A look at the rather complex history of this brand, the models available today and which would be best for you.

1. Zodiac/Jandy Pool Heaters
Due to the history of the company you see Jandy pool heaters sold under a number of
names. I have seen them under Laars Pool Heaters, Teledyne Laars Pool Heaters and
Jandy Pool Heaters. My understanding of the history is below, my apologies if this is not
completely accurate.
Laars Engineers was formed in the late 1940s and pool heaters was one of its key
products. It became Teledyne Laars in 1966 after a take-over by Teledyne. In 1996
Teledyne bought Jandy Industries and started marketing their pool heaters under that
name (but sometimes including the Laars name). Later in the 90s Teledyne split its
business into three with Jandy getting the home pool business. Laars Heating Systems
got the commercial side of the business. Later, in 2007, Jandy was merged with Zodiac
Marine creating Zodiac Pool Products which is now a global player in the pool equipment
market. Zodiac presently sell 2 gas pool heaters under the Jandy brand and one under
the Zodiac brand (but the name Laars still often appears when these are sold).
The current range of Jandy pool heaters comprises:
Jandy Hi-E2 (actually this should be under Zodiac brand but you rarely see it sold that
way) - This is a 350k BTU gas heater which is suitable for commercial, as well as home
use, as it is ASME certified. The energy efficiency is an incredible 95% (and it is low
NOx) putting it well ahead of other gas heaters. It has a very high build quality with
durability and reliability in mind. It has a dual thermostat for use with pool/spa
combinations. The negative with this heater is the cost as it is about triple the price of
other Jandy pool heaters. Click Here for more information.
Jandy LXi - Ranging from 250 - 400k BTU these gas pool heaters are 88% energy
efficient. In addition they have low NOx emissions meeting all requirements in this
respect. The LXi range also have a sophisticated control panel which can be removed
from the heater. Click Here for more information.
Jandy Legacy - Ranging from 125 - 400k BTU these gas pool heaters are available in
both electronic and millivolt versions. Energy efficiency is 83% but these heaters are not
low NOx. However, they do have some sophisticated features and are designed with
reliability in mind. They cost less than the other models making them a good economical
purchase. Click Here for more information.
Jandy Air Energy Heat Pump - There are 3 heat pumps in the range at 100, 115 and
131 BTU. The latter two models also being available with Chiller/Hot Gas Defrost which
allows the unit to work in cold conditions and also to work in reverse and chill the pool in
summer. All models feature a standard titanium heat exchanger (with lifetime warranty
against corrosion). A 40 amp electricity supply is required. Click Here for more
information.
So how can you choose between these models? There are two key factors to consider.
How often will you use the pool heater and will you consider a higher purchase price in
anticipation of savings in the years ahead? If you are going to heat your pool constantly
a heat pump will be cheapest to run and the best buy long term. If you only intend to
heat your pool occasionally then a gas heater may be better as it will heat the pool faster

2. and will be cheaper to buy. The Hi-E2 would be too costly leaving the option of the Lxi or
Legacy. If there are tight NOx emission standards in your location it would have to be
the Lxi, otherwise the legacy would probably be the best option. If your requirement is for
a millivolt pool heater then the Legacy represents the only offering from Jandy pool
heaters.