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When investigating various heat pump models, the first two things everyone wants to know are, “What are the BTUs and COPs?” These specs, BTUs and COPs are derived by “testing” the heater’s performance based on various temperatures and achieving a specific water/pool temperature of 80 degrees.

The heat pump is required to perform under certain weather and temp conditions. Test 1, the number most people are familiar with, or size by tests a heat pump under these conditions: the heater is tested in an 80 degree, outside air temperature. The humidity is set at 80% and the heater then performs to reach 80 degrees pool water temperature. When it does, BTUs and COPs are then recorded as, for example, 110,000 BTUs and a 6.4 COP. This is the number MOST people refer to when discussing heater size. This test however is not an AHRI test number.This is what’s known as the “80/80/80” test.

Why do you think? There can be several reasons. Perhaps the numbers they are reporting are inaccurate or greatly inflated. Without the verification, a manufacturer can print any numbers they want to in their literature, advertising, or on their website. Their salesperson may and tell you a unit is giving you 130,000 BTUs and if you don’t do some research or ask for their  AHRI certification, that manufacturer hopes that you will take his word for it, and not look this information up. He’s hoping you WON’T DO YOUR HOMEWORK!

Also, submitting to the standardized testing program through AHRI costs the manufacturer money.  It’s a nominal fee and that is the cost per heater.

So that – any unit you want verified by AHRI testing standards, meaning all model sizes and versions, for example, 3 phase or heat and cool, etc. You must cover the testing fee each individual model that the manufacturer wants AHRI 1160 Certified, a true “Gold Star” of accuracy and results.

Why else wouldn’t they want to submit to the AHRI Standards? What other risk does the manufacturer face in having their units tested?

The unit could also fail! The manufacturer must address the matter by either going back to the lab to make revisions to the unit and put further capital into developing the unit. Or will simply discontinue the “failed’ unit, a unit which falls short of the AHRI performance standards.

By NOT testing the unit the Manufacturer can simply bypass the expense, risk of having failed units and having to spend more OR take that particular model off the market altogether. And because the AHRI standard is not required, a lesser quality unit would rather avoid the strict scrutiny of AHRI.

While making your decisions about the purchase of a brand new heat pump to heat your pool, it only makes good sense to consider Heat Pumps that are AHRI 1160 Certified and can produce the Certificate with that units exact model name and number.

You can access the AHRI certification yourself on their website and look at all the data, performance test results and all detailed specs directly at the AHRI website.

If you’d like to visit this page and research the units you’re considering, click here!

AHRI 1160 Tests the unit in an 80 degree environment, but drops the humidity to 63% – requiring the heat pump to work harder at gaining pool heat. The unit must then achieve 80 degree pool water. In that environment, and at that pool temp, BTUs and COPs are reported again.