AstralPool ECOlite 18kW

The Ecolite range covers four capacities: IHP120, IHP160, IHP180 and IHP240. Sizing is not just about pool volume. Site exposure, wind, shade, whether you use a cover and the water temperature you want to hold all change the answer. Undersizing means the pool never reaches temperature on cool days. Send us your pool dimensions and a description of the site and we will size it properly.

COP is coefficient of performance, the ratio of heat output to electricity consumed. A COP of 22 means the unit delivers 22 units of heat for one unit of power under favourable conditions. Real world COP varies with air temperature and target water temperature, so treat 22 as a best case rather than an average. Even at more typical conditions, the Pinnacle is one of the most efficient ways to heat a pool in Auckland.

A top discharge unit exhausts air upwards rather than out the side. That means it needs far less clearance around the sides, which makes it the practical choice where the plant area is tight against a fence, wall or another piece of equipment. On many Auckland properties, plant space is the constraint that decides which heat pump you can actually fit.

The range runs SD 107, SD 125, SD 153, SD 217, SD 250 and SD 315 (product codes 78581 through 78586). Six capacity steps means you can size closely to your pool rather than rounding up to the next available unit, which saves both purchase cost and running cost. We size against pool volume, site exposure, cover use and your target temperature.

An inverter heat pump moves heat rather than generating it, so it delivers several units of heat for every unit of electricity consumed. That makes it far cheaper to run than element heating. Your actual cost depends on target temperature, how long you extend the season, and whether you use a cover. A thermal blanket typically has the single largest effect on running cost, and we always recommend running one alongside a heat pump.

Yes. The Pinnacle operates in outdoor temperatures down to minus 15 degrees C, which is far below anything Auckland experiences. Efficiency does reduce in colder air, so winter running costs are higher than summer, but the unit will continue to heat rather than shutting down. Pairing it with a thermal blanket makes winter swimming genuinely practical.

The range covers IHPT127 at 13kW (code 78578), IHPT168 at 17kW (code 78579) and IHPT246 at 24kW (code 78580). Broadly, 13kW suits smaller residential pools, 17kW suits standard family pools, and 24kW suits larger pools or where you want fast heat recovery. Exposure and cover use shift these figures, so we size on site.

Side discharge units exhaust air horizontally, so they need clear space in front of the discharge face and around the unit for airflow. They suit open plant areas well. If your plant space is tight against a fence or wall, the top discharge IHPT range is usually the better fit. We check clearances during the site visit.

From a cold start, expect a few days to bring a typical Auckland pool up to swimming temperature, depending on model, pool size and weather. Once at temperature, the unit only needs to top up the daily heat loss, which is a much smaller job. This is why heat pumps are best left running through the season rather than switched on and off.

Multilayer acoustic insulation surrounds the compressor, and because it is a full inverter unit it spends most of its time running at reduced output rather than full noise. On Auckland sections where the plant area sits close to a neighbour's boundary or an outdoor living space, this is a meaningful difference over a conventional heat pump.