see when service will be scheduled. We are daily swimmers, already had been without our pool for nearly a week due to unusually cold weather and depend entirely on our pool for our morning exercise, so this wait is a true hardship on us. Bottom line: The jury is still out, but given the very prickly, slow service we've received so far from Gulfstream and the numerous mechanical problems we've had with this relatively new unit, we're not sure we'd buy a Gulfstream pool heater again.
GLAL2

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby GLAL2 » Mon 05 Mar, 2012 17:09

Update on our Gulfstream pool heater: We were told that evidently, when our pool heater was replaced under warranty, the thermostat was installed improperly-- reading a line instead of the pool water--or something to that effect. This, after we spent the whole winter with high heating bills in an effort to keep the pool warm! Supposedly this problem finally was fixed with our last service call. However, last week we became aware that our pool was leaking. We were awakened three times in the middle of the night by a gurgling noise. Although we called a pool leak company, which charges $275 just to come out, luckily our pool service technician cleaned our pool the day before that appointment. He noted that the leak was coming from--(surprise!)--our pool heater. Once again, we called Gulfstream under our warranty. Despite the incredible inconvenience they have put us through--not to mention our high water bills, again, Gulfstream could not immediately give us a definite appointment time. Neverthless, they did call back later in the day to let us know they would be coming tomorrow, thank goodness! We pray this is the end of our Gulfstream nightmares.
John75

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby John75 » Sat 10 Mar, 2012 20:02

Hi glal! Have you checked this guide to swimming pool heaters
sean wilson

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby sean wilson » Thu 26 Apr, 2012 12:59

I run a large commerical pool in Cape Coral. I had ten Gulfstream units on our pool, a little over 1.5 million BTUS, that lasted me a little over six years. The service was always prompt, and the 5 year warranty is the big selling feature that was attractive, but in saying that, some of the subcontractor reps were ok that did the warranty work but there were several that did line leak repairs and flow sensor problems that were more of air conditioning service techs and did not seem well qualified for pool heaters. Also, the amount of repairs would have been very costly without the warranty.
I started this year to switch to Aquacal. I had two changed out this month of my ten. They are more money but looking at the two Aquacals that were installed that are very quiet with a larger fan blade,sitting next to the eight Gulfstreams, looks like a Corvette sitting next to your grandpa's old Park Avenue.(gulfstream)
If you are looking at cost and warranty, then Gulfstream is probably the choice. I go by their build warehouse everyday off I-75, but I think if you are comparing the two companies for an overall quality build, there is no question that Aquacal's many years in business shows very clearly when the products are sitting next to each other, like they are currently on my site in Sandoval.
Guest

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby Guest » Sat 08 Sep, 2012 15:50

[quote="Jo47"]I'm going to install a heat pump and have been looking at the Gulf Stream GS 1000 or Aqua Cal HR 120. I think the Gulf Stream may put out just a few more BTU's than the ACal but everything else is pretty much the same. Has anyone had any experience with either of these units or know anything about them? Price is within a few hundred dollars of each other. It will be used in Florida mostly between the months of October and June.

Would appreciate any opinions. Thank you.[/quotE
DO NOT BUY GULF STREAM JUNK COPPER ON EXCHANGER WARES OUT . QUICK.
AQUA CAL BUILT LIKE A ROCK. I SERVICE THEM BOTH. AQUA CAL MUCH SUPERIOR.
wimbushmechanical
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Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby wimbushmechanical » Fri 08 Mar, 2013 22:47

I have never worked on a Gulfstream, but have worked on Aqua-cal so I cannot give my two cents as a comparison, but after a life time as a service tech I gotta throw in a few thoughts...

Just because a company has been around for 30 years doesnt make it better. If you are comparing them against a brand new unproven product then I agree but a 6 year old company can be just as good as a dinosaur, and sometimes better.
Claims about peformance are always exagerations created by advertising salespeople, whether we are looking at anti-aging creams, cars or pool heaters.
Fraud is another story altogether. Not too many people will risk fraud to sell a pool heater.

If you are spending your hard earned money, in my neck of the woods, I always recommend Jandy. There products are competitive and the warranty outshines everyone else.
Guest

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby Guest » Thu 19 Dec, 2013 10:34

Gulfstream has never used a copper heat exchanger. Please disregard much of the nonsense in these posts. I know some of the independent posts on this thread are coming from dealers with an agenda. GulfStream and AquCal make excellent performing and quiet units. Our factory is 10,000 sq ft. You will not go wrong with either.
Aaron Fields
Owner - GulfStream
CGPoolman
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Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby CGPoolman » Thu 19 Dec, 2013 19:17

I don't have any experience with Gulfstream, but I've worked on several AquaCals. I've never seen anything wrong on an AquaCal that wasn't normal wear and tear, or the result of a good Florida lightning strike. Whatever unit you choose, I would spend the $$ on good surge protection.

-CG
billp

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby billp » Thu 21 Aug, 2014 18:02

I am also looking at a heater and also live in Florida. I think the deciding factor is the warrantee which blows away any other heat pump. I believe Gulf stream is the way I will myself go. Plus they are made in Florida and have one of the lowest decibel noise factors of the fan.
Guest

Heat Pump..opinion on Gulf Stream or Aqua Cal?

Postby Guest » Fri 03 Oct, 2014 22:17

It's been 5 years since the last post on this "best heat pump" subject ... any new info ??

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